Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Tags

baking, cheese, cooking, dinner, homemade, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, noodles, pasta, recipe

I made this for my family a few nights ago for dinner, and it was soooo good.  We had leftovers, and it’s just as good cold the next day.  Make this for New Year’s dinner… it’s so rich and indulgent, so it’s perfect for celebrating!

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Shell Pasta
• 1 Stick Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 2 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
• 2 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Divided
• 1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, but cook it for 2 minutes less than the package says.  My pasta instructed me to cook for 8 minutes, but I cooked it for 6 minutes.  Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the sauce.
2. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper to make a roux.  Keep stirring for 4-5 minutes, or until the roux is light golden brown and thickened.  Slowly whisk in the milk until the sauce is thick and creamy.  Turn off the heat, then stir in 2 cups of the cheese.
3. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to combine.  I did this step in the same pot that I used to cook the pasta.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 13×9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
5. Pour the pasta into the baking dish.  Sprinkle and remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and the breadcrumbs over the pasta.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the macaroni and cheese is golden brown and crunchy.  Let it cool for 5-10 minutes and serve!

I hope you enjoy this baked macaroni and cheese!  I know I did!

My Trip to Eataly Chicago

Tags

boyfriend, Chicago, eataly, food, lunch, pasta, pesto, pizza, restaurant

Hi everyone 🙂

It’s so nice to finally be on winter break – my classes were really challenging this quarter, and I’m happy that I’m finished. 

My boyfriend and I celebrated the end of the quarter by spending a day in Chicago yesterday.  We went to Eataly, which is a new restaurant/gourmet food store owned by Mario Batali.  It was amazing!  Eataly literally has every type of Italian food you could imagine: from fresh bread to produce to chocolate.  Here are some photos I took of some of the food displays.

 

 

The first floor has several small cafes, and the second floor has sit-down restaurants.  Eataly has several restaurants, and each one serves a different type of food.  There are restaurants for meat, fish, vegetables, and pizza and pasta.  This wasn’t a problem for my boyfriend and I, who were in the mood for pizza and pasta, but it might be tough if you’re with a big group of people who all want different types of food.  When we sat down, we were greeted with delicious fresh bread and olive oil.  We were seated right in front of the pizza ovens: it was so cool to watch the pizzas being made! 

My boyfriend ordered a Margherita pizza, which came with tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella, and extra virgin olive oil.  He said it was tasty, but he wished there was more basil on it.  There was only one basil leaf!

I ordered linguine with pesto trapanese.  The sauce was made with tomatoes, basil, almonds, garlic, chili flakes, and Pecorino cheese.  It. Was. Incredible.  Seriously one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.  The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the sauce was so fresh and flavorful.  I absolutely loved it!

We had such a great time eating and exploring Eataly: it’s huge, and we didn’t even look at everything!  If you’re in Chicago, I highly recommend stopping by Eataly.  It is such a cool place full of great food, and I can’t wait to go again!

Fancy Macaroni n’ Cheese

Tags

annies, dinner, easy, lunch, mac n cheese, organic, pasta, recipe, side dish

I realized that I haven’t posted a recipe in a long time, so I figured today is a good day to get back to posting them!  I made this macaroni n’ cheese last night for dinner, and it was delicious!  It tastes like you spent hours cooking, but it only took around 30 minutes from start to finish.  This makes a great quick dinner or an easy, comforting side dish.  You can substitute whole-grain macaroni n’ cheese and whole-wheat breadcrumbs for added fiber.  I used whole-grain pasta in mine, and it added a great, nutty flavor.

I wish I’d snapped a photo of the finished macaroni n’ cheese!  Here are some recycled photos from an old post of mine.  Next time I make this, I’ll be sure to take some!

Fancy Macaroni n’ Cheese

Serves 3 for dinner or 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 2 Boxes Annie’s Organic boxed macaroni and cheese (any flavor)
• 1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook macaroni and cheese according to package directions.  Pour cooked macaroni into un-greased glass or porcelain baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and butter.  Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F covered with foil for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

 

Enjoy!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Tags

brownie, chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, outside, pasta, pattern, photography, photos, print, sign, strawberry, Target, wednesday, wordless

Clockwise from top left:

1 // Delicious takeout pasta with tomato basil sauce and mushrooms

2 // Such a pretty table!

3 // View from my work… if my office had windows!  So I guess this is what the view would be.

4 // July 4th white chocolate-dipped strawberries that my aunt made!  This photo is waaay overdue: these were beautiful and delicious.

5 // Caramel-filled brownie

6 // Tiny easel

7 // Pretty printed notebooks

8 // Funniest sign ever.

