Giada and Ina's Macaroni and Cheese

Here's another recipe to tide you over until I get my holiday recipes up. I think I decided today on the main course for Mr. JY and I's Christmas Eve dinner!

This recipe is my own combination of two great macaroni and cheese recipes from Ina Garten and Giada de Laurentiis, my two favorite Food Network chefs. It's defintely a more "grown up" version. It uses fontina, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses instead of cheddar, and is topped with tomatoes. I love the extra flavor the tomatoes add! Ina's recipe called for gruyere, which I am sure would be fabulous, but at the store I went to gruyere was so expensive it would've cost me $20 for the cheese alone for this recipe, so I used the cheese in Giada's, fontina. I'd never worked with fontina before, and it's creamy and mild. You could, of course, use any cheese you like. I think the first time I made this recipe I just used a shredded Italian cheese blend to save money. Since I was making this for our small group's Christmas dinner, I splurged a little on the cheese.

This macaroni and cheese is best the next day, so its a great make ahead dish. Make it the night before and just warm it in the oven before serving.

Unfortunately, there are no pictures (got in too much of a hurry), but I will be glad to share my recipe with you!

Giada & Ina's Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from two recipes courtesy Ina Garten & Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
  
• 12 ounces of your favorite pasta (I used corkscrews)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups grated Fontina cheese
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley)
• 1 large or 2 small tomatoes
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

First, spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cook your pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Remember it's going in the oven later, so it should still have a bite to it. After the pasta is done cooking, drain well. Do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to your baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter. If it looks a little dry, add a little olive oil. Set aside. Slice the tomato into thin slices and set aside.

Next, top the noodles with the tomatoes, the remaining cheese, then the breadcrumbs. Put into the oven for 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are brown and cheese is bubbly. Let it sit on the counter for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.

Hint: If during baking your breadcrumbs become too brown, cover the mac and cheese with foil.

Bridal Shower

Okay, so I remember I promised that I would post this glorious and beautiful post filled with pictures and amazing recipes from the bridal shower that I threw this past Saturday.

Unfortunately, I realized I hadn't taken any pictures when the party was over and all of the food was half eaten!

But, I thought I'd post anyway. I really liked my menu and thought it worked out really well for a casual mid afternoon shower. This one was actually an "Around the House" theme, where each guest was assigned a room to buy for. We ate, played a couple of games, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a great way to spend an afternoon!

Most of my menu comes from chefs from FoodNetwork.com, with one original recipe inspired by a restaurant in Chattanooga, TN.

Bridal Shower Menu

• Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze - These cupcakes take a short cut by using a doctored up white cake mix, but they are so good. I couldn't find any mascarpone at the store I was at, so I subbed cream cheese and they came out just fine. The strawberry glaze gives them a light pink color, and anything mini is just cute. Perfect for a bridal or baby shower, or a girl's birthday. You can find the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mascarpone-mini-cupcakes-with-strawberry-glaze-recipe/index.html
• Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage - This recipe comes from Tyler Florence. And just like every other recipes of his I've tried, this one didn't fail me. I was a little skeptical of some of the ingredients, like raisins, but these turned out really well. If you love mushrooms, you'll love this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/stuffed-mushrooms-with-sausage-recipe/index.html
• Brie en Croute - This is a Paula Deen recipe. You really can't go wrong with ooey, gooey melted cheese tucked inside flaky puff pastry. The Brie inside is topped with pecans and raspberry jam, and makes for a unique and delightful treat. I made mine up in the morning and popped it in the oven just before guests arrived so it was nice and warm and melted inside. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/brie-en-croute-2-recipe/index.html

And lastly, here is the one recipe I made up. It's inspired by an amazing sandwich I ate at a restaurant in Chattanooga, TN called River Street Deli. Or River City Deli. Or something like that. I know exactly where it is, though. It's owned by a New Yorker and it's just one of those simple, amazing hole in the wall places. You might think this is an odd combination at first, but its great!

Mini Open Faced Ham, Cheddar, and Green Apple Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 10 slices of Pepperidge Farm Very Thin white bread
• 1/4 c. apple butter (approximate)
• 1 large or 2 small Granny Smith apples
• 1 package Sargento sliced Medium Cheddar cheese (or any deli sliced cheddar cheese)
• 1 package good quality deli ham or proscuitto

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the crusts off your bread slices, and then half them. Put all of the bread slices on a cookie sheet, and spray with a little bit of cooking spray. Put them in the oven until just toasted. This took about 5 minutes for me, but check them often. You want them to be barely browned.

Next, core and slice your granny smith apple into very thin slices. I didn't peel mine because I liked the color. I also put mine in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice after slicing so they wouldn't turn brown.

After slicing your apples, you'll want to slice up your cheese into rectangles that fit perfectly on top of your bread slices. Make 20 cheese rectangles and you can nibble on the scraps.

After the cheese is done, you're ready to assemble your appetizer. Spread each bread slice with a thin layer of the apple butter. Top with a slice of cheese, a slice of apple, and then with the ham or proscuitto. I just layed the ham prettily atop the apple, but if you have proscuitto you can wrap it around the sandwich. Just experiment and see what looks good.

Arrange on a tray and wrap with plastic wrap until guests arrive so the cheese won't dry out around the edges. I would make this one the day of so its fresh.

Enjoy!