Cooking

This Christmas while decorating the tree I found an ornament I had painted before having children. You know the kind you find at Michaels? The white ceramic. I use to buy them as soon as they came out in maybe August, I would pick out maybe 15 or so, then spend the next few months with teeny, tiny brushes painting, and mixing colors. I loved it, my family bought me a magnifiying light so I could get in the little cracks and crevices. Then babies came along and it has been hard to find 8 hours in a row to sit and paint.

After my son was born, my SIL and I took a pottery class. We learned how to throw on the wheel, and glaze our pieces. We both got really into it for about a year and a half. Some of our stuff was pretty good. But it was a 45 minute drive, and then two or three hours in the studio, so it was hard to find the time every week.

It is difficult to have an engrossing messy hobby with children, unless you count the children as the engrossing messy hobby (which I do). I miss my former hobbies, which I realized this holiday is why I love cooking more than ever. I have always liked cooking, since the first time I made a cake in fourth grade. I used my great-great grandma's coffee cake recipe and everyone loved it. I became the designated cake maker for all family functions, I liked the attention and the compliments. Since then I have always identified myself as the person who brings the food. And with kids it is a great hobby because everyone needs to eat!

I can't resist those little recipe books at the checkout, they are like crack to me. I have a ton of cookbooks, and now with the internet I can spend countless hours looking up recipes. So on Sundays I will start posting Sunday Suppers. Really nothing to do with sunday, and they won't always be dinner meals, but there will be recipes. Some will be family recipes, some will be new recipes I tried, and what I thought of them, some will be my own that I have been asked for numerous times, but I don't have a written recipe. This will motivate me to actually write down some of the things that I make.


Today is a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese. I adapted the recipe on the package of (Anthony's)noodles, based on what I had left over from baking, and other recipes I have tried.

2 cups uncoooked elbow Macaroni
1/4 C minced onion ( I used less, and I used dried onions)*
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 t mustard powder*
1/2 t paprika*
2 C Milk
1/2 C whipping cream* ( or use all milk)
1/2 t salt
pepper
2 1/2 C grated cheddar*

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Meanwhile, saute the onion in the 3 T of butter, then add 3 T of flour, mustard and paprika whisk until it is well blended. Gradually add the milk and cream. Heat til it is just about to boil, the let it thicken for a bit. Add the salt and pepper and the cheese. Once the cheese melts, see if it needs more cheese or seasoning. Mix the cooked noodles and sauce, and put the whole thing in a greased 2 quart dish. I put more cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

The recipe also suggests sprinkling 1/2 C bread crumbs, but I didn't bother. * indicates changes I made.

My kids kept whining about wanting "real" mac and cheese (from the box), but they both loved it and ate a ton. We got two full meals out of this. I made a salad to go with this to ease my conscience.