Few foods are as comforting as macaroni and cheese, and we recently set out on a mission to master this cozy dish at home (a project for an ambitious chef, we know). To begin, we knew we wanted something classic and basic. We’ve made Barefoot Contessa’s truffle mac and cheese before and, as delicious as it was, the recipe was a little fancier than we wanted. Plus, we’re pretty sure all the ingredients set us back about $60 which, in HCG’s book, is too much money for food you make yourself.

After about 10 intense minutes of online research a few weeks ago, we decided that we would put all our eggs in Martha Stewart’s basket and give her Perfect Macaroni and Cheese recipe a whirl. Our crazy risk-taking strategy WORKED, and this recipe is incredible. We made it for family dinners the past two Sundays, and it was devoured by all on both occasions. The recipe makes a huge portion which, unbelievably, blessed us with leftovers that barely made it through Tuesday. We’ll warn you now: Martha’s mac and cheese may send you overboard. Even when our bellies are full from several servings, our mouths can’t pass up its cheesy, creamy allure.

We make the recipe exactly as written, with no substitutions, and it has baked to golden perfection each time. While this dish takes a little bit of work for those of us unaccustomed to making any effort in the kitchen, the end result is completely worth the effort. The crunchy bread crumb topping and cheese combination of sharp white cheddar + gruyere equates to winter perfection! If you even remotely like mac and cheese, HCG guarantees you will love this version (we hope the underlining further emphasizes our passion for this recipe).

Martha Stewart’s Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 12

• 6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
• 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

Guacamole is an essential summer dish, and HCG’s favorite guacamole recipe comes to us courtesy of some random person, Bob Cody, on All Recipes (thanks, Bob).  This guac recipe is always a hit at events and has lots of fans on All Recipes – it is the 16th most popular recipe on the site which to HCG equates to winning a James Beard Award.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I have never personally made this guacamole.  Joe always makes it and I always eat it.  MR even started calling it “Joe’s Guacamole” which made me feel jealous since Joe didn’t actually create it, Bob Cody did, and Joe just follows the recipe I printed.  It’s similar to how Johnny call this All Recipes bruschetta he and Trang make “TJ’s Bruschetta.”

What sets this scrumptious guac apart from other guac recipes is the lime, so make sure to include it.  We skip the cayenne pepper, though.

Ingredients

Directions

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados (note: some people prefer a chunkier guacamole.  To achieve this texture, mash lightly or slice up the avocados.), lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper if for some crazy ass reason you want cayenne pepper in your guacamole. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

HCG could kill an entire bowl of this guac it’s so good, and maybe we don’t have to feel so terrible about doing so – we’ve heard that guacamole is relatively skinny.  However, we’re pretty sure eating guac with an entire bag of regular (not baked) Tostitos Scoops cancels out any skinny factor.

Click here to check out the recipe on AR.

Many thanks are owed to my mom for alerting me of this big news (there must be some malfunction in my Blizzard Fan Club e-mail subscription since I didn’t get a notification about this): In honor of 25 years of Dairy Queen’s delicious Blizzard treat, our much loved (but once hated) soft serve ice cream chain is having an awesome promotion – buy one Blizzard and get a second one for only 25 cents!

The promotion ends this Sunday, April 25 so, if you’re a Blizzard lover like I am, grab a buddy and get hustlin’ to your nearest DQ before the weekend ends.  I’m planning on dragging Ski there after our last Broad Street training run on Sunday.

Image of yours truly enjoying a chocolate M&M Blizzard outside my beloved DQ in Carlisle, PA after my friend KMax’s wedding ceremony in October 2009 (I don’t usually wear capes and cocktail dresses to get Blizzards).

Oh no.  They’re back.

It’s with mixed emotions that I welcome Girl Scout thin mint cookies back into my life.  Certain words and phrases come to mind when I think of these treasured treats: delight.  Compulsion.  Lack of self control.

Thin mints and I have a long, storied history together.  While I was in college and law school, my mom (who is always a proponent of indulgent eating) would kindly send me several boxes of thin mints each Girl Scout cookie season.  Once during college, I polished off two entire boxes in 45 minutes and promptly threw up (in a sick way, not in a bulimic way).  A few years later, I decided I wanted all of my favorite desserts at my wedding, so I purchased several cases of thin mints from a co-worker’s daughter and froze them for 5 months until the wedding (I feared the co-worker would forever look to me for big cookie orders, but he hasn’t).  I killed a box the night after the wedding to make up for months of deprivation.

Sadly, my self control has not improved after all these years.  I still break into a cold sweat when I see that little harnessed Girl Scout screaming in joy on the bright green box (side note on the box: why the helmet and harness?  Is this girl zip lining in Costa Rica?  If so, how many cookies did her troop have to sell to afford such an extravagant trip?).  My heart thumps in my chest and my peripheral vision blurs.  When I get my paws on the thin mints, I refuse to share them and hoard them like a closet eater.  Once I start eating a few, I can’t stop – snapping them out of the silver sleeve one by one like candy.  I know I’ll feel like absolute hell after I’ve eaten so many (my stomach never fails to writhe in pain, cursing me for being such a loser), but I never learn.

