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Hi! I'm Meredith and I blog over at Mer's Memoirs. It's my personal blog, which includes some home decorating tips, crafts, recipes, and random posts to chronicle our life. I'm so excited to share one of my favorite go-to recipes with you today on Allison's awesome blog! I met Allison in college and I've just adored her ever since! I've so happy we've been able to stay connected through Facebook and blogging. The Internet really is a wonderful thing!I originally grew up in a suburb of Seattle, but have moved around the inter mountain west, namely Idaho and Utah, since I graduated from high school and attended college. I'm settled in Utah for now, while my husband finishes school at the University of Utah. We live in a townhouse in the center of the Salt Lake Valley with our two dogs Milo and Jazzy, who we rescued from shelters. I work full time for a local apple reseller doing marketing and admin work. I love my job and feel very lucky to have the best boss ever!
My mom slowly taught me to cook when I was in junior high. I always hated it, especially during college when I had little time and little money. My cooking skills have evolved over the years, and I think I can attribute it to getting married, The Food Network, and Rachael Ray's magazines. Now, I feel comfortable making up my own recipes and making foods that I may not normally have thought to add to a menu. It's been an adjustment for my husband as well, who, when we were first married, didn't know what garlic was and detested onions. He's since seen the light, because of the recipes I've made for him. I feel like cooking is a way to de-stress and to be creative. To learn the rules so they can be broken. And to provide a meal that can be enjoyed together with family and/or friends.
A little more about me:
- Hometown: Federal Way, Washington
- Favorite TV show: Project Runway. I love to talk fashion.
- Favorite ingredients to work with: The basics: olive oil, salt & pepper. They really can transform any food into something better.
- Something I can't live without: My iPhone. That thing seriously contains everything to keep me organized and function.
- Favorite blogs: Nat the Fat Rat, Picky Palate, The Wiegands
- Favorite room in my house and why: I love my kitchen! It has such a great layout to it, plus it's super easy to clean-major bonus in my busy life! I also love how everything has a place and is nicely organized. It really makes cooking so much easier when everything has a home.
- Favorite vacation: My husband and I recently went to Southern California. We absolutely loved it! It's been a long time since each of us has been there, and we've never been there together. We enjoyed every minute of it spending time on the beach, at Disneyland, and in the city.
- My typical day: Crawl out of bed and get ready for work. Work for 8 hours. Go to to the gym after work for 45-60 minutes, come home and cook dinner, craft or blog, or all of the above. Relax and go to bed, just to start the routine all over again! I love the weekends! Can you guess why? :)
- Something I want to learn to do: I would love to learn how to paint furniture. I think I could add a lot of unique pieces to our house if I did a little more thrifting, and of course, learned how to paint furniture!
- My guilty pleasure: Listening to Katy Perry. I just love her music, but I know it's probably a little too young for me. Either way, I still love it!
- How I like to relax: I go to a yoga class once a week, which really helps me stay calm. But reading books and snuggling with my hubby and puppies does the trick during the week.
- Three more things I can't live without: My husband Brett, and my dogs Milo and Jazzy.
As winter is upon us, I feel like it's time for some good, tasty comfort food. Not like I stopped making comfort food in the summer, but nothing says home like mac and cheese on a cold night after a long, dark day.
I've experimented and played around with plenty of homemade mac and cheese recipes, and this one is one of my favorite renditions. I don't eat a lot of meat, so I like to serve this with a side of protein rich veggies, this time around, brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts tend to get a bad rap because not a lot of people like them. To that I say, have you roasted them yet? There's something about the crunch of the sprout with some salt and and the crisp caramelization that occurs in the oven that will definitely have you going back for seconds. I promise!So in just a little bit of time, you can have a nice grown-up meal that's healthy, tasty, and meat-free!
Grown-Up Mac and Cheese with Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 c. milk or half & half (I used half and half this time.)
- 1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
- 2 c. white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3/4 lb. of pasta (3 cupsish)
- 2 c. brussel sprouts
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- More salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a large pot of water on the stove to boil.
In a saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to make a roux (rue). Toast the roux for about a minute, then pour in milk. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add in chopped garlic as well. Bring to a boil to thicken.
Check back on the pot of water. If it's boiling, throw in about 2 Tablespoons of salt and then throw in the pasta. This is the only time you'll be able to season the pasta so make it count. Cook pasta until al dente (firm but not hard), depending on the pasta, about 4-7 minutes. I will pull out a noodle or two to taste and judge how much longer I'd like it to cook. The noodles will cook the rest of the way in the oven with the cheese sauce so they should definitely be al dente. Check the package for instructions if you're unsure how long to cook the pasta. (Usually two minutes less than the instruction time should do it.)Back to the sauce! When it starts to gently bubble, turn the heat to low and throw in the cheese. Whisk until melted and taste to make sure it is seasoned appropriately. Set aside until the noodles are done. Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and add to the cheese sauce. Pour the mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top.
Chop 2 cups of brussel sprouts into halves or quarters, depending on the size. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet or a baking stone. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, then put the macaroni and cheese in and bake both together for 15 more minutes until done. You want the mac and cheese to be bubbling and the brussel sprouts to have some caramelization to them.Dish up, sprinkle the mac and cheese with some Parmesan, and enjoy!
