Mac and Cheese and Garlic

Ever have one of those days when no matter what fascinating thing is on NPR, you spend the whole drive home thinking about dinner? That was me, tonight.

The culprit? Another entry from the "Recipes for Health" department at the New York Times, this time something that sooo doesn't sound healthy: Creamy Pasta. This is from "Recipes for Health: Kids Edition" and is described as "an alternative to prepackaged macaroni and cheese." It was a winner, and so easy ... but the best part is probably that it's infinitely customizable. For instance, you can always toss in some veggies, but I didn't have any broccoli or peas (my faves). Another option is to add garlic. I chose this route; the suggestion was for a whole clove, but my clove must have been larger than average because my breath is definitely pungent right now. It is kickin'.

Did I mention one of the ingredients is cottage cheese?! Yes, cottage cheese that's been pulverized in the food processor is one of the main ingredients. This is probably the component of the recipe which fascinated me the most on my drive home. ("It must just get all creamy, like any other dairy product," I thought. "But it's cottage cheese! That's so CRAZY!") I have been eating a half-cup of fat-free cottage cheese as part of my breakfast for just about a year now -- I got these cute little Rubbermaid cups that hold exactly the right amount. So I get my calcium, and a little protein to keep me full, hence preventing me from biting the heads off my coworkers at 10:45 a.m. (I get cranky when I'm hungry.)

Although I resisted the urge to add some leftover chicken to the mix -- I wanted to follow the recipe to the letter for my first go-round -- I think a little cut-up breast meat would be a nice addition. Unfortunately, in my excitement that all was going well, I actually forgot two -- two! -- of the recipe's ingredients: the milk and the olive oil. So mine turned out a little chunkier than it should have been (it actually ended up resembling the texture of cottage cheese again, even though the curds had been all mashed up). And, as always, I substituted the Parmesan cheese -- which, again, I didn't have -- for some Gruyere. And I probably added more freshly ground pepper, and more coarsely ground at that, than the average kid could stand. Still tasty!

And oh yes -- the Times' photo is much better than mine, but I did want to include this photo to show off my spatula with the cute little lobsters and crabs. It's from Sur La Table. I think it's so fun.