Baked Mac and 3 Cheeses

I was inspired to make this three-cheese macaroni by a dish we encountered several years ago in an upscale restaurant. I've experimented with it a bit over time, and this is my final version. It isn't hard to make, but it does require plenty of prep time. Including everything, grating the cheese, cooking the pasta, making the sauce, baking the finished product, allow 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

At the market last week, I bought a couple of beautiful portobello mushrooms, even though I had no idea what to do with them.

The mushrooms were more than four inches in diameter, big enough to use as entrees. A quick peek into The Joy of Cooking indicated that they would be best if roasted.

Tapas For Two

By guest contributor Roberto Stepanovich

Sometimes, when a couple has been married for a long time, they fall into patterns that are hard to break out of because they are too comfortable and too easy for both parties. Sometimes these are behavioral patterns, but sometimes these are patterns of eating the same things over and over. In an attempt to (literally) add more spice to our lives, my wife began subscribing to TryTheWorld.com, where every month we receive a box of foods from foreign countries. These foods are usually some spices, sauces, condiments, small desserts and, sometimes, the beginnings of entrees that require some additional ingredients.

So far, we have received boxes from France, Japan, Morocco and Spain. Over the course of these months, we have tried some of these items and enjoyed most of them.

In the Kitchen With Dad

Throughout my childhood, my father cooked all our family dinners. He was not a good cook. Apparently, Mom was even worse. She had abdicated the lead role in the kitchen very early in their marriage, after one too many complaints from Dad.