The day afterwards consisted of what I hated the most when I was a kid. All domestic duties. And my kids complained almost as much as I always did. I told them to help for a half hour in the garden, and they swore it was two full hours. In fact, by the time they were done fighting, standing around complaining, and making a bigger mess then they were cleaning up, I sent them indoors and was inclined to agree that it felt like they were out there for days! I realized fairly quickly that gardening is not something I want company while doing, except the really heavy lifting parts. I want silence, except for my music. I want to be able to hide between my corn stalks when the kids, dog and cat come looking for me. I have been known to lie flat in my basil gardens and hide when the sentence starts with, "Mom! My sister/brother opened the shower while I was in there!/fed my bra to the dog!/won't let me in the bathroom!" I can tell by the tone if it's an emergency or when it's complaining. I hit th deck when it's complaining. Though I think they caught on, because now it's considerably harder to explain why I am flat on my back in the mulch.
Once I was done pulling weeds and my harvest of garlic (yum!), I planted some new peppers and parsley and headed indoors to cook. Again. Today I opted for homemade mac and cheese, with steak and veggie shish kabobs. I also decided on Sunshine Cake for dessert.
When we passed Burger King earlier in the day, my kids asked if we could drive through. I said no, because I was making another home cooked meal. To which they replied, "Another one?! Can't we have more non-home cooked meals?!" Hmmmm... this was an odd complaint. And then I launched into the speech that only a parent can deliver: "There are starving kids in the world that would LOVE to have a home cooked meal!!!!!" And then I pouted. And had a small, silent pity party for myself and my underappreciatedness. I know that's not a word. Don't make me pout again.
The mac and cheese actually got rave reviews, and I paired it with the Devil Dog hot dogs from Birchwood Farms and the shish kabobs. For the mac and cheese you need:
- 8 Tablespoons Butter, Unsalted, Divided Use (6 tbsp and 2 tbsp)
- 1 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs
- 16 ounces Elbow or Spiral pasta
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 clove Garlic, Minced
- 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
- ¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Nutmeg
- 6 Tablespoons Flour, All Purpose
- 3-½ cups Whole Milk
- 1 can Low Sodium Chicken Broth (14.5 Oz)
- 8 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese (I used the fantastic cheese from Birchwood!)
- 8 ounces of sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
- Black Pepper, Ground
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the pasta as instructed on the box. I left it a little al dente. Once it's done, drain it and return the empty pot to the stove. Add 6 tbsp of butter over medium heat, along with the garlic, mustard, cayenne and nutmeg until it's well blended. Add the flour while stirring continuously to ensure no lumps in your roux (flour and butter is a roux). Add the milk and broth. Simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until it gets a little thicker. Remove it from the heat, and add the cheese until it's smooth. Add salt and pepper and add all of the pasta. Pour it into a large, deeper baking dish. I sprayed it with non-stick spray to avoid the mess afterwards. Add the bread crumbs on top (melt 2 tbsp butter into the bread crumbs) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese bubbles up and browns. Cool it for about 15 minutes when it's done before serving.
I'm going to post the info for the Sunshine Cake in the next post. I'd love your feedback for any recipe that I make, and your requests would be even better! This week, per reader and friend Katina's request, will be a veggie entrée. Though given the aversion to veggies in my household, Katina will have to come be the taste tester.
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