Is this it? posted by: jessyf on 11.14.2009 at 04:57 pm in Cooking Forum Here is my version of Cook's Illustrated - I omitted the bread crumbs because I'm lazy. Its our dinner tonight, matter of fact! I think subbing evaporated milk for fresh is a big improvement for any M&C recipe. Cooks Illustrated Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients 12 oz Canned evaporated milk 2 lg Eggs 1/4 ts Hot red pepper sauce 2 ts Salt 1/4 ts Ground black pepper 1 ts Dry mustard, dissolved in: 1 ts Water 1/2 lb Elbow macaroni 4 TB or 1/4 cup Unsalted butter 12 oz Sharp Wisconsin cheddar*, (or any cheese - Monterey Jack, etc., or a mix) Preparation Mix eggs, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper and mustard mixture in small bowl. Set aside. Heat 2 quarts water to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons of the salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butter; toss to melt. Pour egg mixture over buttered noodles along with three-quarters of the cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk and cheese, stirring constantly until mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

In case you're interested in adding international recipes, here are my two favourite meatball recipes, one from Germany and the other from Mallorca, Spain. (Poached meatballs in lemon & caper sauce.) Here is a German dish which originated in Königsberg, former capital of eastern Prussia, now part of Russia and called Kaliningrad. Having a pleasant, mild flavour, these meatballs are also a low calorie dish as they are cooked in water. They're well known in most German households and are often a family favourite. Ingredients: 1/2 lb finely ground veal (225 grams) 1/2 lb finely ground lean pork (225 grams) 1 large onion - peeled and finely chopped 8 finely chopped + 2 finely chopped later for sauce (total 50 grams) 2 TBS capers finely chopped + 1 TBS whole capers later for the sauce 1 lg egg, beaten 3 slices firm crusts removed, soaked in water juice of 1/2 lemon - or juice of whole lemon if it is very small 2 bay leaves 2 whole cloves (aromatic spice cloves) 1/2 TBS oil for frying onion 2 TBS flour mixed with water salt & freshly ground pepper 1. Sauté onion gently until golden and put aside. 2. Mix the two ground meats with 8 of the chopped anchovies, 2 TBS chopped capers, beaten egg and the soaked bread which has been squeezed dry. Then mix in the cooled fried onion and some salt and pepper. 3. In a wide saucepan put 3 3/4 cups of water and add some salt, the lemon juice, bay leaves and cloves. Bring to the boil. 4. Meanwhile form large meatballs with hands and place on a plate - about 14 meatballs. If water boils, turn off until all meatballs are formed. and bring it slowly back to the boil then lower heat and let simmer gently for 30 minutes. Turn meatballs once or twice during this time. 6. When cooked, remove meatballs with slotted spoon to a casserole and keep warm. Mix flour and cold water to a paste and add to the cooking water, stirring to thicken. Add the last two anchovies, chopped fine and 1 TBS whole capers. Bring to the boil and simmer 2 - 3 minutes. Pour and serve with boiled potatoes and green beans. I actually had more sauce than what appears here in the photo. I kept the rest in the pot on the stove for keeping hot. Note: They turned out very well. My lemon was VERY juicy and as I used all the juice, it was a bit too much. Go easy on the lemon juice if it is a large lemon. SharonCb ************************************* Here's a favourite dish from the Island of Mallorca, Spain. - 4 servings 700 grams ground veal (I use 1/2 pork & 1/2 veal) 3 eggs - beaten 1 medium onion - minced 2 cloves garlic - minced flat-leaf parsley - lots 2 teasp oregano 2 teasp thyme 2 teasp sweet paprika powder 2 teasp salt fresh ground black pepper cooking oil 3 medium very ripe tomatoes - (skinning is optional) chopped 1/2 cup milk & 1/4 cup water flour 4 - 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chips (french fries) Utensils needed: - small frying pan about 6 inches diameter - medium or large frying pan or chip fryer - earthenware or ceramic stovetop casserole with lid 1) Mix meat with beaten egg, minced garlic, 2/3 of the chopped onion, salt & pepper, herbs and paprika. Add a few stalks of parsley chopped fine. Mix all together. 2) Pour about 1 cm oil into small frying pan and put on medium heat. Put some seasoned flour (s&p) on a dinner plate and using a small spoon, scoop out meat mixture and begin forming meatballs with help of floured hands, rolling them in flour as needed. Put them on floured plate and when you have six and oil is hot, put them carefully using spoon into the small frying pan to brown. 3) After two or three minutes turn meatballs over using a small spoon. Continue forming more meatballs. 4) As meatballs brown, remove and put them into casserole dish, adding the fresh ones to the pan, six at a time. 5) When done, strain out any burned bits in the frying pan oil and put in the rest of the onion with the tomato, as well as a handful of minced parsley. Cook on medium heat. 6) After a few minutes add the milk and water. Taste and if tomato flavour is too sharp add a pinch of sugar, also some salt. Pour sauce over meatballs in casserole, (optional is pour it through a sieve for finer sauce) put on low heat with lid and simmer very gently 20 minutes, checking and turning them over once. 8) Prepare potatoes and in oil in large frying pan or chip fryer begin making the french fries a few at a time, salting them and keeping them hot in oven. Put a few chips on top of the meatballs, add a bit of chopped parsley and serve at table with extra chips on each plate. Source: Adapted from 'Cocina selecta Mallorquin' SharonCb

Sorry I'm so late in responding. Discovered a leaky sink in the garage along with a leaky garage freezer. That's what I get for attempting to clean the garage this AM. Ignorance is bliss, you know! Anyhow, I applaud your adventurous spirit, Nancy. When I read Jessica's comments, I thought that maybe this was an inventive recipe that might actually work for those avoiding gluten. Glad to hear that it worked for someone else. She always has interesting and creative recipes to share. Annie, you make me laugh. And I needed a laugh after spending the morning fussing over our garage. I like cauliflower cooked. My husband cannot abide it raw. That said, I've learned to limit my cauliflower consumption these last few years. It seems my digestive system that used to consume beans and cruciferous vegetables with abandon can no longer tolerate more than a few tablespoons at a time. But, yes, no mashed, riced, or even roasted cauliflower for me. I like it steamed with Greek avgolemeno suace. Now that tastes good!

This is very timely, as DH just got the results back from his yearly super-physical yesterday. The blood tests alone are very, very extensive. And every result was in the low normal range. These results have improved significantly in the several years since we eliminated pretty much all empty carbs from our diet. Cholesterol. LDL. Blood sugar. Triglycerides. VLDL. HDL., etc., etc. are all at mid-to-low normal. His weight, which was never high, is now at low normal for his height, build and age. His heart is great. His bit of a flabby belly is gone. The point is, we are seeing significant results, health-wise. My own super-physical is next month and I'm anxious to see how my own results stack up. (Sigh) I would absolutely love to go back to eating mashed potatoes, pastas, bread, (regular, everyday) cookies, cake, etc., but these new food substitutions like mashed cauliflower are making big changes in our bodies and overall health that we can see and feel. I'm getting used to them, and working all the time to create better, tastier versions and substitutions. So, like it or not, cauliflower is now a staple for us.