J&J Bruschetta


Nothing says "Date Night" like a scrumptious plate of food and a movie shared with my sweet husband.  Since we have just moved and purchased a new home, time and money are both tight.  So, tonight we are having a "Home Date" night.  We are hitting the Redbox and I am cooking up a plate of this dee-lish bruschetta.  Food stylist Susan Spungen developed this bruschetta recipe for a scene in the movie "Julie & Julia."  Here are the directions in Spungen's words:

As with any dish with just a few simple ingredients, the quality of the ingredients and technique are key.

Start with some excellent bread. This is crucial. Choose a rustic loaf with a stretchy interior with lots of holes and a crisp crust. If it's a round loaf, cut it into slices about 3/4 inch thick, and then cut those slices in half on an angle.

For the movie, we fried the bread in olive oil, as is director Nora Ephron's preference, but I usually grill or toast it in a hot oven (400°). Either way, try to get it crunchy on the outside while retaining some softness in the center.

Rub the bread with a whole garlic clove (the garlic will disintegrate into the bread since the coarse bread will act like a grater) and drizzle with the best extra-virgin olive oil you can afford. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Meanwhile, cut tomatoes into chunks, tear lots of basil leaves into medium-small pieces, and toss with more olive oil. Let marinate for a while.

Season with salt and pepper about a half hour before serving. The salt makes the tomatoes release their juices and you don't want that happening too soon.

Top bread with tomato mixture. If the bread is really crunchy, let the tomatoes sit for a few minutes before serving to soften the bread.

Macaroni and Cheese

This is the richest and creamiest mac-n-cheese I've ever eaten. It is an indulgent treat for when the "box stuff" just won't do or when you simply want to "wow" your friends and family.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups milk
2 (10 ounce) packages sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 (10 ounce) package extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked

Directions:
In a big skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Whisk the flour in gradually until the mixture is smooth.  Cook and whisk continually for 2 minutes.  Add in salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic; stir to combine.  Gradually whisk in half-and-half and milk.  Cook and whisk continually for 8-10 minutes or until mixture is thickened.  Add in half of the sharp cheddar cheese; stir.  Add in all of the extra-sharp cheddar cheese; stir until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Mix together the cooked macaroni and the cheese mixture. Transfer to a greased 13x9 inch casserole dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining sharp cheddar cheese.  Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes.

Mango Salsa

Okay, so I have a confession to make.  I have been afraid of mangoes.  Not like "boo" scared, but "afraid of the unknown" scared.  I love the way they taste.  But, I shied away from recipes where they were an ingredient, because I didn't know how to pick out a good mango or how to cut one.  I came across a wonderful website by the National Mango Board full of great information about...what else, MANGOES.  I even learned how to pick out and cut a ripe mango.  Super easy...in fact, I don't know what I was even afraid of.  Click here to go to the website or watch the video below if you have a mango phobia of your own to get over.

Now that you are not afraid of mangoes either, you MUST try this Mango Salsa recipe.  It is wonderful on freshly grilled fish or on soft tacos (of the steak or fish variety).  You could even eat it by dipping a chip in the bowl, scooping it up and putting it in your mouth.  Any way you choose to eat it...it's DEE-LISH!!

Ingredients:
1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp. finely diced red onion
1 small chile of your choice, stemmed, seeded and minced
   **(I used a jalapeno, because I have kids and I'm a wimp.)
1 medium tomato, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped (how ever much you like to taste...a small handful is a good amount)
1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Stir the mango, onion, chile, tomato, chopped cilantro and the lime juice together in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.