I’m so Meg February 14, 2015

I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. I think if you love someone you shouldn’t need a specific day to express that love. By making a big deal out of the holiday the only thing you are doing is lining the pockets of greeting card companies, candy manufacturers, jewelery stores, and florists. I don’t begrudge them their chance to make some extra money, but I choose not to participate.

 

This year I saw a recipe for Red Velvet Chocolate Chip cookies, and decided I would make them for Valentine’s Day. I’d planned to share them with a coworker whose birthday is February 14, but she took a long weekend, so I have to eat her share as well. They didn’t come out quite as sweet as I’d expected, and I still need to play around with the amount of food coloring, but they aren’t bad for a first attempt. I have some leftover chocolate buttercream frosting in the freezer. Adding some of that may be just the ticket. Now it’s time to curl up with one of my favorite Disney movies, Hercules. Meg is my favorite Disney heroine. She is gorgeous and tough. Even when she is in the clutches of a monster she doesn’t act like a damsel in distress. I relate to her more than the other female leads in the Disney fairytales. I think Meg and I will enjoy a nice big plate of cookies this weekend.

 

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A Cheesy Celebration February 9, 2015

I love cheese. I’m fascinated with how many different types of cheese there are and want to try them all. A couple of years ago, when it was just me and my parents for Christmas, we started a new Christmas Eve tradition. We went to Candlelight Service, came home to a spread of hors d’oeuvres-chocolate caramel popcorn, spinach dip, cheese, crackers, and glog- then watched a movie. It’s a nice quiet evening to reflect on what Christmas is really about.

 

The first Christmas spread

Cheese galore

This year, I noticed that the Aldi I shop at started having specialty cheeses a few weeks before Christmas. I bought up every one of them for our Christmas Eve nosh. We had Jarlsberg, Parmesan Regiano, Prima Donna, Tomato Basil, Jalapeño Jack, Fontina, and Cranberry White Cheddar. I’ve been wanting to try the Parmesan Regiano since I read about it in one of Frances Mayes’ books. It wasn’t my favorite as a stand-alone cheese, but it is great in cooking.

 

As you might imagine, with all of this cheese we couldn’t possibly eat it all in one night. Mom found a recipe that used the Fontina along with a Marscapone cheese, to make what is basically a fancy mac & cheese. The recipe sounded so good, I used it in the book I was working on, Spring Dawn, and when I finished the first draft we made a batch to celebrate. Shredding all of the Fontina seemed to take forever, but it was worth it. Next time I think I would add some bacon bits though, to give it a little more kick.

The left over Jarlsberg has made a wonderful evening snack and now I have three more varieties to snack on from Ireland, Wales, and Britain. I better have a few slices then get back to work.

Fontina & Mascarpone Baked Pasta

Grating the Fontina