Meatless Monday

We have been really bad about Meatless Monday. Actually, I've been very bad at getting proper meals on the table at all. But it is now fall, and I love cooking this time of year. So, I'm going to start to try and get back into Meatless Mondays, starting today (which is Meatless Wednesday.)

Tonight I made what I've been craving for weeks: Beer Cheese Soup.

I started with this recipe and changed it more to my liking. CJ hates celery, so that was eliminated. I used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. I used Guinness because I like dark beer flavors best. We topped with the "traditional" popcorn instead of bacon, though I think bacon would be very good.


It isn't exactly what you would get in a Wisconsin bar, but it was good. Next time I think I would remove the vegetables all together or blend it. The chunks were kind of distracting, but I think they added good flavor. I think I would try it with a real hoppy beer like a Surly Furious for a different beer taste, and I would add more beer.

Overall, it satisfied the craving and was an excellent vegetarian meal. CJ didn't even complain, like he often does on Meatless Mondays.

Tomatoey Pasta with White Beans and Tuna

I got this from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's new book, How To Eat Dinner. Basically, it is pasta, Cannellini beans, tomato paste, onions, tuna, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Tasty.

Local Treats

My friend Sareen is part of The Splendid Table Locavore Nation. For one year, she and her family are trying to eat 80% of their foods within 500 miles of her home. Tough, but tougher (in my opinion) because she has a child under 1 and is pregnant.

On Friday, we went over for an appetizer dinner and to sample some homemade beer. Num.

I love challenges. So, I made very midwestern appetizers.

First up, deviled eggs:
The eggs were 100% local and so was the horseradish. Unfortunately, the mayo, mustard, and paprika were not...

Next up, pickles rolls:

The pickles were handmade by me last summer. The cream cheese is from Wisconsin. The pastrami was bought at Farm in the Market, and local also.

Macaroni and Cheese, Please

Macaroni and Cheese. So good. So gooey. So cheesey.

I love macaroni and cheese, but I can't seem to make it well.

In the past month, I've made mac and cheese twice. The first time I followed this recipe from Alton Brown. I substituted half of the cheddar cheese for fontina. It was good, but it wasn't the ooey gooey goodness I had hoped for. It did have a very nice and crunchy crust which I really liked.

Last night, I tried this recipe from Paula Deen. I only used three eggs, not six, because that would be weird. I also used slightly different cheeses (medium cheddar, sharp cheddar, a colby jack mix, and velveeta). And, I actually added some spices, since this called for none (mustard and chili). It was fine, but it wasn't good. The eggs did weird things and you would end up biting into an egg chunk. It wasn't creamy. The crust on the top was just hard and gross.

So, what should I do next time? First, I really liked the sour cream in Paula's. I think I want to keep that up. I also really like Alton's panko crust. But what else? Without using a whole brick of velveeta, how do you make it gooey?

Please help.