Recipe Review: Macaroni and Three Cheeses
If you're looking for a quick recipe, this isn't it. However, if you're looking for something tasty and a step up from mac in a box with orange stuff, you might want to try this out. I think it may have been even better the next day, which is a mark of superior craftsmanship.
You can find the recipe here, so I'll not bother typing it up. I didn't put the bread crumb garnish on top, as I don't think bread crumbs add anything to pasta, but otherwise made it as stated in the recipe. Reviews were positive, so I think I'll keep this recipe. I will, however, be making a few modifications in the future. The dish could use a little more bite and personality, so I'll probably put in a little chili powder. Additionally, I may sprinkle some cheese on top so that the dish can have the crunchy top layer that it was supposed to have.
Fridge Friday VI: The top
Ah, yes. The top of the fridge. Home to whatever fruit I need to ripen (in this case, an avocado destined for grated carrot salad with avocado) and, only recently, the cat. He only figured out how to get up there this week and is still slightly unsure of whether or not he is supposed to be up there. Often times when one of us pass by we'll startle the cat, who then proceeds to try to hop up into the crevice between the cabinets and the ceiling, a space that is much too small for him to fit into. It's pretty funny to watch.
LaBloShoeMo
These dusty, filthy, slightly urine-splattered shoes are my mountain biking shoes. R and I fell in love with Solomon brand shoes after his brother gave him a pair of boots. They're really comfortable and have huge tread on the bottom, meaning they're perfect for keeping one attached to the pedals of their bike. Sure, I could get clip-in shoes, but you have to be sure you're not going to fall, because it's hard to detach yourself midway through the air. I'm just not ready to take that leap of faith yet.
Three in one
Fridge Friday V: The freezer
Ah, the freezer. Too small for regular frozen pizzas, we've been forced to switch to personal sized ones. They seem to work better with my evening classes, though, and now I get to have flavors that R doesn't like (such as the tomato pesto one I had earlier), so I don't mind too much.
The freezer is definitely the domain of processed foods. Sausages laced with cheese, mini quiches, pasta. We've also got quite the iced cream stash. Even though my body doesn't care for dairy, I do break down every once in a while. This last trip to the grocery store resulted in the purchase of pomegranate and dark chocolate bars and toasted coconut sesame brittle ice cream, both of which I strongly recommend.
Fridge Friday IV (Saturday Edition): The top shelf
Well, I managed to forget about Fridge Friday on Friday again. Luckily, I was not alone.
The top shelf of the fridge is almost entirely taken up with sauces and drink fixings. The sauces are mostly salad dressings, but there is also a bottle of hot sauce and the sweet chili sauce we break out in times of lumpia or egg rolls. Being of the twenty-something set, we've got a fair amount of beer in the fridge, even though we don't drink it too often ourselves. Of course, my mom has a few beers in the fridge even though she never drinks the stuff, so I suppose it is only polite.
The one item that doesn't fall into the two previously stated categories is the container of frosting. I could lie, and tell you we just made a cake and had a little extra, but the truth is that I've just been eating it in graham cracker and frosting sandwiches.
Fridge Friday III (Monday edition): My beloved jams
The central portion of the fridge has a good deal more variety than the other areas. Drinks, yogurt, sauces, pastry in a roll, and, of course, jam. I love jam. I currently have lingonberry, huckleberry, peach, strawberry, orange marmalade, and ginger open. Possibly the best part of my trip was being given several jars of my mother's homemade jam.
As for the rest of the trip, it was better than some but still not as good as initially perceived. My mom proceeded to make a few snippy comments and take various things as personal affronts (much as she has in the past), returning our relationship to its slightly awkward state. Oh well.
Argh!
In all the hustle and bustle of getting up to NorCal, I forgot about Fridge Friday! I'll have to do it when I get home.
Fridge Friday II: The drawer full of cheeses
Aside from eggs, blocks of golden curry, and some antibiotic gel for the cats' eyes that is probably long expired, this drawer is entirely filled with cheese. We're got sharp cheddar, pepper jack, feta, Dubliner, Parmesan, gruyere, mascarpone, and even some of those flavored cheese-food wedges. Seeing as my IBS leaves me somewhat lactose intolerant, the irony of my love of cheese is not lost on me.
Speaking of cheese and dairy, yesterday I had smoky cheddar ale soup for lunch, followed by a fair amount of Ben & Jerry's later that evening. Today I had my first day absent from school due to intestinal problems. I made it to school, but during my prep period I had to rush to the restroom every time I stood up, leaving me unable to teach. Really, I need to stop doing this to myself.
On a more positive note, being home did mean that I got to watch Back to the Future for the first time.
Fridge Friday I: The door full of sauces
My roommate complains that R and I have too many sauces. In all fairness, he's probably not the best judge, as he eats the same meal (spaghetti with meatballs and marinara sauce from a jar) several nights a week. He's just not the sort of person who understands why it is necessary to have curry paste, Hoisin sauce, mesquite marinade, and several varieties of mustard ready to be used at all times. To be fair, I might take it a little bit to excess. Here is a picture of my neat-stuff-to-be-opened shelf in the pantry, 90% of which is sauces.