Baked Mac and Cheese

A more jazzed up and grown up version of an American classic i have learned to love.

• a 1lb box of elbow pasta, cooked and drained
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder (or 1/2 an onion, finely minced)
  
• 16 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp paprika
• a bit more salt and pepper and whatever seasoning you like
  

1. Preheat oven to 350. And cook the pasta, duh.
2. Mix egg, butter, milk until nicely blended = HAPPY MIX
3. Add salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to the HAPPY MIX to season it.
4. Put 1/3 of cooked pasta in casserole dish. Layer a nice handful of cheese over it.
5. Do step 4 again with another third of pasta and handful of cheese. And again. Leave a little cheese though*.
6. Drizzle HAPPY MIX all over the top of your pasta + cheese layers.
7. Mix bread crumbs with paprika in a separate bowl. You can also season it a bit more with some salt and pepper. I like to put some more onion/garlic seasonings to the crumbs at this point.
8. Sprinkle your casserole with the bread crumb mixture.
9. Layer the rest of your cheese.
10. Bake on middle rack for about 25-30 minutes.

Serves about 6 hungry people. Best with fresh ground pepper all over it :)

*alternatively, you can just put the pasta and cheese in the casserole dish all at once and mix it up then and there. it's a matter of appearance at this point, i think.

Pumpkin Bread

Delicious but simple recipe. Perfect for fall. Also, for recipes that call for those traditional fall spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, etc.), i usually go over the recommended amount cuz i'm a big fan of these spices.

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts, optional

Mix all the dry ingredients.
Mix all the wet ingredients.
Mix those things together. Fold in nuts if you're using them.

Bake 350F for 1 hour.

Love it.

Hummus

So everyone knows how to make hummus. No brainer. But it took me several tries to get it to taste exactly the way i like it. So i'm gonna write in down here so i don't forget. Or so you can enjoy Hummus a la Sun.

5 cloves of raw garlic <--OH YEAH BABY 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
3 tbsps of tahini
juice of half a lemon
some lemon zest
1/3 cup water
2 tbsps EVOO
2 tsps salt

Put ingredients in a blender or food processor, let 'er rip!

it gets tastier as you let it sit, as the garlic kinda infuses everything else around it. i tried making this with roasted garlic, but i find the kick and sharpness of raw garlic to be more deliciously pungent. But this recipe is about me, so i'll write it up as i please. mm aren't i charming and so endearing? h'yah.