Mac & Cheese

And now for something I've never made for myself. I steamed some:

scallions

cherry tomatoes

mushrooms

with the intention of making them part o' the macaroni. But then, when I had cooked up some pasta and added:

~1 oz Gruyere cheese (thanks to Dani)

butter

salt

oregano

basil

It seemed far more appealing to keep the vegetables apart, to be enjoyed in their own delicious goodness.

It wasn't the same as a feels-like-home goodness, but rather a subtle pasta and cheese taste that was filling and delicious.

Bean let Sergei keep a lookout.

Bella Vitano Merlot Cheese

New cheese at the market; something from Italy. Soaked in merlot? We could not help but buy a wedge. This with crackers curbed the pre-dinner rumbles. And now, with martini in hand --

A mushroom craving, which has not left me for weeks now, led me to this dinner:

Steam:

Broccoli

Spinach

Add to, sizzling in a pan:

olive oil

parsley

oregano

onion

red wine vinegar

And then pile atop the cap; top with the glorious, ever-so-strong cheese. And bake!

And here is Bean examining his Rochefort #10 beer, which he had to buy in Massachusetts (of all places) because it's not carried by the beloved New Hampshire liquor department. It's apparently a deceiving 11% alcohol; we will see if this is noticeable after an hour or so of video games...

Tuna Misfortuna

Have you seen those fat-free tuna salads that come prepackaged with a few wimpy crackers? I think they are lovingly gobbled up by Weight Watchers members and other dieters. The ingredients list is far too long to possibly be very wholesome, too. This meal was my attempt to enjoy a can, since I had gotten a couple of them as hand-me-down Christmas presents from my sisters (from my well-meaning, stick-wrists Nana).

I opened the can, noticed the strangely sickly pink color, and went ahead with the plan of wrapping it up in a wheat wrap with spinach and Cabot sharp cheddar cheese, and putting it in the toaster.

As I waited for it to cook, I started eating an apple, and good thing too -- because that shit is disGUSTing. My mind knew precisely what the taste reminded me of, but I could not pinpoint it. Looking back, canned cat food is the closest comparison I can come up with. You can imagine the supreme salivary enjoyment! However, I had to eat it, because I am low low low on funds and have low waste-tolerance (and perhaps waist tolerance? HA!) because of it.

In short, it is not an option I would recommend.

Spinach Cheese Roll

This was the last of the maple-oat rolls I made last week. They didn't rise much, so they were very dense, and filling for their size! They made a delicious lunch. This one just has a slice of Cabot cheddar cheese and some spinach on the top, which, when toasted becomes delicious. It tastes just like the spinach-cheese casserole my Mother used to make, and therefore like home.