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Martha Stewart does not lie about this mac-n-cheese. Though I had some issues with the recipe, it is by far the tastiest mac I’ve ever eaten.

Want to know the finer points of the recipe, including some history that makes you go hm? Here’s your link.

The recipe (edited in a couple of places for clarity):

Serves 12 (See Note 1)

• 6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces (See Note 2)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar (See Note 3)
• 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano (I used Gruyere)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. (See Note 4)

3. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

5. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer’s directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.

6. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

2. Even cutting the recipe in half, the amount of butter called for seemed excessive. Then I realized part of it was going on the bread crumbs. Since what I had in mind was more tuna-noodle-casserole bread crumbs, and since I’ve had greasy croutondisasters in the past, I decided to skip the butter and just rock the toasty bread. Except the bread did not toasty. (Maybe I didn’t bake it long enough; I put the bread on 5 minutes before the mac was done.) So we had ambrosial cheesy noodles topped with warm-yet-mushy bread. Next time, we’re skipping the bread.

3. Food processors are teh awesome. I shredded all of this cheese in less than 60 seconds. Not counting the 10 minutes it took me to assemble the food processor, since Cuisinart does not include that information in their instruction manual. They want you to watch a video instead. Seriously?

4. I did not preheat the milk. It works fine either way. You have to stir the sauce more if you use cold milk, but some of us do not have endless pots/storage space at our disposal.

This one from The Food Network (Paula Deen’s recipe)

These might be good if you use a cookie press. I tried the rolling/cutting method, and was not impressed. (Though the pizza cutter suggestion is a winner; I’d not have thought to use one, but it makes cutting the straws so easy!)

After baking, my straws were either mushy (though less biscuity than the last recipe) or burned. And a bit salty for my taste. (But then everything is these days.) After I baked them, I saw in the comments that people recommend raising the baking temperature to 350; this might help.

Side note: I bought the food processor to make nut butter, but it rocks at stuff like this. And since the pieces are dishwasher safe, I think I’ll try using it on other recipes. These came together so fast!

_{with a side of Cheese Straws}

Tomorrow is our office Thanksmas party. Since people tend to eye my offerings warily (being the token vegetarian, and scrawny to boot), I decided to cut to the chase and bring cookies. (Also, I have three cookie recipes I want to try, and am not that big a sweets fan.)

Also, I’m making some cheese straws. Just for me. Because I am that big a cheese fan.

Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Macaroons
Coconut Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies

Cheese Straws
(from Penzeys monthly catalog; fantastic marketing ploy, that)

Makes 24-48 straws/crackers

1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tbs butter, divided
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red peppers
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
2 tsp kosher flake salt
1 to 2 tbs poppy, sesame, or caraway seeds for topping (optional)

Freshly grate the cheese, if desired; bagged cheese will also work, but be sure to use a fresh bag and choose the more finely grated bits.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cheese, flour, and 3 tbs butter cut into small chunks. Rub together with your fingers until crumbly. Add the red pepper; use the smaller amount for starters. Using a wooden spoon, mix in as much milk as needed to get the dough to stick together.

For straws, lightly flour a table or cutting board and roll the dough out as you would for cookies – between 1/8 and 1/4 inches thick. Slice into pretzel rod shapes, about 1/4 inch wide and 4-6 inches long, and carefully place on cookie sheets coated with vegetable oil spray. For crackers, roll the dough into logs and slice. (Chilled dough will slice more easily.) Melt the remaining tbs of butter and brush the tops of the straws/crackers. Sprinkle with salt, then top with seeds as desired. Caraway seeds are stronger, so sprinkle sparingly. Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. Carefully remove from the pans right away. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe deviation note: I did not buy seeds. I’m also going to try the first batch without added butter or salt, as cheese is pretty salty on its own. I’d planned to make straws, but got an idea as I was typing this – I’m going to try to make cut-out crackers using my Christmas cookie cutters. If either deviation fails miserably, I’ll just make more. I bought a 4-cup bag of cheese – I have room to play a bit.

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies

_{I foresee a lot of baking in my weekend.}

Recipe verdict: Both were tasty, though I think the purses may just be more trouble than they’re worth. I could make a reasonable alternative by placing the filling in mini-pot pie shells (whether actual pie crust or biscuits)...much less hassle.

The soup could use some oomph. I split the leftovers into three bowls; I may experiment with them. I’ll let you know if I figure out what it’s missing.

15. Tomato Lentil Soup
_{This has got to be one of the easiest recipes I’ve made in a while. Chop, cook, simmer. I like these recipes.}

2 tbs olive oil
2 c (2 small) chopped onions
1 c (2 large stalks) celery, sliced
1 c (1 medium) carrot, sliced thin
6 c water
1 c dried lentils
2/3 c (6 oz can) tomato paste
1/2 c dry red wine or water
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
3 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrot; cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients (except Parmesan). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until lentils are tender. Serve sprinkled with cheese. (I skipped this, because I had the beggar’s purses too.)