9 // Cupcakes!!  The ones with the cookies on top were cookie-dough flavored and divine.

It’s Ok… Thursday

Tags

antibiotics, buzzfeed, college, diet coke, it's ok, pasta, school, sick, texting, thoughts, tired

This link-up is exactly what I need right now.  It’s Thursday, it’s an incredibly long week, I’m exhausted, and I’m ready to vent.

It’s ok…

To wear head-to-toe Lululemon all day without any intention of going to the gym.

To get irrationally angry when you find out you have to miss pasta at dinner and have someone set aside you some for later instead.

To hate how antibiotics make you feel while simultaneously praising them because maybe this sinus infection will finally go away.

To spend way too much time on Buzzfeed.

To want a Diet Coke, but to not have the energy to walk 50 feet to a vending machine and buy one.

To become sassy when people don’t text back within an appropriate length of time.  Don’t make me double-text.

To admit that you have no idea what kind of music you like, but you are certain of music you don’t like.

To watch cat videos instead of reading for school.

To really want to get up and dance, even though you still don’t have the energy to walk that 50 feet for that Diet Coke.

What’s your “It’s Ok…” for today?

Those Same Colors I Always Wear

Tags

chino, color, costco, dog, fashion, funny, gif, hot pink, J.Crew, parmesan, pasta, peppermint patty, periwinkle, raspberries, scarlet, shorts, style

Ever notice that you have an abundance of clothes in a few colors?  I don’t know why, but it seems like I’m always drawn to these three colors. Case in point: these 3″ chino shorts from J. Crew. They’re a little pricey, but I had a birthday gift card so I was able to splurge!  J. Crew has a 15% student discount for college students if you show your ID at checkout, which is AMAZING.

I had a break from work last week (hence the shorts shopping), but it starts again this week.  I work as a nanny, and I enjoy it because it’s a rewarding job and it’s actually less stressful than waitressing (surprising, I know!), but work today was exhausting.  Combine that with the fact that my commute home was full of traffic and that I spilled foundation all over my sink and today was one of those days that really tests my sanity. 😛

At least I got to spend some time with my boyfriend, who came over for dinner.  We considered cooking a nice meal, then realized we didn’t have a lot of ingredients.  Then we considered ordering food, but realized neither of us wanted to spend money.  So we cooked some multi-grain pasta and tossed it with melted butter and basil for him and just parmesan cheese for me.  I topped my plate with some parmesan cubes – I love parmesan cheese!  I also enjoyed some raspberries and endless peppermint patties from a Costco-sized tub that I miraculously found in a cabinet.

I didn’t take a picture because considering the messed-up-ness of this day, I probably would have dropped my camera into my pasta.  Actually I just didn’t want to get up to go get it.  Solid.  😀

Now here I am, attempting to make a friendship bracelet while watching Love In The Wild and contemplating going to bed before 10 pm.  My life is extremely exciting.

Here is a cute GIF to brighten your evening – this one always makes me smile!

What do you make for dinner when you don’t feel like cooking?

What is your guilty-pleasure TV show?

What is your favorite dog breed?

❤ Courtney

Preppy Party

Tags

chocolate, cookie, cooking, cooler, edameme, exercise, food, goat cheese, nanny, pasta, peanut butter, pie, preppy, recipe, roasted red pepper, sorority, work

Hi!

This is my boyfriend Sebastian and I.  You’re probably wondering why I’m wearing a headband.  Aside from the fact that I just *love* looking like a 5-year-old, I was wearing it for a “rep your hometown” party.  My hometown is known for its preppy-ness, so I went a little crazy with my outfit.  Sebastian dressed up with me, too!  The party was at Dave & Buster’s, and he and I got lots of funny stares from people dressed in normal clothes.  We had lots of fun playing games: he wanted to play fun games while I wanted to play ones with high ticket payouts… I wonder what that says about us!

 

That party was one of the last fun things we did before the end of the school year- finals week is stressful!  Now I’m at work typing this post.  I’m working as a nanny this summer… the hours are long but it’s fun and surprisingly less stressful than waitressing.  A young child is easier to care for than adults at a restaurant.  Go figure.  He’s napping now so I get a little break.

 

Let’s see… exercise!  Work takes up most of the day on weekdays, but I enjoy taking the child on walks around the neighborhood.  That counts, right?  I’m usually really tired after work, and I hope my body will eventually adapt so I can go to the gym at night.  I need to get in shape for my pageant later this summer!

This photo makes me look like a brunette Businesswoman Barbie doll

One thing I’ve missed from home is cooking!  Here are some recipes that are on my “must-make” list!

