Nothing says comfort food like macaroni and cheese.

And there is no reason to resort to boxed products when homemade cheese sauce is so delicious, nutritious and easy!

Experiment with your favorite cheeses and get creative.

This recipe is the basic cheddar cheese sauce that we all remember.

There is a way to make this old favorite healthy and hardy with quality ingredients.

This cheese sauce starts with a basic roux and shredded cheddar cheese.

Roux
1 stick of butter
2-3 Tbspn flour
1 cup of half and half or whole milk

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Add flour and allow it to bubble and cook for a few minutes
Then add milk creating a smooth and creamy sauce.

Cheese Sauce

Add to the Roux,
1 and ½ to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
A pinch of Nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste.
And add enough milk or half and half to reach the desired consistency; which should be creamy and not too thick, approximately the thickness of heavy cream.

Stir over low heat and allow to cook into a creamy, rich sauce.

Stir in cooked whole wheat shells or the macaroni of your choice.

This is the basic sauce. To the roux you can add any cheese you like.

You can also add ingredients like crushed garlic, capers sautéed onions, mushrooms, fresh green onions or sautéed leeks.

The list is endless.

Macaroni and cheese can go from simple and familiar to gourmet and sophisticated in no time.

The most important ingredient is your imagination!

I should have given this a bit more thought!

I do not have air conditioning and we are in the middle of an incredible heatwave here in the midwest.

The heat index was 106 degrees! yesterday.

We were celebrating a birthday and this cheesecake with strawberries and whipped cream is a favorite.

It did look great when I placed it on the table but by the time I picked up the camera it was sliding all over the place!

That was about 15 seconds!

One of the secrets to the greatness of this cheesecake is the crust.

The butter toasted pecans make the crust amazing and every time I make this the only request is that next time I make more crust!

Ingredients:

Crust

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup of pecans

1 1/2 cups graham crackers

Filling

3 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
Whipped cream prepared or homemade; we used Redi-Whip, it’s a nostalgia thing!

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Saute butter and pecans until they become aromatic and lightly toasted

Place graham crackers, sauteed pecans and butter in the food processor and mix until the texture is fine

Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes

Set aside; reset oven to 325 degrees

With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed

Add vanilla and beat until smooth

Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition

Beat until smooth

Add milk and mix until well blended

Pour the batter over the crust and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 45-55 minutes

Fell free to garnish with your favorite fresh fruit after the cheesecake has chilled in the fridge overnight

Don’t be shy with the whipped cream!

Put love in it and Enjoy!

Meatless Monday! Broccolini soup and quinoa salad were the perect combo.

Quinoa is a complete protein and black beans, tomato and basil create a filling nutritious but light meal.

Olive oil and lemon dress the salad with salt to taste.

Quinoa is fast and easy to prepare; 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water, boil for about 15 minutes and you’re ready to go.

Just chop the rest of the ingredients and fold into warm quinoa. I used canned black beans so I rinsed them well to decrease the sodium content. I used about 1/2 can.

I made a quick “broth” for the soup by boiling the stems of the broccolini in water with garlic slices.

I boiled until tender then pureed in the food processor.

I then sauteed 1/2 onion and more garlic in olive oil and created a roux with 2 Tbspn of flour and 2 tbspn of butter.

Then 1 cup of half and half and 2 cups milk.

My girls wanted cheddar so I added about 3/4 of a cup.

I then combined everything in one pot to cook then added the tops of the broccolini to cook in the soup.

Warm and creamy with light and bright.

These tomatoes were the best. The juicy brightness set off the quinoa just right.