16. Corn Beggar’s Purses
_{I’m convinced that there’s a gene for being able to work successfully with phyllo dough…and I don’t have it. I love the stuff, though, so I keep trying.}

2 medium ears corn, or 9 oz canned (I used frozen – I just cooked it first)
4 oz feta cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tbs whipping cream
2 tbs Parmesan cheese
3 scallions, chopped (I tossed in some dried chives)
8-10 small sheets phyllo pastry
8 tbs melted butter
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two muffin pans. (I have one 12-cup pan and one 6-cup pan…worked perfectly. The recipe makes 18-20 purses.)

If using fresh corn, strip the kernels from the cop and simmer in a little salted water for 3-5 minutes, until tender. For canned corn, drain and rinse well under cold running water. (If using frozen, cook according to package instructions and drain, if needed. Mine was a steam-in-bag deal, so no draining required.)

Crumble the feta into a bowl; stir in the corn. Add the egg, cream, Parmesan, scallions, and pepper. Stir well.

_{This is a “choose your own adventure” recipe. Below is what the cookbook says. Keep reading for the alternate plot twist – what actually happened.}

Take one sheet of pastry and cut in half to make a square. (Keep the remaining pastry covered with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.) Brush with melted butter and then fold in four to make a smaller square (about 3 inches).

Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each pastry square, then squeeze the pastry around the filling to make a “beggar’s purse.”

Continue making purses until all the filling is used up. Brush the outside of the purse with any remaining butter, put them in the prepared pans, and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.

When I unrolled the phyllo, it cracked into numerous pieces. Some were roughly squarish, but I also had some rectangular strips about 2 inches wide. Since phyllo comes 2 rolls to a package, I tried the other. With similar results. So I ended up dabbing (brushing makes the pastry tear) butter on the top sheet of the square section, placing a dollop of filling in the center, and pulling up the edges of several (probably 4 or so) sheets, rolling the ends over the filling until I had a squarish pillow. I then crumpled the edges together…it was vaguely purse-like.

Which left the rectangular strips. I found that if I crumpled a handful into the muffin tin, spooned in some filling, then crumpled some more pastry on top, I got pretty much the same results as the ones I did “correctly.” I liberally dabbed the remaining butter on all of my corn-phyllo piles, then baked as recommended. I probably could have stood to bake them a tad longer, but I was hungry. :)

Using my method, you’ll use the whole box, not 8-10 sheets.

Add another to the must-make list: Macaroons.

Might just have to make a batch of these along with the cookies (since I’ll have the ganache going anyway).

(Recipes to come; just posting this to remind myself to post the recipes later.)

13. Corn and Potato Cheese Soup
Verdict: Recipe needs some tweaking; the croutons were particularly disastrous, and the potatoes didn’t get tender. Also, R has requested no shallots next time. I can’t say I don’t want any shallots in it, but maybe not so much. (I’m still burping shallots, 2.5 hours after eating.)

14. Spinach Spheres (revisiting an old recipe)
Verdict: Spinach R will eat. (The recipe made eight spheres. I got two.) What more need I say?

Next up:
15. Tomato Lentil Soup
16. Corn Beggar’s Purses
17. Spring Vegetable Tart
18. Coconut Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies

This one’s definitely going on the list!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies

Tastes wonderful, but the consistency is much soupier than it should be. Actually, it’s almost exactly like cheese soup with spinach/ricotta-filled pasta tubes in it. I’m going to tweak the recipe (both to reduce the soupiness and to reduce the number of pots it requires – almost all of my pots are dirty now); if it turns out well, I’ll post the revision.

_{Will post the cooking story later…it was quite an ordeal.}

_{‘cause I plan on trying another recipe before I try the one that this goes with.}

I have this phobia about heating oil. Seriously…not much phases me in the kitchen, but frying and broiling unhinge me. And this recipe calls for sauteing seasoned bread cubes in hot olive oil, so I figured I’d better take my crouton skills for a test run.

I think this one’s going to take me a while to master. I obviously didn’t get the oil hot enough, quite possibly didn’t use enough oil, and/or used the wrong kind of pan. However, even if you screw them up, they’re still tasty. Just kind of soggy and greasy.

Oh, the recipe:
_{Note: this is the one I used, half made-up and half half-remembered from the soup recipe it goes with. I’ll post the real one later.}

2 pieces bread, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes (Have I mentioned I’m also bad at guesstimating sizes? Mine were closer to 1-inch cubes.)

Seasoning (I just shook some Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle in a baggie, tossed the cubes in, and shook til mixed.)

A splash of olive oil (probably ~2 Tbs)

Heat the olive oil. It’s got to be really hot, or you’ll just make greasy bread cubes. But not smoking hot, unless you enjoy setting off the fire alarm.

Season the bread (I’m a shake-n-baker, but I suppose you could also just sprinkle the bread before cutting), then saute in the olive oil until golden brown and crunchy. Or until you get too hungry to wait any longer, because the rest of your dinner’s getting cold.

(Let me know if any of you know how to make these properly…it’d be really cool to make my own croutons!)