Peanut Butter Eggs

Crispy Edamame

Cookie Pie

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta

Nutella Hummus

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

That’s all for now!  Look forward to a cooler-painting update later today; I’m working really hard on it and I hope it turns out pretty! 🙂

Banana Phone?

Tags

alpha chi omega, axo, boyfriend, bravo, chemistry, fun, Italian, m&ms, noodles, pasta, reese's cups, roses, school, sorority, valentines

Ring, ring, Valentine’s day!

I needed an excuse to put this photo into a post; it is just too funny!

My Valentine’s day was lovely because for the first time in EVER I actually had a valentine!  I bought him chocolate and made him a card… and he one-upped me like he does every day in school and height and metabolism. 

A tangent: Sebastian has the metabolism of a god.  A very skinny god.  It’s my mission to fatten him up by cooking for him making him eat ice cream sundaes at every meal.

Look, he got me a dozen roses!

As well as peanut butter M&M’s and mini Reese’s cups.  Not the regular-sized ones, the mini ones.  They have a better peanut butter : chocolate ratio.

At night, Sebastian took me out to a fancy dinner at Bravo!  We were classy as always…

Sebastian ordered a chicken dish, and I ordered rigatoni with spinach, grilled chicken, basil, and pesto cream sauce.  Topped with lots of parmesan, of course!  I’m the girl who eats bowls of grated parmesan with a spoon.  Don’t judge.

Anyway, it was delicious.  Bravo! never fails me.

The waitress serving us seemed to think we were just stupid teenagers who didn’t know how to tip.  Oh but NO… we’re stupid teenagers who worked in the food service business.  Yay for defying stereotypes!

After dinner, Sebastian and I roamed around World Market looking at random stuff we don’t really need.  I oogled over all their bird stuff.  I will totally be one of those old ladies with a house full of bird-themed needlepoint samplers and wallpaper.

This morning, I had a job interview!  AGHHHH!  I think it went well but obviously I don’t know for sure.  After the interview I changed into my new AXO shirt…

The white board behind me is Sebastian’s word of the day board.  He actually writes a new one every day.  Today’s is “vena cava.”  We are such nerds.

I then went to my classes, history and chemistry, and then to the gym.  30 minutes on the elliptical + Cosmo = de-stressing at its finest!

It’s Pledge Mom Week for my sorority, so an older sister is buying me gifts all week and sending them anonymously!  Today’s gift was a lovely song by some amazing guy singers, Noodles & Company mac n’ cheese, Diet Coke, a brownie, and lots of AXO stuff!  This week is literally like Christmas if Christmas lasted a week and was full of sorority surprises.  I love it!

I have about a gazillion and one things to do this week but hopefully I’ll get them all done without going crazy!  Chemistry is the worst… the teacher lectures and says “when you’re doing your homework, do this blahblahblah…” but doesn’t assign homework based on the stuff we learned.  So we are just expected to know it without ever actually practicing it.  Grrrrreat.

That’s all for now, sorry I’ve been MIA from reading/commenting on all your lovely blogs   I promise I’ll be back soon!

 

-Courtney

Dorm Room Essentials

Tags

amy's organic, breakfast, college, dinner, dishes, food, frozen dinner, healthy, hummus, lunch, macaroni and cheese, malted milk balls, natural, pasta, peanut butter, pesto, pita, popcorn, sabra, shells, snack, thinkthin, tortellini, whole foods

This scenario happens fairly often in college:  you just don’t want to walk to the dining hall.  It doesn’t matter where the dining hall is- if it isn’t 4 feet or less away from you, it’s just not happening.  That’s where dorm snacks come in.  Here are my essentials for staying healthy in college without spending too much money.

Amy’s Kitchen Frozen Dinners

They’re all organic and super good for you, but tasty too!  You won’t feel bad about heating up a frozen dinner after a long day if you choose a healthy option.

Hummus and pitas

Need a quick snack?  Have half a pita with hummus.  Want a full meal?  Have an entire pita with hummus!  This is one of the few snack foods that is satisfying enough to also be a good lunch or dinner.  Or breakfast.  I don’t judge.

Chocolate Covered Anything

Well… maybe not anything!  But chocolate-covered nuts or malted milk balls are great quick energy boosts when you just need that chocolate fix.  The nuts have healthy fats and vitamins, while the malt balls take a longer time to chew so you are forced to sloooooow down.  Dark chocolate is better (hello, antioxidants!) but if you’re not used to the bitterness, start with a low cacao percentage and work your way up.  I can tolerate around 80% cacao now, but 100% is just way too bitter for me!

Microwave Popcorn

Popcorn is a perfect snack for when you want something satisfying that won’t weight you down.  Just 2 minutes in the microwave and you have plenty to share!  Or not.  Again, I don’t judge.  Choose a low-fat, trans-fat-free variety.  Movie theater butter = bad idea!

