I’m dreaming of a white Christmas… but that will never happen because I live in Texas. However, my Christmas days definitely are merry and bright. I get to spend time with my beautiful family enjoying each other while also eating and drinking until our hearts are content. This Christmas Eve, like many before, my mom, dad, sister and grandparents went to church and then came home to have a delicious meal.

We had Oryx tenderloin, balsamic brussels sprout salad, green beans and carrots and the best mac and cheese of all time!

Being a chef in training, I am slowly incorporating some of my test recipes into our family meals, and this mac and cheese was definitely a hit! So if your family is getting together tonight to celebrate the holiday I highly recommend adding this to your menu.

 

and into the oven she goes…

This baked mac and cheese is rich and delicious, perfect for a holiday meal.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! I am off to my cousins house for more holiday fun!

Best Ever Mac and Cheese

What you’ll need:

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter

6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4 inch pieces

3 1/2 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

10 oz grated sharp white cheddar cheese

10 oz grated sharp yellow cheddar cheese

8 oz grated Gruyere cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni

directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk and whipping cream. In a high-sided skillet, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly pour in warm milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cheeses. Set cheese sauce aside.

Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer’s directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot

When I think of my grandpa I think of a man who is funny, kind, a great father, husband, grandpa and great grandpa; but I also think athlete. I can’t think of a time growing up when he wasn’t running marathons or at least training for them. My grandpa started running just a few years shy of his 50th birthday.

Most people would say that fifty is not the age to start up a new fitness regimen but that’s exactly what he did. However, I don’t think he expected was to fall in love with it the way he did, so much so that the year of his 50th birthday him and my grandma set out on a mission and he ran 50 marathons in 50 weeks. Crazy right? But he did it, he even chronicled it in a book…

 

During the years of running, my grandparents would meet up with grandpa’s running buddies for a spaghetti dinner on Friday night- to carb load for the big race. So tonight, I decided I would make some pasta.

I didn’t make spaghetti, but this fettucini with tomato cream sauce will fit in for tonight. In a sauce pot I heated some olive oil and added some chopped onion and garlic.

 

After a minute or so I added in a can of tomato sauce, along with some S&P, garlic powder and some Italian seasoning.

 

While this is cooking for about 20 minutes, cook your choice of pasta according to the directions on the box. After 20 minutes remove the sauce from the heat and add just a touch of heavy cream.

 

Toss your pasta with the sauce and top it with some freshly shredded parmesan and basil.

Grandpa has retired from his running days, but that still hasn’t stopped the athlete in him. These days he is training for some rowing competitions. His training endurance and discipline is as sharp as ever and I bet this pasta dish would be perfect before a big day of rowing.

 

So whether you are training for any athletic event or just want a delicious meal for a Friday night, this will do the trick.

Happy eating!

No, I did not cook this lasagna while naked… you’d have to google something else to find that. However, I did skimp on the pasta. I love a decadent and hearty meal just as much as the next gal, but I also love to make my favorite dishes with a healthy twist. It’s about balance, right? This lasagna is fantastic, and all of the veggies make it super-healthful. You won’t even miss the noodles.

What you’ll need: 4 zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise, 2 teaspoons safflower oil (you could also use canola oil,) 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 pound turkey italian sausage, 1 medium diced onion, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic, 1 1/2 cups diced yellow squash, 1 1/2 cups diced portobello mushrooms, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 6 cups tomato sauce (you can use jarred, or stay tuned for my homemade red-wine tomato sauce) 4 cups ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then slice up your zucchini lengthwise and spread them out on a baking sheet. Spread a little safflower oil on each side and bake them for about 4-5 minutes. Since these will take the place of the noodles try to slice them in even cuts.

 

brusha, brusha, brusha…. anyone seen Grease? Love that movie!

 

There are many benefits to using safflower oil instead of canola oil or other vegetable oils. Safflower oil is high in polyunsaturated fats which help with the strengthening of cell membranes, it’s also good for lowering cholesterol, can boost your immune system, is great for skin and hair. But like all fat, you still shouldn’t consume too much. Enough of the nutrition lesson, back to the grub.

After the zucchini have been in the oven for a few minutes let them rest on a paper towel. Raise the oven temp to 375 degrees. Get your mise en place ready, dice up your squash, mushrooms, onion and garlic.

 

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, remove the italian sausage from the casing and add to the pan until lightly brown, stirring and breaking it up to ground consistency.

 

Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring.

 

After 1-2 minutes, add the squash, mushrooms, basil and oregano. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften (about 10 minutes or so)

 

Once they are tender, remove from the heat and set aside.

Now, let’s assemble. I am using homemade red-wine tomato sauce, which I will feature tomorrow, but you can also use store-bought sauce of your liking. In a greased baking pan ladle about 1/ 1/2 cups of tomato sauce and spread it evenly. Layer a third of the zucchini over the sauce evenly and top it with half of the sausage mixture. Then ladle another 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the mixture in an even layer.

 

 

 

 

Spoon the ricotta cheese into a pastry bag, or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the cheese evenly over the sauce.

 

Top with another layer of zucchini slices. Repeat layering with sauce, turkey mixture, more sauce and ricotta. Once you get to the top sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and some mozzarella.

 

Bake this bad boy for 40-45 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbling hot. Let it cool slightly and then serve. Man oh man this is yummy and you won’t even miss the noodles! Trust me, I will not steer you wrong.

 

Happy eating!

Stay tuned for my red-wine tomato sauce.