Posted by Virginia FrenchIMG_0061

The other day Annie and I were out for lunch, and of course we ate too much and needed to go for a walk. As we walked by the Le Creuset store Annie said let’s go in! She didn’t know that Bob rushes me past every time we go by that store. I walked in and spotted these tiny cocotte pots. There was no way I could resist. My excuse was that I already had planned to make mac and cheese this week. I figured my husband wouldn’t be as annoyed with me with my purchase if I showed it to him with dinner inside of it.

Despite all my efforts, my children do not like vegetables. One of my favorite ways to hide a vegetable is my butternut squash mac and cheese.  The recipe is based on Ina Garten’s recipe for mac and cheese but with a few changes its healthier and sneaks in a vegetable.  This recipe is usually enough for two dinners for our family so I usually freeze half of it.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Serves 6-8

Cooking spray

2 8×8 inch square baking pans

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup all purpose flour

2 cup skim milk (or any other type of milk)

6 ounces grated Gruyere cheese

4 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 pound elbow macaroni

2 slices of bread, cubed made into bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a large stockpot bring water to a boil and add macaroni.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Spray baking pans with non stick cooking spray (any type).
  3. In a food processor pulse bread until you have bread crumbs (you’ll end up with about 1/2-3/4 cup).  Take out bread crumbs and mix with parmesan cheese.
  4. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Slowly add milk while whisking and cook over stove top until thick. Add cheese and whisk into sauce. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.
  5. Drain pasta and mix in butternut squash and then mix in cheese sauce.
  6. Pour into baking pans. Spread bread crumb mixture on top, spray top with cooking spray and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

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Chocohotopots from Nigella Lawson

These chocohotopots always satisfy a craving for something sweet and chocolately.  They are gooey in the middle and chewy all around.  Audrey always eats her dinner if she knows this is for dessert.  They are best served 10 mins after they come out of the oven.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/chocohotopots-recipe.html

Ingredients

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, with 60 percent cocoa solids

2 eggs

3/4 cup superfine sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Special equipment: 4 (2/3 to 1-cup capacity) ramekins

  1. Preheat to 400 degrees F.
  2. Butter the ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter.
  3. Either in a microwave or in a bowl suspended over a pan over simmering water, melt the chocolate and 1 stick butter, then set aside to cool a little.
  4. In another bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and flour with a hand whisk and beat in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture. Divide the mixture between the 4 buttered ramekins. Bake for about 20 minutes, by which time the tops will be cooked and cracked and the chocolate gooey underneath.