Quick Mac and Cheese

On our drive home from New Hampshire yesterday we were able to catch the end of Splendid Table on npr. A non-bechamel based Mac and Cheese recipe was briefly discussed and after a mental tally of my post-vaca pantry at home I thought (and wished) that I just might be able to pull it off without a visit to the grocery store. And sure enough I did have everything give or take an ounce or two less of cream cheese and the cup of milk which was an easy borrow from a neighbor. Also, I used regular breadcrumbs instead of saltines and I used a smoked Spanish paprika which added a wonderful rich undertone to the dish. This was easy to put together and quite delicious. We ate it as a main with arugula (that amazingly made it through the vacation wilt free) and a California chardonnay.

Here is the recipe:
21st Century Mac and Cheese

Week 6: Mushroom, Gruyere, & Onions

Once again, our frittata was pushed to Monday night. A frit did not have a place in our Superbowl junk food menu. After last week's somewhat lackluster performance I wanted a little decadence. Gruyere and heavy cream in this week's frittata delivered the decadence and the calories.

6 eggs (2 of my had double yolks! sort of ew, but sort of cool!)
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
2 tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion (finely sliced)
1 small shallot (finely sliced)
4 ounces of mushrooms (I used a blend of bella, shitake and oyster)
s+p to taste

I sauteed the onion and shallot in a tbsp of butter for about 10 minutes, until they were nicely browned. In a separate pan I cooked the mushrooms in a tbsp of butter. Meanwhile the eggs were beat with the cream and water and I added the cheese and eventually the onion/shallot mixture and mushrooms. After cooking on the stove top for a few minutes I popped it into the broiler a little earlier then I usually do. This fluffed up and browned beautifully. The mushroom flavor was subtle, woodsy—the egg fluffy and rich. This is a keeper.