Birthday Dinner

Poss asked what we had for birthday dinner. Silly girl, we had what we always have for birthday dinner! Mac 'n' Cheese and Brownies! Yum!

Macaroni, Tomato and Smoked Cheese
(from Betty Crocker's Pasta Cookbook from the General Mills' Christmas CARE package)
2 cups Béchamel Sauce (below)
1 package (7 ounces) elbow macaroni (2 cups)
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup shredded smoked Gouda or Swiss cheese (4 ounces)

Heat oven to 350º. Grease 1 ½-quart casserole. Prepare Béchamel sauce as directed. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package.

Heat tomatoes to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated. Stir cheese into Béchamel sauce until melted. Stir in tomatoes.

Mix sauce and pasta. Pour into casserole. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly and light brown.


Béchamel Sauce
2 tablespoons butter, margarine or spread
2 cups skim milk
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons butter-flavored sprinkles

Heat margarine in 1 ½-quart saucepan over medium heat until melted and bubbly. Shake milk, flour, salt and pepper in tightly covered container. Gradually stir into margarine. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in butter-flavored sprinkles.

Some comments: It takes us a lot longer than 8 minutes to reduce the tomatoes. We don't bother with the butter-flavored sprinkles. I guess they're there to have butter flavor without the fat.



The Best Fudge Brownies Ever
(from King Arthur All-Purpose Flour bag)
1 cup (8 ounces) butter
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups Dutch-process cocoa
½ teaspoon salt (1 teaspoon if unsalted butter)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups (6 ¼ ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (12-ounce bag) chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly grease 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just till it's hot, but not bubbling. It'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the butter and sugar a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating till smooth; then add the flour and chips, beating till well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out dry (though it may have a few crumbs clinging to it). The brownies should feel set both on the edges, and in the center. Remove them from the oven, and after 5 minutes loosen the edges with a table knife; this helps prevent the brownies from sinking in the center as they cool. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Yield: 2 dozen brownies.

More comments: We use Costco extra large eggs. Maybe that's what makes it so that it takes lots longer than the 30 minutes to finish cooking. Or maybe a wooden toothpick isn't the right cake tester.