Tasty Shrooms

So, over the past few months, while NOT blogging, I have been cooking...some. I've gone back to work part time, been spending a TON of time outdoors, and really just been uninspired to cook. I'd love any suggestions on how to get out of this funk!!! My husband has had 3 weeks of leave from work, and has actually made some pretty tasty food. I snapped a pic of one appetizer he made, although it could have easily been the entree. The cheese in this dish is way expensive (he somehow snuck it into our cart at Wholepaycheck, I mean Whole Foods).

Grilled Chimichurri Mushrooms with Haloumi

Ingredients:
8 medium size wide capped mushrooms (we used three giant ones)
sea salt (or kosher salt) and freshly ground black pepper.
5 oz Haloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices

2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
a handful of flat leaf parsley
1 small red chile, seeded and finely chopped
3 tbsps white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. For the chimichurri sauce, put the garlic, herbs, chile and vinegar in a small blender and mix to a coarse paste. Using the feeder tube at the top of the blender, drizzle in all but a tsp of the olive oil to form a thickish sauce.
2. Preheat a grill pan until hot. Brush each mushroom liberally with the chimichurri, then place on the grill pan. Cook until the mushrooms have released their juices. Season to taste, then keep warm.
3. Brush the haloumi slices with the remaining oil and place on the grill pan for about 2 mins on each side, until slightly golden and crispy.
4. Place the mushrooms on a serving dish, along with grilled cheese, and drizzle any remaining sauce over them.

This is definitely a tasty treat! If you're looking for just a good chimichurri recipe (awesome on steak and fish), this is a really yummy one! Writing about this makes me want to turn a blind eye while he throws that pricey cheese in the cart again!

Not Eggstrodanary

My neighbor made this mac and cheese for me awhile ago, and gave me the recipe (it was SO good!). I must've missed in the recipe sharing that she'd never put the eggs in it b/c she thought it was weird that it called for them. I found out why. What started out as a creamy dreamy sauce turned curdly and weird...like scrambled cheese eggs and mac. That said, the stuff tasted FANTASTIC. The only substitution I made was that I used skim milk. This is Paula Dean's recipe:

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese


Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
• 2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
  
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup whole milk
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.