Cooking recipes

Last weekend I got together with the Dinner Divas and my good friend Catherine did the hosting this time. Her theme was Comfort Food and her dinner was fabulous. Broccoli and Cheddar Soup, a tasty salad with toasted pecans that had a touch of cinnamon and the star of the evening completely made from scratch Chicken Pot Pie. It was outstanding! My contribution to the dinner was the appetizer. I saw mac and cheese bites on a blog a few months back but of course I couldnt remember where I saw it. After doing a google search I found a recipe from Food and Wine Magazine for Mac and Cheese Bites. I was supposed to use mini muffin pans but I didnt have one so I use a regular muffin pan instead. The result was more like Mac and Cheese 2 or 3 Bites but the taste was great. The recipe only made 12. When I make this again in the future I will definitely purchase a mini muffin pan. I think that if the Bites were smaller I would have had an easier time getting them out of the tin.

The recipe is very straight forward and I didnt really need to make any changes. I added some Emmenthaler Cheese just because I had it on hand and I think the combination of the three cheeses was excellent. My friend Shane from bakespace suggested that I mix some panko breakcrumbs with the parmesan on top and that worked out nicely. Gave it a nice crunchy top. The only thing I would do differently next time is add a little more of the smoked paprika. I didnt taste it at all and it was fresh, I bought it that same day.

I apologize for not taking a picture of the finished product. I was in a bit of a rush because I wanted them to be hot when I served them but they needed to cool slightly before I removed them.

Heres a picture of what they looked like before they went in the oven. Sorry, thats the best I got!




Three-Cheese Mini Macs

TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN
SERVINGS: 48 mini macs

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)
4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, shaking off the excess water.

2. Brush four 12-cup, nonstick mini muffin tins with butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano; tap out the excess.

3. In a large saucepan, melt the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour over moderate heat for 2 minutes.Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar and American cheeses and whisk until melted. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni.

4. Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of the macaroni into the prepared muffin cups, packing them gently. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano on top.

5. Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 min-utes. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.

Make Ahead
The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight.

This is the second of my recipes using Applewood Spreadable, be sure and have a look at the Kale, Pumpkin and Smoked Cheese Tart .

I received a lovely hamper of ingredients along with some samples of Applewood Spreadable and one of the things in the hamper was a celeriac.  Celeriac is a root vegetable with a slight celery flavour, its delicious raw or cooked, but its one of those vegetables I often forget to look for and buy.

Remoulade is a classic way to serve celeriac, its usually a mix of mayonnaise and mustard but I have adapted it to incorporate Applewood Spreadable and I found that the mild smoky flavour worked really well with in the dressing for the remoulade.

Celeriac and Apple Remoulade
1/2 a medium celeriac, peeled and cut into julienne strips

1 large sharp apple, peeled and cut into julienne strips
juice of 1/2 a lemon
50g Applewood Spreadable
1tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
salt & freshly ground black pepper
a little chopped dill

1. Mix together the celeriac and apple julienne strips with the lemon juice.
2. Make the dressing by mixing the Applewood Spreadable, mayonnaise and Greek yogurt, season to taste.
3. Mix together the julienne strips and the dressing, add about tsp of chopped dill and stir through.
4. Serve with cold meats, such as ham or cold roast beef or with any other dish where you would usually serve coleslaw.



I received samples of Applewood Spreadable Cheese and a hamper of food products to use in the competition, I have not been paid for this post and all opinions are my own.

6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - including 1 hour advance prep, but not cooling time


Roast the Beans and Beets
4 medium-large beets
450 grams (1 pound) green beans
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Peel the beets and cut them into wedges. Toss them with half the oil and salt in a shallow baking tray.

Wash and trim the beans and toss them with the remainder of the oil and salt in another shallow baking tray.

Roast both beets and beans for 40 minutes to an hour, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked and showing signs of browning. Let cool until you are about to make the salad.

Make the Dressing:
1/4 cup sunflower seed oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Whisk or shake together in a small bowl or jar.

Assemble the Salad:
1 small sweet onion (about 1 cup when chopped)
100 grams (1/4 pound) blue cheese, crumbled

Peel and chop the onion, and toss with the cooked, cooled beans and beets. Toss with the dressing and mix in the crumbled blue cheese.





Last year at this time I made Cauliflower with Tomatoes & Cilantro.

Recipe? You dont need no stinkin recipe. Two slices good whole wheat sandwich bread, smeared with mayo. Slices of ripe, juicy fresh-off-the-vine tomato sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. Crisp lettuce. All topped with a slice of Guernsey Girl cheese fried in a lightly-oiled pan over medium heat until brown and bubbly on both sides. Oh man, I want another and my cheese is all gone. *sniff* These things were exquisite; no other word.

Guernsey Girl is one of the cheeses we picked up at Upper Canada Cheese when we were there. Its a halloumi-inspired cheese, meaning it holds together and gets brown, buttery and delicately squeaky when fried in a pan as above instead of becoming a molten mess. If you cant get Guernsey Girl, you could use halloumi cheese. Ill be scouting around to see what I can get here, for as long as the tomatoes hold out.




Last year at this time it was Tomato & Garlic Soup with Vegetables.