Life can be so dang unpredictable sometimes; it’s beautiful and completely annoying at the same time. I felt like the world just came hurtling towards me at full speed this week. People were snarky, I was frustrated and a bit more vulnerable than usual, and life was just happening. Due to a higher than normal level of sleep deprivation and fifteen hours of playing the violin, I was a little crazy. I’ll admit it.

It’s days like these that call for food that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Mac ‘n cheese fits the bill. These “bites” should actually be called “muffins”; it’s a more accurate description. But, nonetheless, they are a crowd pleaser. They also take very little brainpower to whip together, which is ideal when life is crazy. I recommend making these for parties are potlucks; they’re perfect appetizers or finger food for little ones!

Happy weekend folks!

P.S. Sorry to the parent I ticked off during an interview. I didn’t mean to make you feel defensive. However, I’m pretty sure you fully intended to make me feel like an incompetant, horrible journalist. It’s funny how you decided to lecture me while I was recording. I don’t appreciate that.  

Mac ‘n Cheese Bites

Crust:
2 cups butter cracker crumbs (such as Ritz)
⅔ cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Mac n Cheese:
12 oz. elbow macaroni noodles
2 ½ cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 (5.2 oz.) package Boursin garlic herb cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup sour cream (regular or low-fat) or plain greek yogurt
¼ tsp. salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions until it is almost al dente.
2. Lightly grease standard size muffin tins with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the shredded cheese and cracker crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix with a fork to combine.  Spoon the crust mixture into the bottom of each muffin tin and press down with the bottom of a glass or a small spoon.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the cold butter, Boursin cheese, and remaining shredded cheddar until roughly combined. Dump in the drained pasta and stir until evenly coated. It may be a bit difficult to get the cheese mixture evenly distributed, but it will come together eventually! Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and sour cream or yogurt in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the pasta and stir to combine.
4. Divide the macaroni mixture between the prepared muffin wells. Bake until light golden in color, about 20-25 minutes. Let the macaroni bites cool in the muffin pans at least 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan and serve warm. They are best served soon after they are baked.

Enjoy!

Slightly adapted from annieseats.com

You know that James Joyce quote that goes something like, “A man’s mistakes are his portals of discovery”? No? You’ve never heard that one? Me neither… until five minutes ago when I googled “quotes about mistakes”.

Nevertheless, I like this quote’s message and “flow”. It’s artsy yet succinct. Most importantly, it’s accurate; mistakes do lead to amazing discoveries! Take, for example, this ice cream recipe. It was born out of one of my (many) mistakes in the kitchen, or in this case, the freezer section of Trader Joe’s. You see, I don’t like Oreos or any of the knock-off brands of chocolate sandwich cookies. Yet, come December when Trader Joes started rolling out the boxes of Candy Cane Joe Joe’s, I decided that the addition of peppermint to the cream layer of Joe Joe’s would instantly make me LOVE them. I was wrong, of course, so I dumped an entire package of Candy Cane Joe Joe’s into a tupperware and stored it in the freezer for a year.

That didn’t go over too well with my mother, since our entire freezer was already stuffed with bags of frozen fruit, whole wheat muffins, and various other “healthified” baked goods. I had to find a way to get rid of a large tub of cookies, so I decided to chop them up and mix them into homemade vanilla ice cream. BINGO. Best ice cream I’ve ever made.

Everybody likes it, and you should try it. End of story.

Recipe Notes: You can play with the proportion of whole milk to cream and switch it up depending on your tastes. Just make sure you end up with 3 cups of liquid altogether. But, keep in mind that less fat= harder ice cream. That’s where the liquor comes in; it helps keep ice cream soft. Use something mild-flavored, such as vodka.

P.S. No, you do not cook off the alcohol. No, you cannot get drunk off of this ice cream. Unless, of course, you eat the entire quart AND have the ability to get drunk off of 2 tbsp of vodka. You have much bigger issues if this applies to you. Just sayin’.

Peppermint Sandwich Cookie Ice Cream

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 tbsp vodka or other mild flavored liquor (optional / don’t be stupid if you’re under 21)
• generous pinch of sea salt
• about 10 Candy Cane Joe Joe’s, chopped into small pieces (adjust according to how much cookie you like in your ice cream)

1) Pour the heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the whole milk, salt, and sugar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Then, remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl of cream. Pour in the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Refrigerate the ice cream mixture until thoroughly chilled (overnight works well).

2) Remove the chilled mixture from the fridge and stir in the vodka if you wish to use it. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the ice cream is finished churning/freezing, stir in the chopped cookies. Pour the soft ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze until firm, at least four hours.

Done! Easy peasy, right? Enjoy!

Bouchon Bakery is a gift from the heavans. Seriously. Thomas Keller’s cookbook is a magical mix of elegant food pictures and delicious recipes. I would buy the book for the pictures alone… they’re that gorgeous!

Now, let’s talk recipes. They’re semi-life-changing. I made macarons for the first time using Keller’s formula, and I’m hooked! But, the real show stopper is the oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. OH. My. GOODNESS. It’s phenomanal. My search for the best/perfect/OMGdelicious oatmeal cookie is officially over. After enduring my fair share of lacy, crispy, lopsided, snowball-ish, flavorless failures, I can officially say that Keller’s recipe produces THE BEST oatmeal raisin cookies. Perfectly chewy, pleasantly spicy, and visually appealing, these treats are mind-blowing. They’re worth making a double-batch to hoard in the freezer. That’s saying a lot, coming from a raisin-hater.

P.S. Happy four-day weekend! Actually, only some of us high-schoolers are off today. Don’t ask me why…. I’m just rollin’ with it. I wouldn’t want to be that kid who accidentally reminds Mr. So-and-So to check the homework that nobody’s completed. Sometimes, the best strategy is to just shut up and be happy. Words of wisdom right there ;)

Recipe Notes: The entire recipe uses grams/ounces. I know it’s annoying, but it really does help with achieving consistent results! Plus, do you really want to measure out 1/2 cup + 3 1/2 tbsp of sugar? I didn’t think so. Also, feel free to add chocolate instead of raisins, but I prefer golden raisins and dried cranberries.

Life-Changing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

yields about 24 medium cookies, or 6 absolutely gigantic cookies (according to the book)

• 144 grams (1 cup + 1 tsp) all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 WW pastry flour)
• 7.7 grams (1 tbsp) ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 140 grams (1/2 cup + 3 1/2 tbsp lightly packed) dark brown sugar
• 69 grams (1/4 cup + 11/2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 5.5 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 62 grams eggs (about 1 extra-large egg)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 155 grams (2 cups) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup (give or take) mixed raisins/dried fruit/chocolate

1) Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Lightly whisk the mixture to evenly distribute the ingredients.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachement, cream the butter on medium- low speed. It should get to a mayonnaise-like consistency. Add the sugars, and beat for 3-4 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, and add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until just combined. Add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing for 20 seconds in between on low speed. Pour in the oats and raisins and mix until evenly combined. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

3) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Roll about 2 tbsp of dough into a ball, and space each round evenly on a cookie sheet covered in parchment. Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. The centers may seem a bit soft, but they will firm up while they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to cooling racks to cool completely.

Prepare for your mind to be blown. Enjoy!

Slightly adapted from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastian Rouxel