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charisstomahttp://christinadodd.com/christina-dodds-valentines-day-dinner/
Mac & Cheese
-- Christina Dodd's take on Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
Oven 350 degrees
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups elbow or corkscrew pasta
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
¼ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
¼ cup minced fresh onion (optional)
8 ounces sharp cheddar
Directions:
Spray 1 ½ quart casserole lightly with cooking spray.
Cook pasta until tender: drain.
In saucepan, melt butter, blend in flour, salt, pepper. Add milk (I heat mine a little in the microwave first); cook until thick & bubbly. Add onion (we leave it out when my youngest is home, but always make sure we point out our sacrifice since she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t like onion). Add cheddar. Stir until melted.
Mix cheese sauce with pasta. Put in casserole. Put casserole in oven. Bake 35-40 minutes.
Okay, yes, I admit it, I have one secret and a couple of tweaks, but I don’t do them all the time. One of the great things about mac and cheese is that it’s so forgiving.
The tweaks:
— I like cheddar macaroni and cheese, but you can use whatever cheese you’ve got hanging around. Mine almost always has a little parmesan grated into it, too.
— Use really sharp cheese. You can cut back on the amount and still get the great flavor, and it’s less calories and better for your cholesterol. (Hey! Every little bit helps!)
— You can put toppings on it. I love to put crushed potato chips on in the last ten minutes of baking and sort of mush them into the top. (Yes, there goes the calorie count again.) Try salted tomatoes or fried bacon bits or cornflakes mixed with a little melted butter.
— If you’ve got left over ham, cube it and bake it into the mac and cheese. It’s orgasmic.
Lemon Nutmeg Scones
-- Girl Scout Retreat
1 ¾ cups flour (I do half all-purpose and half wheat)
¼ cups cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. nutmeg
6 tbsp. margarine
8-oz. carton lemon yogurt
1 tsp. lemon peel
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 eggs
4 ½ tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 oz. package cream cheese, softened
Combine first four ingredients, blending well. Cut in margarine with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbles.
Combine ½ cup yogurt, lemon peel, raisins, and eggs; add to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.
On a greased cookie sheet, press dough into a 9-inch circle, ¾ inch think.
Combine sugar and 1/8 tsp nutmeg and sprinkle evenly over dough.
Using a knife or dough scraper coated in Pam cooking or baking spray, cut dough into 12 wedges and slide them apart so the wedges are 1 inch from each other. You could use a scone pan, but I never have. I’d love to know if it makes the process easier. Anyone know?)
Bake at 450 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.
Combine remaining yogurt with cream cheese and serve with warm scones.
Mac & Cheese
-- Christina Dodd's take on Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
Oven 350 degrees
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups elbow or corkscrew pasta
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
¼ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
¼ cup minced fresh onion (optional)
8 ounces sharp cheddar
Directions:
Spray 1 ½ quart casserole lightly with cooking spray.
Cook pasta until tender: drain.
In saucepan, melt butter, blend in flour, salt, pepper. Add milk (I heat mine a little in the microwave first); cook until thick & bubbly. Add onion (we leave it out when my youngest is home, but always make sure we point out our sacrifice since she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t like onion). Add cheddar. Stir until melted.
Mix cheese sauce with pasta. Put in casserole. Put casserole in oven. Bake 35-40 minutes.
Okay, yes, I admit it, I have one secret and a couple of tweaks, but I don’t do them all the time. One of the great things about mac and cheese is that it’s so forgiving.
The tweaks:
— I like cheddar macaroni and cheese, but you can use whatever cheese you’ve got hanging around. Mine almost always has a little parmesan grated into it, too.
— Use really sharp cheese. You can cut back on the amount and still get the great flavor, and it’s less calories and better for your cholesterol. (Hey! Every little bit helps!)
— You can put toppings on it. I love to put crushed potato chips on in the last ten minutes of baking and sort of mush them into the top. (Yes, there goes the calorie count again.) Try salted tomatoes or fried bacon bits or cornflakes mixed with a little melted butter.
— If you’ve got left over ham, cube it and bake it into the mac and cheese. It’s orgasmic.
Lemon Nutmeg Scones
-- Girl Scout Retreat
1 ¾ cups flour (I do half all-purpose and half wheat)
¼ cups cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. nutmeg
6 tbsp. margarine
8-oz. carton lemon yogurt
1 tsp. lemon peel
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 eggs
4 ½ tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 oz. package cream cheese, softened
Combine first four ingredients, blending well. Cut in margarine with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbles.
Combine ½ cup yogurt, lemon peel, raisins, and eggs; add to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.
On a greased cookie sheet, press dough into a 9-inch circle, ¾ inch think.
Combine sugar and 1/8 tsp nutmeg and sprinkle evenly over dough.
Using a knife or dough scraper coated in Pam cooking or baking spray, cut dough into 12 wedges and slide them apart so the wedges are 1 inch from each other. You could use a scone pan, but I never have. I’d love to know if it makes the process easier. Anyone know?)
Bake at 450 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.
Combine remaining yogurt with cream cheese and serve with warm scones.