Everybody has her own thin mints – that food that you just cannot pass up no matter what your circumstances or willpower you thought you had.  What’s yours?  Has anyone figured out a way to overcome this monster?

Guess what?  It’s pretty hard to take or find a non-disgusting photo of chili.  As you can imagine, the dish does not photograph well.  I chose to display clean, non-gross chili peppers instead.

Unbelievably, I never ate chili until nearly one year ago this month when MR made a delicious version for a cozy winter game night.  MR’s chili was a huge hit with the group – it’s packed with an immense amount of flavor, tons of beef (sorry veggies) and just enough kick.

MR recently gave me for Christmas the cookbook from which her chili recipe hails – The Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook (check it out here).  The gift was very thoughtful; MR, a semi-professional chef, always raves about this cookbook, and she knew I wanted it but was a little embarrassed to buy it (it’s been a year and a half since Joe and I were a bride and groom).

The chili was the first recipe from the cookbook we attempted, and we devoured it.  It has definitely become a new winter staple in our house.

Texas Chili with all the Fixin’s

1 tablespoon bacon grease or vegetable oil (bacon grease?  Ew)
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pound ground beef chuck (aka regular ground beef.  I had to ask MR what “beef chuck” was.)
1 pound Italian sausage links, removed from casings and crumbled (FYI: this step is super gross.  I made Joe do it.)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes with puree
1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) barbecued baked beans, drained
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus more as needed
- Note: You can find canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (smoked jalapeños in a thick red sauce) in supermarkets and Latino specialty markets.

Fixin’s
Grated sharp cheddar cheese
Chopped green onion
Sour cream
Crumbled corn chips (or an entire bag of Tostitos Scoops)
Red pepper flakes
Chopped jalapeño chiles

Heat the vegetable oil (because no one in her right mind would use bacon grease) in an 8-quart heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 7 to 10 minutes.  Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano and stir until the spices are well combined.  Add the ground beef, sausage, and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt.  Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the meat, stirring frequently, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.  Adjust the seasonings with more kosher salt or chipotle chiles if necessary.  Serve with any or all of the suggested fixin’s.

Note: MR gave a great tip – this recipe makes quite a large amount of chili so if you’re serving it to only 2 people, freeze half of it in a tightly sealed Tupperware container.  We did that and we still had several days of the chili left.

Over the past two weeks, I baked nearly 500 sugar cookies.  Most of the cookies were for my good friend KB’s wedding favors (baked with assistance from CF), and the rest were for Halloween.  As you can imagine, the process was rather laborious, and I’d prefer not to see another sugar cookie for several months (actually, I could probably eat one right now.  I have a weakness when it comes to cookies).

I always use a basic sugar cookie recipe from All Recipes, and it’s the best I’ve ever found. The dough is great for rolling out and using cutouts, and (as long as you’re careful with your timer), the cookies bake to perfection.  They’re never dry and not overly sweet.  I prefer to top mine with colored sugar or jimmies (aka sprinkles for the out-of-towners) before baking, but these are good when topped with icing as well.

The crazies at my work went nuts over them, and I even got a few phone calls requesting the recipe.  So if any HCG readers are in need of a good sugar cookie recipe, here you go:

Ingredients

If you decide to give these a shot, here are a few things you’ll need:

• Patience.  The process of making and chilling the dough, rolling it out, baking the cookies and then cooling them (and decorating if you choose to do that after) takes FOREVER.  Set aside a significant amount of time.
• A good wooden rolling pin.  CF and I used a wooden rolling pin and plastic one, and the plastic one was a complete piece of crap.  If you don’t have a good wooden rolling pin, you should consider picking one up.  It’s a cheap investment that is essential for working with any type of dough.
• Parchment paper.  As I mentioned, I sprinkle a significant amount of colored sugar on the cookies I bake.  The excess sugar around the cookie will bake on your cookie sheet and practically ruin it.  Use parchment paper to prevent this destruction.  (Side note to CF: I had to throw out one of your old cookie sheets.  It couldn’t be salvaged).
• Lots of flour.  Anyone who has worked with dough before knows that it’s critical to practically cover your workspace with flour to prevent the dough from sticking when  you roll it out.  Keep some extra flour handy to sprinkle on your rolling pin as well.
• An apron.  Believe me, the sugar and flour gets everywhere.  HCG always finds super cute aprons on sale at Anthropologie.

Finally, I froze all of my cookies, and they defrosted beautifully.  No one guessed that they had been frozen.  To freeze your cookies, simply double wrap them in plastic wrap after they have cooled completely.

Acknowledgment: I would like to thank my awesome sister Christine for her assistance in baking KB’s cookies.  It was super fun even though she yelled at me for being bossy and “telling people what do to all the time”.  Many thanks to Joe and my friends Jen (Ski) and Hilary (HAF) for their assistance in packaging KB’s favors last night :)

I spent nearly 6 hours on Sunday surrounded by sugar cookie dough and cutouts of bats, pumpkins and leaves.  It felt good to bake, but it was a trying afternoon.  At times, I was covered in flour and my legs were sick of standing (that may sound lazy, but I’ve been working out very hard lately). You know what helped?  My super cute apron from Anthropologie.

