A Vintage Beauty and A New Recipe

Hello again my friends!

Today I'd like to share some 'vintage' loveliness with you in the form of a card I made using another one of the new products over at Nicecrane Designs.  This image is from the 'Told By The Sunbeam and Me' set and you can find it HERE.

The design paper I have used for the background is Colorbok 'Rosewood' Pattern Pack and I found it at WalMart.  My tag is from 7Gypsies and I used a Gold Pilot Marker to edge the tag to make it stand out a little from the background paper.  The gold corner stickers & sentiment are from Crafty Secrets.

I loved this rose paper so much I decided to finish the inside with the same paper.  The inside sentiment stamps are from Serendipity & Amuse.

You'll want to pop over to Nicecrane Designs and check out all the NEW images he has to offer!  You will be AMAZED at the selection!

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Now, onto the RECIPE I promised you!

It is called ITALIAN MAC AND CHEESE and it's NOT your typical Mac & Cheese!

This one is not oooy-gooooy like the typical Mac & Cheese  ... 

instead it is very 'fresh' with a light cheese flavor & crunchy topping!  

Don't get me wrong ... it is delicious ... just didn't want you to expect the usual 'cheeeeesssy' saucey style Mac & Cheese.  

When you read the recipe, you'll understand.

ITALIAN MAC & CHEESE

Recipe by Fabio Viviani (from internet)

Yields: 4 large (more like HUGE) servings

(I made it in a 9x13 baking dish)

Ingredients:
1 lb. dry macaroni pasta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Fontina cheese

1/3 cup crumbled Blue Cheese (we used Gorgonzola)

1 cup heavy cream

12 cloves garlic (we used 8 cloves)
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 bunch fresh Parsley (we used only 1/2 the bunch)
1 lemon (zested)
salt & cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

Put the heavy cream and all the cheeses into a mixing bowl.  Add cracked pepper & a pinch of salt to cream and cheese.  Put the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water on medium high and stir until the cheese is melted, set it aside.

Cook pasta in the pot of boiling water until al dente.  Drain the pasta and set aside.

Smash garlic cloves and place them in oil in a saute pan over medium low heat and cook until soft.  Remove garlic and mix with pasta.  Mix in the cheese sauce, and put in the pot and heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

While that is heating, put the breadcrumbs, parsley and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until well combined.  Place Mac & Cheese in an oven safe baking dish, top with bread crumbs and bake at 400 degrees (F) for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

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I know that sounds like a lot of garlic but I was surprised at how subtle the garlic flavor was!  The lemon & parsley were more prevalent ... and VERY GOOD!

UPDATE:  Before I got this posted, we MODIFIED the recipe a bit and wanted to share that with you.  IF YOU DOUBLE the amount of cream & cheeses ... it is much more like the ooeey-gooeey Mac & Cheese that we are all used to and is DELICIOUS!!

I mixed up another batch of the elements for the cheese sauce and added it to the remaining Mac&Cheese from the original recipe, topped with a few more Panko breadcrumbs and baked for 15 min. at 400 degrees!  It was AWESOME!!!   

Thanks for stopping by today and I wish you a day filled with Joy & Happiness!

Until next time ...

Hugs,

Darlene