By Katie Workman of Cookstr.com

If you’ve been a slave to that blue box of mac and cheese, you owe it to yourself and your family to whip up a vat of homemade mac and cheese once in a blue moon.  I keep changing up the cheese, depending on what I have lying around, and it never tastes the same twice, which I find part of the thrill. You should by all means toss in other interesting cheeses that you have around, like goat cheese, Fontina, Manchego, even that leftover hunk of  brie (remove all rinds you wouldn’t want to see floating around your mac and cheese).

The Dijon mustard and red pepper flakes give this a little kick, a little edge, and save this dish from being too intensively rich and creamy (not that there’s anything wrong with that).  This photo shows the topping-free version.

And, no, this isn’t low fat. Thanks for asking.

For the topping (optional):

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 /2 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar or  Gruyere cheese

For the pasta and sauce:

• 1 1/2 pound ziti, penne, or any short pasta
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 4 1/2 cups 2% or whole milk (however indulgent you’re feeling)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 cups coarsely grated firm flavorful cheese (this is the part where you use up whatever you have around; some good basic cheeses to start with are extra-sharp Cheddar, Gruyere, and Swiss)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
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By Amber from Moose In The Kitchen

Money tends to be an issue for people – in this economy, in yesterday’s economy, back when three clam shells scored you a quarter pounder with cheese. You simply can’t live without it, which is really quite annoying. As a true reprobate in the art of cash, I have the same money worries whether I’m making $50,000 a year or no dollars a year. I don’t understand how that works either. Suffice it to say, I have many tricks that keep me from being bundled up into a straightjacket after a few entirely-justified episodes of rabid shrieking at the innocent, dewy screen of Mint.com.

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Photo from Delish.com

So, we’re doing Thanksgiving at our house this year. 17 people, including us. (And no, don’t ask me what possessed me to suggest this.) I’ve got the menu mostly planned out but one area I feel under-creative is appetizers. So I went searching and found these relatively quick and easy options, that I thought I’d share:

Delish.com: Pear chutney and goat cheese bruschetta

The Minimalist (NY Times): 101 Head starts on the day (there are some really awesome, quick ideas here)

Food Network: Stuffed mushrooms

If you have any favorite appetizer recipes that would work for Thanksgiving, please share in the comments! 

By Katie Workman of Cookstr.com

Sometimes we all fall into the trap of making assumptions about what our kids will and won’t eat, and we avoid something new because we anticipate that it won’t be met with open arms.  Beans often fall into this category.  And I will say for the record that my oldest (age 9) is only slightly amenable to beans in certain soups and dishes, but my younger one (age 6) will eat half a can of garbanzos in a sitting.  He really adores bean soups and bean stews, which makes it very easy get some good protein and fiber into him without making meat the centerpiece of every dinner.  This lentil soup met with a big thumbs up from him.  Sometimes if I’m offering up a new thing in my house, I’ll put a few tablespoons in a small ramekin and give it to my kids to taste - much less overwhelming to them than being presented with a full bowl of something they’re feeling skeptical about.

Just to confirm: the alcohol in the red wine cooks off completely, and all that’s left is a nice flavor boost.  You don’t have to get the Le Puy lentils or the arborio rice, but those ingredients do take the soup to a different level.

Ingredients

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By Angella from Committed: The Ties That Bond and Dutch Blitz

I should start this off by saying that I am in no way at all an expert on fitness. I am just a woman who has managed to, for the most part, fit exercise into her life for the past nine years.

My first true stint at exercising was when I was a newlywed living in Vancouver. There was a gym next to my office and I would attend exercise classes either before work or during my lunch hour. My firm promoted fitness and allowed me a longer lunch in order to go to class.

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Image from Real Simple

We have a few vegetarian friends and I always feel like I am serving them a collection of side dishes when they come over for dinner. So for our next dinner party I went searching for some vegetarian main course recipes and came up with a few that I’d like to try:

Real Simple: Swiss chard with chickpeas and couscous

Well: Risotto with beet greens and roasted beets

Martha Stewart: Lighter eggplant Parmesan

By Leah from Working on Motherhood and A Girl and A Boy

Now that I have almost an entire year of parenting under my belt, I finally feel like I’ve earned the right to throw out advice to anyone, at any time, and at 90 mph, like an automatic ball-pitcher gone haywire. Heads up! I’m coming straight at you! After all, what better way to make mom friends than to tell them exactly how to parent, right?

Okay, obviously unsolicited advice is not what moms want to hear, and least of all when they’re new moms trying to navigate the perilous landscape of parenthood on top of being sleep-deprived, strapped onto the roof of the Hormone Express, and worried that their insides and outsides have been rearranged beyond repair. What new moms don’t need is someone telling them what to do or, worse, someone telling them that they’re doing it all wrong. What you need is love, support, encouragement, respect, validation, and, okay, maybe a few gentle nudges from someone who’s been there. (That’s me!) Oh, and you probably also need a shower.

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My mom is a great, intuitive cook. So I know it pains her a little bit to have to call me for this recipe, which is barely even a recipe. But call she does, whenever she plans to make these. And every time I go over this with her on the phone she says, “Right, right, of course,” and then doesn’t bother to write it down because it’s so ridiculously simple.

The secrets: not too much, not too little oil; high heat; nice amount of salt; non-stick cooking spray (you’ll only forget this once to learn that lesson. Maybe twice.)

My kids call them square french fries. You will serve these with anything, and if you put them out to nibble on with drinks before dinner, they will be gone in a flash.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes, peeled or washed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Spray a rimmed baking sheet generously with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the potatoes into 1 or 1 ½ inch chunks (bigger chunks=more creamy insides). Spread them out on the baking sheet drizzle the olive oil over, sprinkle the salt over, and toss with your hands to combine.

Make sure they are in a single layer and roast for 40-50 minutes or so, tossing them once midway through the cooking, and spreading them out again.