Staging a Comeback

It's been a rough cooking week for me. First, I failed horribly at cinnamon rolls. Then, my valiant attempt at cake batter sugar cookies was a huge, raw, doughy flop as well. I was on the cusp of giving up, hanging up my apron, taking to my bed, and never baking again. And then the clouds passed and a recipe was gifted to me at work. It was a sign, it was time for me to get back in the kitchen. 

My return to the kitchen was actually two-fold. Before things went arye on Sunday with the cinnamon rolls, I made some killer mac and cheese. It was a rough day (I spent most of it recovering from the beer run and nursing a horrid migraine) and all I wanted was some mac and cheese. The good thing about living in the city without a car is that I'm often too tired to walk to the store to feed my random food cravings. The bad thing is that sometimes I can't move past my food cravings and thus begin to obsess over them. That happened on Sunday. I obsessed for hours over mac and cheese and finally decided I needed to find a recipe on the interweb that would put to rest my quest for mac and cheese once and for all. And I did.

Not only was it so much healthier than the store bought powdered cheese variety, but it helped nurse me back to health (that and sleeping for most of the day on my couch). Recovered and making my way through the work week, I decided to spruce up the leftovers and make a more veggie-friendly dish tonight. It was the perfect excuse for a lunch time trip to Trader Joe's in the unseasonably warm temperatures. With veggies in tow, I returned to the kitchen tonight and created not one, but two killer dishes. Good news world, Gian's back!

Brussels Sprout, Mushroom, and Onion Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
Adapted from this Easy Mac and Cheese 

• 1 box whole wheat pasta shells
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 2 Tbsps all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a white and yellow blend I had on hand)
• 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups brussels sprouts, sliced in half
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Bring pot of water to a boil for pasta and cook pasta according to directions on package (usually about 8 minutes)
2. While the pasta is cooking, saute brussels sprouts, onions, and mushrooms until tender and brussels sprouts are beginning to brown (be careful not to over cook the brussels sprouts or they will taste bitter)
3. Set veggies aside and drain pasta. Don't combine
4. Next, prepare the cheese sauce. Warm 1 cup of milk in a saucepan over medium heat
5. Whisk together remaining 1/2 cup of milk and flour until there are no remaining lumps
6. When milk in saucepan begins to steam, add milk-flour mixture to it. Continue to whisk gently until milk thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream [about 3-4 minutes]
7. Turn the heat on saucepan to low and begin to add the cheese in small handfuls  mixing after each batch until melted and creamy
8. Combine cheese sauce with pasta and toss until evenly coated. Add salt and pepper to taste
9. Add veggies to mac and cheese, warming if needed
10. Dig in! 

And to finish off the meal, I made these delicious cookies. I was gifted this recipe by a co-worker that knows my love for baking and it was just what I needed to pull me out of my slump. I'm usually not a huge peanut butter cookie fan, but these are just the right combo of peanut butter and chocolate. Love, love, love!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
Original found here

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Tbsp almond milk (add at to end make dough smooth and creamy)
• 1/2 cup semi-chocolate chips 

The first batch, despite my paranoia about baking them too close together, or for too long, still resulted in a less than desirable (fluffy-wise) cookie. Even on their worse day, these were still better than all the ones I made yesterday!

Preparation

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds
2. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder and beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined
4. Add in the flour in thirds, mixing completely during each batch
5. Add milk to make dough extra creamy and chill dough before baking
6. Preheat oven to 375 F. Drop cookies dough balls using a teaspoon onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet
7. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until light brown on top
8. Transfer to rack and cool before serving....good luck not eating them off the tray :)