This year, as my cooking has continued to blossom in recent months, I decided I was ready to take on my largest role yet in the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner. I have spent the better part of the last decade dreaming of the day that I will play host to Thanksgiving dinner. The pieces are slowly starting to come together and I'm loving it. Now that my cooking skills are up to the task, I just need to acquire a home large enough to host the gathering and I'll be good to go. I can barely stand the anticipation. To pacify myself this year, I volunteered to make two sides, as well as my usual slew of desserts. Last year I went a little crazy with the desserts (I think I made three), so I was determined at the least to top 2011-Gian. In addition, TF was going to be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner and I wanted to make sure he was not disappointed.
Early on in our relationship I learned that TF did not share my love of Thanksgiving (or even enjoy it). While the proclamation nearly killed me, I made it my personal mission to change his feelings towards this glorious day. Unfortunately, I haven't had nearly as many opportunities as I would've liked over the years to sway his opinions. Prior to this year, we'd only spent one other Thanksgiving together (with his family), so this was my first real opportunity to work my magic. When crafting the menu, I decided that I would make a version of his homemade mac and cheese (I should also mention that he claims to not be a fan of Thanksgiving food in general, so that presents another hurdle that I must overcome) that would serve as his main dish. My dad makes a mean mac and cheese, but since this was going to be 90% of TF's meal, I wanted to make sure he got some veggies as well :) And so, without further ado, I present to you:
TF's Bake Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Adapted from this 3-cheese version
Adapted from this 3-cheese version
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 Tbsps all-purpose flour
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk, plus some additional for baking
- 2 cups smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
- 1 1/4 cups 6-cheese Italian shredded cheese blend (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Fontina, Romano and Aged Asiago)
- 3/4 cup 6-cheese Italian shredded cheese blend, save to sprinkle on top before baking
- 2 cups uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
- 1-2 cups fresh broccoli, uncooked
- 1 dozen or so small-medium tomatoes (enough to cover the top of the casserole), sliced
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (I made my own from whole wheat bread, but store bought work fine as well)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Love making homemade bread crumbs
Preparation
1. Cook pasta in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Drain well
It pretty much took everything in me not to eat all of this....LOVE smoked gouda
2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add flour and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add cheese, about 1/2 cup at a time, and salt and pepper; stir until cheeses melt
3. Preheat oven to 375° F
4. In a large bowl (or pot) combine pasta with cheese mixture, stirring well. Spread evenly in 13x9 baking dish. Top with tomatoes, lining evenly in rows, then add remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Drizzle milk along the sides of the pan to keep it moist and creamy while baking
5. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until heated and bread crumbs have begun to brown. Allow to cool for a minute or two and then dive in
And, as I dreamed, TF loved my creation....as well as my mom's broccoli cheese casserole and he even had turkey?! My plan is beginning to take shape :)
The perks of having a mom that's a teacher--seasonally appropriate stickers. Keeping with his semi-embracing of Thanksgiving, TF adorned one...along with Sister and our aunt [mom's sister]
In addition to this killer mac and cheese, I also made a vegetarian stuffing (or dressing if you will). Usually I make my Grandmother's version, but use pho-sausage to replace the actual sausage, but this year I was really into trying an herb version. And so I did, using this sourdough bread stuffing recipe courtesy of the Food Network. I found the finished product to be a little too moist but the flavors were dead on. The fresh herbs really made the recipe!
Toasting sour dough bread for the base
Baked and ready to eat. I can still smell the fresh herbs!
And tomorrow, dessert time!
