SKW's Mac-n-Cheese

This was the main dish for our supper on Monday night:

Very Good Mac n Cheese
1 pound whole grain elbow macaroni
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup Fat-free half & half
2 eggs
2 T olive oil or butter
1 T Hot sauce
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook elbows to al dente, drain and pour into baking dish (13x9in.)
In 2 qt. saucepan, beat eggs, mix in remaining ingredients, except cheese.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the grated cheese, a little bit at a time, until it is all melted (reserve a handful for topping).
Pour this sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and shake gently to settle.
Sprinkle reserved cheese over the top.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with a side salad or fresh fruit like apples or melon, something that goes good with cheese. Okay... if you insist, you can serve a bit of meat with this... pork chops go nicely.




Before going in the oven.

I know that mac n cheese is not considered a "healthy" meal, but I think I have made this just about as healthy as it can be made (and still have a good texture and flavor). Mac n cheese is a "comfort food", and it should be comforting. This one has the classic flavor of the dish many of us remember from childhood with a lot of the fat cut out of it. I still would not recommend eating this all the time, but once in a while... oh yeah. :-)



Out of the oven and into my tummy...

Am I The Only One Who Thinks This Is Good?

Top chefs push Obama to improve food policy

Regardless of your politics, promoting healthier, more natural foods has got to be a good thing. I hope it turns out that his popularity will promote better food. I hope his policies will promote more small "family" farms so more people have access to good, fresh foods.

Feeding picky eaters

Just found this story about trying to feed vegetables to Rio. I sure sound hysterical. I actually write so many articles, I forget about some of them. Listening to Meri recall how she made an "Under the Sea" meal for her daughter made me think of this one. Her Under the Sea meal includes cutting slits into weiners so the ends curl up like an octopus (it's a Japanese standard called tako-san weiner), she cuts carrot slices as seaweed? and have WHOLEWHEAT goldfish crackers swimming about. I loved the way she emphasized the wholewheat to ensure it's healthy. I am totally into buying frozen WHOLEWHEAT waffles, WHOLEWHEAT English muffins, etc. Parents will sell their souls to put something healthy into the bodies of picky eating children...

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20010615a1.html