Natural Peanut Butter

You can find any nut ground into butter these days, but when it comes to price, peanut butter is always the cheapest option.  You can find a natural jar of peanut butter for a pretty good price these days, and it has healthy fats and protein to keep you full.  I like it spread on wheat crackers, a banana, or just a spoon.

Breakfast Bars

Whether for breakfast on the way to class or a quick snack after my chemistry lab, bars are perfect, nutritious options.  I like ThinkThin bars the best, but they are pretty expensive so buy them by the box – most stores will charge you less than if you bought each bar individually.  They’ll also satisfy a sweet tooth, so have one for dessert (heat it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds) and indulge!

Dishes / Utensils

 

These may not be food, but they are so important to have in your dorm room!  I’d recommend getting at least 2 of everything (plates, bowls, forks, knives, spoons) so you can share with people.  And don’t forget dish soap!

 

What is one thing you wish you’d brought with you somewhere, but forgot?  Definitely my camera… I always forget it at the most opportune photo moments!

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one food (healthiness doesn’t matter!), what food would you take?  I would choose peanut butter cups!

A Day in the Life

Tags

barbara's, cereal, cheer, cheerleading, chemistry, chocolate, class, college, cookie dough, dining hall, dorm, french, gluten, health, lab, luna, luna protein, mesa sunrise, nature's path, Northwestern, oatmeal, omelet, pasta, peanut butter, popcorn, puffins, school, study, thinkthin

Sorry for the lack of posting, everyone… I’ve been so busy at college!  Classes, cheer, and studying take up my entire day- I have literally no free time.  But it’s okay because I work best when I’m busy; too much free time and I won’t get anything done!  While every day here is a little different (I have different classes and stuff every day of the week,) here is what a typical day is like.

7:00 am – wake up!  I have my first class (math…yikes) at 8:00 am every morning except Tuesdays, so I’m always up before everyone else on my floor.  I bring breakfast to class and eat there, so it’s usually a Luna bar or some cereal and fruit from the dining hall if I have time to stop by.  One thing I love about college classes is that nobody really cares what you’re doing (especially not the professor) as long as you’re not doing anything obnoxious.  So I can eat in class!

I’ve become obsessed with tea… usually it’s Cozy Chamomile from the dining hall, but on mornings when I’m really lagging, I’ll buy a Tazo Awake Tea from the café inside my class building.

9:00 am – I have a break between classes, so I’ll either go to the library or the student center to study, or go into town and run errands.  Today I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods/Whole Paycheck.

Picked up some ThinkThin bars… yum!

This cereal was on sale.  It tastes ok… I’m a broke college student so anything on sale is automatically delicious.

This cereal is better.  But incredibly expensive.

Oatmeal for snacks!

10:00 – French class.  One more quarter and I’m done learning French forever!  Don’t get me wrong, I like the language, but I’m really tired of learning it.

11:15 – my morning classes are finished, so I go back to my room to put away the groceries and get stuff ready for my afternoon chemistry class.

11:30 – lunch in the dining hall.  I usually have some toast with peanut butter and banana, or cereal with peanut butter and banana, plus random veggies and maybe some hot food if it looks good.  Sometimes the dining hall has a made-to-order omelet station, which is the best!

1:00 – chemistry class.  On Thursdays I have a chemistry lab until 4, which is pretty brutal.  I don’t like writing lab reports!

2:00 – start studying!  I’ll break into my snack stash around this time.

We have almond butter, a large box full of Luna bars, ThinkThin bars, Zone bars, chocolate chips, spoons, Baker’s chocolate, etc., cereal, microwave popcorn, and almonds.  There’s peanut butter in the fridge, too.  

I usually study for 2 hours or so, sometimes more but never less.  I’m almost always finished with my work by dinnertime at…

5:30 – dinner in the dining hall.  I know it’s early, but that’s when the dining hall is open so that’s when we eat.  I usually have the same sorts of things for dinner as I do for lunch, but sometimes they have made-to-order pasta, which is delicious and comforting and great.

7:00 – cheer practice on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  If I don’t have practice, I’ll go to Zumba or TurboKick to get a workout!

Go ‘Cats!

I get really excited when we score…

9:30 – return from cheer practice.  I’m usually starving at this time, so I’ll break into the food stash again.  Sometimes someone will make popcorn or order Chinese food in the lounge, which is where we all go to “study,” watch TV, play board games, chat, do each others’ nails, etc. 

12:00 – I try to get to bed by 12 on weeknights.  On weekends, who knows?

xo ❤ C