Momma Said to Eat Your Broccoli

My dear pal Zoe bought me a fabulous book entitled Macaroni & Cheese by Marlena Spieler.  I love gifts, don't you?!  The book has the most creative m&c recipes with really nice photos.  I have been dying to create something special ever since receiving it.  If you are in the market for a book exclusively detailing mac and cheese, I highly recommend this one.

Because I was feeling the need to be healthy, I decided on Marlena Spieler's Macaroni and Cheese "Broccolissimo" as a side dish to the yummy meal Hubbs was preparing.

First, blanch the broccoli and set aside.

Broccoli: the healthy part

Next, melt butter (the more the merrier), sprinkle in some flour and add milk.  Season with salt, cayenne and nutmeg.  I love the idea of nutmeg in this recipe - it is so festive.  Add a bunch (this is the exact measurement) of cheese.  The recipe calls for Sprinz or Asiago or a combo of Appenzeller, Jack or Parmesan.  My suggestion: use whatever type you have.  I used Mexican cheese, some smokey Gruyere, Cheddar, Mozza, and Parm.

Are you wondering what the little white marshmallow looking chunks are? Chopped string cheese. Uber classy.

Stir in the pasta noodles to the melted cheese.  Spoon into a shallow baking dish. Top with the broccoli and a bunch (again, please remember to use this exact measurement) of extra cheese.

Bake just until the top is bubbling and hot.

Bubbling and Oh So Hot

Enjoy with some deliciously bbq'ed asparagus.  Try squeezing some lemon onto the asparagus and topping with some fancy salt. Oh so delicious.

Does life get any better than this? Seriously.

Would you like a bite?

Sacramento In The House!!

What is true happiness? Is it money? Is it a big house or a fancy car? Or is it visiting friends and eating a fine mac and cheese dinner? For me, it is definitely the latter.

Pretty, pretty princess Jenai lives in Kauai.  Obviously she is a papaya farmer.  Anyway, it is a whole lot easier for me to visit her when she visits her family in Sacramento than making the trek to Kauai. Although I certainly don't mind visits to Kauai!  During her last trip to Cali, I flew on up to visit.  Because she is the most fantastical friend, she had mac and cheese waiting for me upon my arrival from the airport.

Obviously by the time I arrived, most of m&c had been eaten by pretty, pretty princess' family.  I honestly can't blame them because I wouldn't have been able to resist the cheesy goodness either.

In making this delightful dinner, pretty, pretty princess used Paula Deene's Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe but she doubled it (she knew how hungry we were) and added some pepper jack cheese.  It was an especially nice addition to pork loin, asparagus and caprese salad.

Even cute little babies love this recipe!

Cute little baby Leighton

This was the perfect way to start my vaca in Sac-town!  And in fact I ate it as a late night snack after dinner and again for breakfast. Equally amazing each time. Try it with your fav hot sauce.  Pretty, pretty princess recommends Tabasco^® Chipotle Pepper Sauce.

What is true happiness for you? I would love to hear!