Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

One of my favorite comfort foods is Mac & Cheese.  I'm not too picky on the ingredients unless the recipes start getting into stinky cheese territory.  The downside is the calories but I recently found the perfect solution - Mac & Cheese baked in cupcake tins.  Portion control is key.  I found this recipe on Epicurious.com and it was originally published in Cookie magazine. 

Enjoy!

Mac & Cheese Cupcakes Cookie | May 2007
Rebecca Miller Ffrench
Yield: Makes 24 cupcakes

8 ounces small elbow macaroni
Olive oil
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 cups sharp cheddar
Butter
Seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chives, snipped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook the macaroni until tender. Drain, toss with a little bit of the oil, and set aside.
3. In a medium nonstick saucepan, whisk together the milk and cornstarch until well blended. Stirring often, bring to a boil over medium heat.
4. Stir in the mustard, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened.
5. Stir in the cheddar until it melts, then fold in the macaroni.
6. Butter two cupcake pans and coat with the bread crumbs. (Be sure to shake off the excess.)
7. Fold the chives into the macaroni mixture. Spoon the mixture into the pans and top with bread crumbs to taste.
8. Bake until golden on top, 15 to 25 minutes.

The Queen Mary

A couple weekends ago, Wendel and I played tourist and visited the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.  If you live in CA or plan to visit, this place is a great spot to check out.  Nestled in the Long Beach harbor, the oceanliner took its maiden voyage in 1936 and served many famous entertainers and dignitaries from around the world.  During WWII it served as a transport ship for soldiers.  It's now a hotel and museum.  I'll be posting more images of our visit but above are a few for starters. 

Kickin' Back

Happy Friday, All!  What are your plans this weekend?  My boyfriend and I are going to a friend's wedding in Palos Verdes.  Should be lovely since it's being held at the Terranea Resort which overlooks the ocean.  Other than that, I'm going to continue shooting some more film.

I shot the image above with my Hasselblad.  Gotta love dappled sunlight and old benches.

Almost the weekend

The week is almost done and so am I.  Looking forward to catching up on posting and hopefully not working over the weekend.  Here's an image I shot with my Hasselblad film camera at the South Coast Botanical Garden. 

TGIF

You know those weeks where you've been wanting to say, "TGIF," all week long?  Well, this happened to be one of those weeks for me.  I survived a busy week at work and am looking forward to catching up on my photography!  For real, this time.  I've actually been shooting quite a bit but haven't had a chance to post anything online but I'll be back in action this weekend.  Also rented a 150 mm Hasselblad lens and I'm excited to test it out!

Have a great weekend.

Monday Blues

Is it really just Monday?  I realize I'm saying this just after a weekend but I wasn't quite ready for the weekend to be over.  We were hit with some heavy rain and thunderstorms/lightning late last week but luckily the storms left before the weekend.  Thunderstorms near the coast part of LA are very rare - I think the last time I heard it thunder was 3 years ago!  Anyway, hope this image will bring to cheer to your Monday.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Hi Everyone!  Sorry it's been a while.  Here's a photo of some statues at Chatsworth, stately home to the Duke and Dutchess of Devonshire.  I shot this during our trip to England a couple years ago.  Some of you may be familiar with Chatsworth from the movie Pride & Prejudice (2005).   It was used to depict Mr. Darcy's home.