Today I want to introduce you to a fellow mom blogger! She's Bernadette from the Barefoot Hippie Girl blog. I invited her to share a story and a recipe with you guys, so here it is!
Hi! I am Bernadette, and I am the Barefoot Hippie Girl. I write about my life, cooking, fitness, parenting, homeschooling and whatever else is on my mind and heart.
Thanks, Alessandra, for sharing your space with me today. It is a great privilege.
I remember way back when-when my mom started teaching me how to cook. It was the year we began home schooling. The year I was in third grade.
Mom was determined to have some help feeding our family of (then) five kids. So, almost everyday she would get the 3 oldest of us in the kitchen learning to peel and chop onions, and can tomatoes, and make goulash and sloppy joe.
By the time I was 12, I was assigned Monday nights to showcase my skills. (Monday was my parent's date night.) That showcase generally included hot dogs. Or goulash. Or potato casserole. Or tuna casserole. (you get the picture-easy and quick)
Sometime within the next four or five years I got assigned more than one evening as chief cook. And I also grew to love cooking. I would try new recipes, and except for a few notable exceptions (like the pan of brownies without sugar or the other pan of brownies without the eggs) most things turned out very well.
The summer I was 19 I took off to a wilderness camp for a 10 week camp cook stint. This was paradise on earth. And maybe more than anything else, that summer shaped my three cooking philosophies.
1. Taste-make delicious food. This is all important.
2. Simplicity-don’t spend much more time cooking the food than it takes to consume it.
3. Aesthetics-get the most bang for your buck. Think colorful and variety.
Today I am going to share with you a favorite recipe that dates back to the very beginning of my cooking journey...Macaroni and Cheese.
I know, I know. We all love Kraft for convenience. But, if you want a fairly quick option, that blows Kraft out of the water, you should try homemade mac and cheese.
White sauce is easy to master. The secret is medium heat, and a wire whisk.
Baking mac and cheese brings all the buttery goodness to the top. So delicious. So NOT healthy. So worth it. Trust me on this.=)
For a pop of color, you can slice fresh tomatoes and arrange them on top. Mac and cheese is delicious served with a green salad, a green vegetable, or with fancy stewed tomatoes. (Check out that recipe here.)
Mac and Cheese
1 pound pasta (I prefer rotini or calatapi)
1 onion, chopped
3 T butter
3 T flour
1/4 t black pepper
1 t salt or to taste
3-3/4 cups milk
6 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or colby are best, can do a combination of different cheeses)
2 medium tomatoes sliced (optional)
-Cook pasta according to package directions.
-Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan, and add onion. Saute' until tender. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Add milk, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from heat, and whisk in cheese. Combine sauce with pasta. Pour into a large greased casserole. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes.
-This feeds 10. Half recipe for less. Or share with company.=)
Ummm, now I am looking forward to this for fall comfort food goodness!
