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Saturday, March 6, 2010

Happy Birthday!!

Well my baby turned one today. She was so spoiled today!! She had her favorite breakfast, Yoplait yogurt and juice =) I know, so simple, I love that she is easy to please! Then fo lunch she had star soup, and a cookie!! Again, so simple, and she was in heaven. For dinner we had family come over and I made MAC AND CHEESE, 3 kinds. Simple you say? NO WAY!! This was no ordinary Mac and cheese, this was GUY FIERI and GIADA from the food network mac and cheese, it was amazing!! So not a everyday meal, but holy freaking schmoly... it was good. I will post the recips, dont you worry!!
Anyways, I have a awesome friend in my new neighborhood who makes cakes, and she made this AMAZING cake for Amelie. Amelie is OBSESSED with Yo Gabba gabba. Her first audible word was "FOOFA" (pink character from the show) Here are some pictures of the day. I just love this girl, I know I say it a lot, but its true. She is such a light in my life and I adore every chubby roll on her body. I love her silly smile, her hillbilly teeth, her love for food, her infectious laugh, and her sweeeeeeet little spirit. Everyone who meets Amelie is greeted with a "Hi baby" (sounds more like hiiii beeee beeeeeee) and a cute wave. I just love her.










Mac and cheese recipes


Mac daddy mac and cheese
Ingredients
2 shallots, peeled
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 pieces bacon, diced, cooked, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon fat
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups heavy cream
3 dashes hot sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta, cooked
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil. Roast 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from foil and chop. In a large saute pan, reheat reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Add roasted shallot and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in heavy cream and thyme. Reduce by a third. Stir in cheeses until melted, creamy and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and gently stir in pasta. Place in a 9X13 casserole dish. In a small bowl, mix together diced bacon, bread crumbs, butter and parsley. Top Mac n Cheese with Panko mixture and bake uncovered at same heat until bubbling and lightly browned on top, 20 to 25 minutes.
*Note-I didnt roast the garlic and shallots, I just sauteed them in the same pan I crisped the bacon in. SO GOOD!! And in the Panko mixture, I grated 2 garlic cloves into it as well. YUMMERS!


Italian mac and cheese
Ingredients
Butter, for greasing dish
12 ounces wide egg noodles
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella
4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Monday, March 1, 2010

All about Amelie!





Well since this week is Amelie's first birthday I thought I would share some tid bits/pictures I just love of her. Also, some other random ones of the kids (check out my yard!!!)






Here are some others....