Hola lovelies! I’m back with the kick-ass dinner I had last night. A few of you asked if we got any swag at our house warming party and I can tell you we did indeed!

A couple of my friends got us some big goblet-sized wine glasses; another set of friends hand made us some kitchen dish towels that were absolutely bomb due to being not only in our favorite colors but also one was hand embroidered and two were made with my friend’s mad print-making skills. They put so much work and love into those towels – I love them so much! I’ll have to take some pictures and post them because they are swoon-worthy and brilliant.

Another friend canned us some green beans which apparently are crazy good in Bloody Mary’s – sweet!

A really cool gift that has a place on tonight’s post for sure was this collection of produce and herbs fresh out of a friend’s garden! Awesome!!

tomatoes, rosemary, jalapenos, banana peppers, cherry toms and green onions (unpictured)

We also had this fella sitting around that our towel-making friends gave to us from their CSA box:

I wanted to find a way to use up some of the mad abundance of rosemary we had so I brainstormed and googled and blog-browsed…

And finally came up with this:

Rosemary Walnut Pasta with Eggplant
inspiration from Spinach Tiger

Ingredients

1 small eggplant

1/2 pound pasta

1 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely (use less if you prefer)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 – 4 T finely chopped fresh rosemary (or substitute any fresh herb)

Olive oil

Sea salt, pepper,

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Directions

Slice eggplant into thin slices, leaving skin on. Salt both sides, allow to sit for 30 minutes. Drain on paper towels (salting removes extra moisture and bitterness).

Bring large pot of salted water to boil.

Saute garlic in olive oil, until soft. Do not burn. Immediately add in walnuts, and rosemary, and saute about 6-10 minutes on medium heat, just until walnuts are toasted. Toss lightly with olive oil and rosemary.

Remove walnuts to a bowl.

Add in eggplant to same pan. Saute until soft on medium heat.

Cook pasta according to directions.

Drain pasta, toss with eggplant, nuts and rosemary mixture.

Season with sea salt and pepper

Toss with parmesan cheese (optional)

Devour!

I am gonna need to rave about this one for a second: it was incredibly delicious! Dan and I were making “mmm” noises the whole way through eating it and every bite had a new level of flavor. The rosemary paired with the walnuts so well and the whole dish had an amazing sweet yet salty taste. Super rich, super bomb diggity. Enjoyed with a large glass of white wine in our new glasses!

The next best thing about this dish is that it is super quick (we’re talking 30 mins absolute tops) and extremely easy. Seriously, add it to your “quick dinners” repertoire right now! The clincher for me was the way the Web site I found it on described the process: “One pot. One pan. One chopping board.” Sign me up!

What is your favorite go-to pasta dish for ease, speed and deliciousness?
I love spaghetti carbonara. It is so quick that it’s ready in a flash and yet the richness makes it tastes like something’s been simmering away for hours. Bueno!

Dan and I finally got around to having a house warming party at our new gaff and it was super fun! I’ll get to that in a minute but first I had to mention two things:

1) I had what was possibly the best run of my life on Saturday. Not the fastest, but the best. I was worried because my left knee/shin were hurting Friday night but I awoke pain-free and raring to go. I ran ten miles and for the first five I felt like I was flying. It got me thinking that I really need to let up on myself about a specific time. I want to run balls to the wall and go as fast as I can but that’s all I can demand of myself come race day (minus 6 days and counting!). If I feel anywhere near as good as I did this weekend it’ll be a miracle!

2) I got to meet up with Michelle, of Learn, Run, Eat…Repeat this Saturday and she is lovely!! She ran a 10 mile race herself on Sunday, which you can read about here.

So….house warming thangs.

Let’s get to the point straight away…I did not photograph everything. Once the day of the party came I was totally distracted by, you know, partying, to actually remember to photograph anything I made but I can tell you there was some beautiful guacamole, some delicious tacos al pastor that Dan grilled, rice+beans, and plenty of sangria.

Here is what I did photograph!

Peanut Butter Cookies

I used a recipe from Smitten Kitchen (who got used the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook) for these absolute beauties and they turned out baller.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chunky peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion.

Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

I made some pretty teeny cookies which is my preference because it scares me how big store-bought cookies can be.

