Did someone say 'cheeeeeeeeeseeeeee'??

If you’re ever in the presence of a Beecher’s, here is what you do: you walk in & buy them out on their Flagship cheese. There aren’t words for how amazing their cheese is. But when you use said cheese to make Mac & Cheese….Oh. My. Word.  Down by Pike Place Market there is always a line a million miles long of people anxiously waiting to buy their mac & cheese. I mean, they've only won the vote for Seattle's best Mac & Cheese for countless numbers of years! So obviously I had to find the recipe, (and I did). Below is just that, along with my favorite recipe for garlic mashies. Because obvious you can’t have one without the other!

Beecher’s Incredibly Famous Mac & Cheese

Sauce

2 tbsp unsalted butter 


3.5 tbsp all-purpose flour 


1.5 C whole milk 


7 ounces Flagship cheese, grated (about 1 3/4 c) 


1 ounce Just Jack cheese, grated (1/4 c) 


½ tsp coarse salt 


¼ to ½ tsp chipotle chili powder 


1/8 tsp garlic powder

Pasta

6 ounces penne pasta (about 3 ¼ C) 


1 ounce Flagship cheese, grated 
(1/4 C)

1 ounce Just Jack cheese, grated 
(1/4 C)

¼ to ½ tsp chipotle chili powder

Instructions 
 

To prepare sauce, melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour.

Continue whisking and cook for 2 minutes.

Slowly add milk, whisking constantly.

Cook until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat.

Add cheeses, salt, chili powder and garlic powder.

Stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish.

Cook penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) 

Rinse pasta in cold water and drain well.

Combine pasta and sauce in a medium bowl; mix carefully but thoroughly.

Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle top with cheeses and then the chili powder.

Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

3.5 pounds russet potatoes

2 tbsps kosher salt

2 C half-and-half

6 cloves garlic, crushed

6 oz grated Parmesan

Directions

Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size.

Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil.

Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.

Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water.

Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine.

Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens.

These two are my go-to comfort dishes. Carb loaded, but hey, they’re comfort dishes for a reason! ;)

-N.

Pike Place for the win!

I love living in Washington, & what makes me love it even more with each passing day is the access to the fresh seafood and produce. It’s officially Springtime now & the farmers markets are starting to pop up in every neighborhood! :)

Monday was amazing. The sun was out to play, I did work on a surprise lab exam, and was released from class 3 hours early! It was THE perfect day. With all that extra time in the sun, I went down to wander Pike and to pick up the makings for dinner. I love Pike Place Market. The goodies and treasures are ENDLESS! It's always so alive down there. I could seriously wander that place for hours and hours on end. 

Now onto the yummy recipe I have for y'all! Citrus grilled salmon with a side of buttery garlic spaghetti! 

Ingredients for Grilled Salmon

-1 large fillet of salmon (cut into 4 single serving size fillets)

-1 lemon ( ½ sliced, ½ squeezed)

-2 oranges (1 sliced, 1 squeezed)

-4 T olive oil

-4 T butter, divided

-1 T garlic, pressed

-1 tsp garlic salt
-1 T dijon mustard

-1 tsp garlic powder

-2 tsp dried parsley

-salt & pepper

-Instructions

-make a make-shift “pan” out of tin foil so that it can be placed on the grill

-lay down orange slices

-lightly salt and pepper both sides of each fillet & place ontop of orange & lemon slices

-in a small bowl combine orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dried parsley, garlic salt, dijon mustard & garlic powder

-pour mixture all over salmon

-top each fillet with a tablespoon of butter & a lemon slice

-grill for about 10-15 minutes (salmon should be pink & flaky)

Ingredients for Garlic Spaghetti

-½ box thin spaghetti, cooked

-½ cup grated Parmesan
 cheese

-5 tsp olive oil


-3 clove garlic, pressed

-1/2 lemon

-4 T butter, melted

Instructions

-Pour in olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan and let it cook over low, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat and reserve.

-In a large bowl, toss cooked spaghetti, olive oil, butter, Parmesan cheese, and the garlic oil you had on reserve.

-squeeze lemon on top & serve with salmon.

Enjoy! 

-N.

Chicken Noodle Love

This would be the second time this season that I’ve nearly coughed up my lungs, my throat is probably shredded beyond repair, and I’m probably going to sound like a man for the rest of my life. Yes, I am one of those people who absolutely refuses to get the flu shot (we’ll get into that another time). 

Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of chicken noodle soup when I’m on the verge of dying. The great thing about this soup is how simple it is. Everything goes into a big stockpot & just simmers into deliciousness. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from A Family Feast

Ingredients

-4 quarts cold water

-1 fryer chicken 4-5 pounds quartered

-2 chicken feet, or 4 chicken wings or 1 turkey wing

-1 clove of garlic peeled and bruised

-1 onion peeled and cut in half

-2–3 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch hearts (about one cup) 

-2 celery ribs tops and all cut into 1 inch pieces (about one cup)

-½ bunch fresh flat leaf parsley tied with a string

-1 bay leaf

-1 ½ teaspoon salt

-½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

-1 package Rotini noodles, or noodles of your choice

Instructions

1. Excluding the pasta, put all ingredients into a large stock pot and slowly bring to a boil 

2. Reduce heat and simmer for four hours, skimming often.

3. Strain the stock from the solids and discard the onion, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns but save the chicken, and other vegetables.

4. Remove skin and debone the chicken. Shred the chicken between your fingers and return the chicken to the pot with the stock.

5. Return the carrots, celery and garlic to the pot with the stock and bring back to a simmer.

6. Boil water and cook noodles according to package directions. Add to the soup & simmer for additional 30 minutes. 

7. Season finished soup with salt and pepper to taste. Skim off top layer of fat and discard.

8. Ladle some into your favorite mug & head back into the warm pillow cocoon & enjoy! 

-N.