Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

 From The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

• ▢1 lb. dried elbow pasta
• ▢1/2 cup unsalted butter
• ▢1/2 cup all purpose flour
• ▢1 1/2 cups whole milk
• ▢2 1/2 cups half and half
• ▢4 cups shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese divided (measured after shredding)
• ▢2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided (measured after shredding)
• ▢1/2 Tbsp. salt
• ▢1/2 tsp. black pepper
• ▢1/4 tsp. paprika

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13").  Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente.  Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
• While water is coming up to a boil, shred cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles.  Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over MED heat.  Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine.  Mixture will look like very wet sand.  Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often.  Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth.  Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.
• Continue to heat over MED heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency.  It should almost be the consistency of a semi thinned out condensed soup.
• Remove from the heat and stir in spices and 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine.  Stir in another 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully.  Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
• Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheesy is bubbly and lightly golden brown.  

Zucchini-Lentil Fritters With Lemony Yogurt

From Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Lemony Yogurt

• ¾ cup whole-milk yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp. sugar
• Kosher salt

Fritters

• 1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)
• 1 medium zucchini (about 5 oz.)
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
• ½ tsp. Kashmiri chile powder or ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 cup parsley leaves with tender stems
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup ghee or neutral vegetable oil

  Recipe Preparation

  Lemony Yogurt

  • Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and sugar in a small bowl to combine. Season with salt and whisk again to combine.
  • Do Ahead: Yogurt can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

  Fritters

  • Rinse lentils, then soak in 2 cups water at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 12. Soaking the lentils for this long will make them super-plump and tender, which in turn makes them a lot easier to blend.
  • Meanwhile, trim ends of zucchini and cut crosswise into 3 pieces about 2" long. Cut each piece lengthwise into ¼"-thick planks. Stack a few planks and slice lengthwise into ¼"-thick matchsticks (about the size of a skinny french fry). Transfer zucchini to a colander set in a medium bowl. Add onion and 1 tsp. salt to colander and toss to combine. Let zucchini and onion sit until about 1 Tbsp. liquid has released and the vegetables look wilted and soft, 30 minutes–2 hours (to maximize your downtime, do this while the lentils are soaking). Gently pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. The less moisture in the veggies, the less soggy your fritters will be, so be sure not to skip this step.
  • Drain lentils and transfer to a food processor. Add chile powder, turmeric, and ¾ tsp. salt. Pulse, scraping down sides, until a purée forms. Transfer to a medium bowl and add zucchini and onion mixture, parsley, and lemon zest. Toss well with a rubber spatula to combine (it will look like too much vegetables for the lentils, but that’s just what you want).
  • Heat ghee in a 10" cast-iron skillet over medium-high until a small amount of batter added to the fat excitedly sizzles and sputters. Carefully drop ¼ cup batter into ghee, then flatten to a pancake with the back of a large metal spoon dipped into the hot ghee to prevent sticking. Repeat 3 times for a total of 4 fritters. Fry until deep golden brown on one side (look for the color of a well-fried falafel), about 3 minutes. Turn with a slotted spatula or large spoon and continue to fry until deep golden brown on the second side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer fritters to a wire rack set in a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Season immediately with salt. Repeat with remaining batter (you should have 8–10 fritters).
  • Transfer fritters to a platter. Serve hot with lemony yogurt alongside.

Sweet Potato Souffle

Melanie Bradley

1 large can of sweet potatoes, drained 1 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 stick butter, warmed 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg Topping: 3/4 stick butter 1/2 cup chopped pecans 3/4 cup corn flakes, crushed 1/2 cup brown sugar Directions: Beat the ingredients together (excluding topping) and pour into a large casserole dish. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. Sprinkle topping on and return to oven until brown. Number Of Servings:6 Preparation Time:10 minutes

Potato Logs

A change for leftover mashed potatoes
Rebecca Dorrough

2 cups mashed potatoes 1/2 cup sour cream 4 tablespoons butter, melted 1 tablespoon minced onion 1 tablespoon parsley 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon paprika Directions: Combine potatoes, sour cream and 2 tablespoons butter. Mix well. Stir in onion and parsley. Form into 6 logs. Combine remaining butter, bread crumbs, cheese and paprika. Coat logs with mixture. Place in greased baking dish and bake at 400 degrees uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Confetti Corn

Rebecca Dorrough

1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons red pepper 2 tablespoons green pepper 1 can corn salt and pepper Directions: Melt butter in skillet. Finely chop red and green peppers and add to skillet. STir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain corn and add to peppers. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until corn is heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Roasted Red Potatoes

These are basically a baked potato, but a little fancier. I have done it both ways, peeling the potato, or not. It's kind of fun having them peeled, but I probably won't peel them again when doing this recipe, I like to get in and out of the kitchen, and peeling just takes longer (plus, takes away the healthy skins). I've also just used regular russet potatoes, and it worked just fine. Rebecca Child

10 red potatoes 1/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoon marjoram 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 bay leaf 3 tablespoons butter Directions: Scrub potatoes. Mix flour, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper in large plastic bag. Add potatoes and shake until covered with flour mixture. Place in greased baking dish. Add garlic powder and bay leaf. Dot with butter. Cover tightly and bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender inside and crisp outside.

Smashed Potatoes

This is from Rachel Ray on the Food Network

2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes or baby Yukon gold potatoes 1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk 8 ounces plain cream cheese or veggie cream cheese, cut into pieces 10 chives or 2 scallions, chopped or snipped with kitchen scissors Salt and pepper Directions: Boil potatoes until tender, 15 minutes. When the potatoes are tender, drain them and return them to the hot pot to let them dry out a bit. Mash potatoes with half-and-half or milk using a potato masher. Add in the cream cheese and smash until the cheese melts into the potatoes. Then add chives and scallions and season with salt and pepper, to your taste.