Herbed Macaroni and Cheese

Donnie and I had a day off of work today. We decided to drive down the mountain to Oakhurst to buy a new oven, browse through some of the thrift shops and pick up some groceries. The drive down was a lovely one. The non-coniferous trees are finally setting themselves apart from the endless pines in shades of yellow and orange. Although the colors are nowhere near as vibrant as my home state of Michigan, they remind me of my younger autumns and of course, my mother’s cooking.

My mom is a vegan now, but she use to whip up some amazingly dairy laden dishes. The one I always requested on my birthday was her baked macaroni and cheese. The edges would come out brown and chewy, something you’ll never get from a box. Which is why when Donnie tried to buy some boxed mac and cheese at the grocery store, I cut him a deal: I’d make the real thing if he’d leave that awful stuff on the shelf.

I would have called Mom for her recipe, but just a few weeks ago, I ran across a tasty-sounding version in Sunset Magazine. Although I didn’t have the brie and fresh herbs it called for (or the bacon for that matter), I figured it would still be delicious with some variations. FYI, this dish is pretty heavy, high in calories and carbs. Pair it with a vegetable or salad for some balance, no need for bread or another side.


Herbed Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4

12 oz. elbow macaroni
3 Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips (or any bacon substitute)
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp each of dried tarragon, basil and rosemary
1 tsp garlic salt
¼ c. green onions, chopped
½ c. cream cheese
¼ c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ c. Italian breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook macaroni, drain and set aside in another bowl.

While pasta is cooking, fry veggie bacon strips ‘til crisp, then chop into small pieces.


In the warm pasta pot, add whipping cream, cream cheese, half of the shredded cheddar, 2 Tbsp. of the butter, herbs, garlic salt, onions and the bacon strips.

Stir until melted and blended well, then mix with the pasta.

Transfer macaroni and cheese into a baking dish and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

In small bowl, combine the rest of the melted butter with the breadcrumbs, then sprinkle over mac and cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Tips: Any fragrant herbs would be good in this recipe. If you’d like to use fresh ones, use a ¼ cup of each. If you’re willing to shell out the extra bucks for the brie like the original recipe calls for, you can replace a half cup of it for the whipping cream. Also, I used garlic salt to be quick, but fresh garlic and some sea salt would work well.

Roasted Vegetables

The recent arrival of cold weather to Yosemite has put me in the mood for warm food night after night. Eating a bowl of soup by the wood-burning stove does make for a ridiculously cozy (and excessively warm) evening. However, I was starting to feel like I was stuck in a soup rut, so I looked up a roasted vegetable recipe I tried once before. The original recipe, which I found on Eatingwell.com, actually calls for a winter vegetable mix of butternut squash, cauliflower and onions, but I decided to use several different veggies instead.

There are a few things I love about roasting vegetables. First of all, you can use them as a side dish or pair them with a grain and serve them as the main course. Secondly, you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand as long as you remember to keep the vegetable pieces close to the same size so they cook more evenly and are easier to eat. In addition, it’s easy-peasy, healthy, beautiful (the colors can look amazing depending on your selection), and chances are good, it’s different from what you’ve been eating lately. Here's what I did last night, but you should feel free to vary the ingredients to your liking.


Roasted Vegetables

2 medium red potatoes, cubed
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup summer squash, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped
2 cups of baby portabellas (halved or left whole depending on size)
olive oil
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. basil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Toss vegetables in a large bowl with enough olive oil to coat everything. Add salt, pepper, garlic and basil and toss again.

Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring once.


The roasted veggies are great on rice, couscous, polenta, etc.

Tip: With some add-ins like corn or peas (peas are yuck in my opinion), you may want to use a frozen version or wait 10-15 minutes before adding them to the rest of the mix so they don’t burn. Also, I used basil to season the blend, but rosemary, oregano, thyme (etc.), would also be delicious and smell super good.