I know it’s really easy to bake in a hoodie and sweats.  I used to do that, too.  But sometimes you look down and realize (1) you look like a bag lady; or (2) if you’ve upgraded to higher quality leisure wear, you’ve soiled your favorite Splendid sweatpants and AA hoodie with raw dough and eggs.  Not cool.

Solution: Wear a fun apron while you bake.  It sounds like an obvious concept, but it’s actually quite impressive how much a full apron protects your clothing.  Anthropologie is my favorite place to pick up awesome aprons.  Tip: Unless you’re in a pinch, try to get one on sale (I never pay full price).  I always make a point to check the sale rack for any reduced aprons when I’m in the store.  I’ve also had good luck with picking up vintage aprons at vintage stores and on Etsy (beware: some “vintage” aprons on Etsy are actually just “vintage inspired” – but does that really matter?).  Pair an Anthro apron (or any apron, for that matter) with a cookbook, and you have a great little gift.

I prefer full aprons for long baking sessions, but I have a couple of half aprons as well.  They’re great for last minute prep before guests come over – you can just untie your cute little half apron when people show up and put a check mark in the “Make My Life Seem Flawless” column.

Since I’m such a proponent of buying things on sale, I should mention that the apron above is not on sale.  I just wanted to post a photo of it because it’s so cute.  But this one is on sale:

Both at Anthropologie -
Red Sea Apron, $32.00
Handkerchief Mosaic Apron, $14.95 (reduced from $28)

I love baking, and I love cookies.  Often times I’m seriously Jonesing for warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies but don’t feel like going through the entire process of making them from scratch.  What’s a girl to do?  Ask her husband to go with her to the grocery store so she can buy two packages of Nestle Toll House Mini Break & Bake cookies to bake RIGHT THEN at 9:00 p.m. on a Tuesday.

Why mini cookies you ask?  You can eat more and not feel as guilty as you would had you eaten a crap load of large cookies.  After all, what do you want as soon as you’re finished a delicious little warm cookie?  Another cookie.  Plus, two packages of minis makes like a thousand cookies, so you always have some left over to give away even after you’ve eaten a bunch.  That fact alone makes you feel like less gross because “I couldn’t have eaten THAT many if I had some left to give away.”

Break & Bakes are my go-to treat when I’ve promised to bring something to a party and have limited time to whip something up (which happens pretty frequently).  They seriously take no time at all to make, and you generally feel pretty proud of yourself because your house smells like chocolate chip cookies.  Oh, and they’re crazy delicious.  So delicious that I usually eat a bunch of the dough while I’m making them which often results in late night stomach pains (but it’s worth it).

If you make these for an event I can promise you: (1) people will love them, (2) no one will know they’re not made from scratch, and (3) if I’m there I’ll get pissed because they’re my thing, and I don’t want anyone stealing my glory.

Disclaimer: HCG does not endorse Pillsbury break & bake cookies.  Nestle Toll House B&Bs are far superior to Pillsbury, and HCG accepts no responsibility for anyone who mistakenly buys the Pillsbury version.  Shopping tip: the Nestle packaging is yellow, Pillsbury is blue.  You’ve been warned.

Dear Dairy Queen,

I’m a huge fan of your Blizzards. Chocolate Blizzards with M&Ms to be exact.  I’ve visited countless DQ stores across the continental U.S. and Hawaii.   I spent the 6 months leading up to my wedding running at 8.5 on the treadmill dreaming about the many Blizzards I would enjoy on my honeymoon.

That said, you’ve really let me down lately.

I scooted over to your South Street store one balmy Sunday evening in late May only to be told that the store’s chocolate ice cream machine was broken.  Although disappointed, I took the news in stride – I assumed some freak accident involving the machine happened earlier that day (who wouldn’t?).

Fast forward nearly 5 weeks.  I returned to this store on July 2 in the middle of a late-night work break to be told that the machine was still broken (yes, since May 31).  After 30 seconds of deep breathing exercises, I posed the following questions to the blatantly uninterested young employees:
- Has any maintenance been scheduled?  No.
- Do lots of people flip out when they’re told you have no  chocolate ice cream?  Not really.
- Can you please give me the store manager’s or owner’s contact information?  No, we are not allowed to give that information out.
- Isn’t it some sort of violation of your franchise agreement to go this long without chocolate ice cream?  Blank stares – in fact, the kid at the counter actually turned his back on me at this point.

Since that fateful July 2 night, I have called this DQ store almost once a week (on July 12, July 18 and July 26 if you’re asking for dates) and was told every time that the chocolate ice cream machine has STILL not been repaired.  What sort of ice cream establishment goes two entire summer months without chocolate ice cream?  Is this place raking in so much cash right now that they really don’t care if people want chocolate?

If I were the DQ corporation, I wouldn’t be happy knowing that the only franchise in Center City Philadelphia was alienating its most loyal customers. I hope Michael Keller, Chief Brand Manager of the DQ corporation, remedies this situation before another crazy 26-year-old lawyer on a Blizzard hunt goes postal.

In the meantime, Franklin Fountain is always happy to take my money.

xo,
HCG