Knowing how to make basic pudding can open many other doors. What about coconut cream pie? Or a tart lemon meringue pie? Does chocolate cream pie make your mouth water? All of these follow that same basic steps so when you master just plain vanilla pudding all the other are just a “piece of pie”.
The perfect macaroni and cheese dish starts with a white sauce made with melted butter, then flour, salt and other seasonings such as mustard are whisked together with mik. It is then cooked until thick. Cheeses of all types can be added, but the king of cheeses to use is Cheddar. Don’t go to far with the cheddar for the extra sharp variety can cause the macaroni to have a mealy texture. We found this out in our lab last week. I picked up two packages of extra sharp cheese and three of the groups’ macaroni was a little mealy. So it was no fault of theirs.
This dish is one of the easiest I have made that packs flavor just about too good to describe. When I made it for my classes this week I am telling you that people were coming out of the woodwork to find out what I was cooking. It was so bad that my students said, “Mrs. Lupo we are just going to have to close the door all these visitors stopping by are very distracting!” This dish smells so good! It is unbelievable that just two ingredients can meld such a rich flavor in such a short time. I was surprised and so were my students. Trust me on this one. It is a keeper! Continue reading
Filed under Main dish
Twenty years ago an amazing woman shared this recipe with me. It was enjoyed by many of my friends to celebrate the birth of a very special baby at a shower that I helped host. Breast cancer took this special friend of mine on July 6, 2004. I miss her now. Every time that I make these Peanut Butter Bars I think of her. Every honor’s night I miss our talks of love, life and school. At graduation I miss her pinning my hood along with most everyone elses to make sure it was straight. Movelle Murdock was a wonderful person, a loving wife, a devoted mother of two, and one of the best teachers that I have ever known. She was the head of the math department and she knew her stuff. Movelle was funny, full of boundless energy, and she had a wonderful personality. Everyone respected her opinion. She was a fabulous cook and an equally talented seamstress putting together costumes for the musical every year. I will never be as strong as she was. She taught quite often the same day she received chemo. I don’t know how she did it. Movelle will always be my hero. In May of 2004 Movelle decided that it would be her last year to teach. She and her family planned to move back to her husband’s hometown and enjoy the rest of her life. She gave the baccalaureate speech to our senior class with her daughter part of the graduating class. Tears slid down the cheeks of those that knew what was happening. On graduation night she walked out on the field with our faculty wearing a clown wig because she had no hair. She was celebrating the graduation of her daughter. A little over a month later she was taken away from us. She gave a great fight and lost.
Filed under Cookies
This month Cooking Light featured apple recipes. Well, I can tell that I was a happy person. For the last month I have received a huge bag of apples in my CSA box and there is just so many that I can eat for lunch or a snack. This Apple Upside- Down Cake caught my eye for more reasons than one. A one layer cake is great for serving to four people. Then you have no leftovers to eat when your company leaves. Remember I still have five pounds to get rid of. It is a gorgeous cake! It is a light cake with a lot of flavor. And it is pretty easy to make.
Filed under Desserts
These walnuts are really good! I mean that they are fantastic, irresistible and purely addictive. Try them and you will not be disappointed in fact you will love the results or either hate me for posting this recipe that you will not be able to stop eating even if you wanted to. Continue reading
Once you put car keys in the hands of a teenager your life and their life changes in many ways. Before they drive and hangout with their friends parents pretty much control what they do to a large degree. Given new mobility comes many new choices they have to make without parents to help. There are many things that I could blog about right now drugs, alcohol, sexual activity, smoking but I am choosing just one. Food. Continue reading
Filed under Breakfast
I am a big lover of all kinds salads. When I go out to eat I am extremely adventurous, but at home not so. I’m ready to change all that. The main reason is boredom, but right now with fall greens that are filling my CSA box I need to venture out more. Last week a large bag of arugula appeared. After doing a little research on the web I found two great salads.
Filed under Salad, salad dressing
I had no intention of making these cookies. For the last two months it has been torture around here trying to shed the ten pounds I have gained since starting this food blog. Five pounds have been lost, but Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are not my friend! Continue reading
Filed under Cookies
I am really a snob when it comes to pizza. I like great pizza. Right now I am on a mission to make the best pizza. The total package has not come together yet, but I think that I have found part of the eluding pizza – the sauce. Back in July GI Joe took me the New York City for my birthday. We stayed at the lovely Waldorf Astoria and the concierge knew her stuff. The restaurants she suggested were some of the best I have been to. Continue reading
Filed under Main dish
The Teacher Cooks 