I think I am finally getting to grips with baking cookies. As I have said before, I am no baker and until very recently had never baked cookies on my own before! I am realizing the necessity of beating the ingredients until you feel like your arm might fall off. That creamy, creamy batter is a good sign indeed.

These turned out really well!

Polvorones (Cinnamon Cookies)

We had a kind of Spanish theme for food, which actually turned out to be kind of Mexican as well (that will happen, if you give me half a chance…). Obviously PB cookies are about as un-Spanish or as all-American as you can get so I thought Polvorones would be an excellent cookie to try. I based them on this recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl, cream together 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture to form a stiff dough. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Mix together 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; roll balls in cinnamon mixture.
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Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in preheated oven, or until nicely browned. Cool cookies on wire racks.

Dan informed me that the translation of “polvorones” is literally “dusties” – brilliant! They are very light and airy cinnamon cookies and “dusty” is a great adjective for the little blighters. I kept forgetting this when people asked though and calling them “fluffies” or “cloudies”. Blame it on the sangria.

Almendras al Pimenton (Spiced Spanish Almonds)

Ingredients

1/4 cup(s) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon finely diced jalapeno pepper
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 cup raw whole almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Whisk brown sugar, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk egg white and water in a medium bowl until foamy. Add almonds and stir to coat; pour through a sieve to drain off excess egg white. Transfer the almonds to the bowl of spices; stir well to coat. Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the almonds for 30 minutes. Stir, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake until the almonds are dry and golden, about 30 minutes more. Let cool before serving, about 20 minutes.

You can find a plethora of recipes for these bad boys online and I just adjusted with what I had on hand. Using fresh jalapeno sounded a bit weird but I wanted the kick and it turned out just peachy. These were a hit at the party!

I’m off now but I’ll be back soon with the dinner I made tonight using some house warming gifts…stay tuned!!

Happy autumn everyone! It’s official…I can pretend no longer. I actually love autumn but winter here terrifies me so any change in the temperature towards the single digits is scary.

I am determined to embrace this season and all the wonders it brings though! Watch out in the near future for homemade soups, baking extravaganzas, news of me curled up with a cuppa tea and a book/good film on the sofa, apple pies, root vegetable parties, and all-round comfort food.

Which takes us seamlessly onto the topic of today’s post and recipe: posh mac and cheese. Since I did not grow up in this country, a lot of what I consider “classic” or traditional American food comes from my husband, who happened to grow up eating mac and cheese by the truckload. It reminds him of his pa (as does oatmeal) since that’s what was for dinner on more than a rare occurrence. True story: I have never made mac and cheese from scratch. Exciting!

The only thing that makes this remotely ‘posh’ is the kind of cheese I used (really delicious sharp and aged Vermont cheddar) and maybe the panko. Apart from that, it is really just good homemade mac ‘n’ cheese.

Mac and cheese is not something we “do” in England but we do make a plethora of other Italian-inspired, comforting pasta bakes and the like and they always remind me of autumn when I start to crave piping hot cheesy carbs over fresh crunchy salads. Mmmm.

This recipe was gleaned from the vaults of Lottie + Doof, an amazing food blog that constantly inspires and mesmerizes me.

Be warned: this is by no means a healthy recipe! It is delicious beyond belief, buttery, cheesy, comforting, creamy, and rich but is meant to be enjoyed as part of a larger healthy diet. You will see that there is a phenomenal amount of cheese involved as well as generous helpings of butter, but it really is the only mac and cheese recipe you will ever want to use.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 slices bacon, diced
• 1 cup of finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or less if you would like this with less spice)
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk (I used skim)
• 3 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 ounces Mascarpone or cream cheese
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese Breadcrumbs – actually easy to find in our local coop so just ask someone to help you find it. It wasn’t expensive either. )
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound Penne (I used whole wheat…every little helps!)

Directions

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to paper towels to drain. Remove all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic, stir for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter, allow to melt, and then add the flour and stir for a minute. Gradually whisk in 3 cups of milk; simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 1/4 cups of cheddar and all of the Parmesan cheese and marscapone. Return bacon to sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add panko and stir until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lighly butter a 13×9×2 inch glass baking dish or similarly sized gratin dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until very al dente. Drain well. Toss pasta and cheese sauce and season again with salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake until hot and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Devour!

What is your ultimate autumnal comfort food?
Mine is lasagna or spaghetti bolognaise – any tomato-y and cheesy pasta!