Buffalo Mac’n’Cheese

I’m downright excited! You know why? This week is my mom’s birthday week (Happy Birthday Mom!!!) and for her birthday we are headed to New York City. A girls weekend to be filled with shopping, Mary Poppins and cupcakes! I’ve been to New York a many number of times, but this will only be Mom’s second trip to the big city. Second trip in the winter, maybe the third time we should shoot for the summer?

Say hello to delicious

There are many things that I love doing while in New York. In general I’ll be there with boyfriend and we love to wander the streets, popping into cute shops we find along the way. Every time we go, we find ourselves in someplace we’ve never been before. The first few times we visited the city (back in the summer of 2003) we were without our handy iPhones. We relied on guidebooks and maps to help us find our way through the streets. When it was time for a meal we would wander aimlessly, somehow missing all of the restaurants along the way. How? I have no idea.

These days we have GPS, Open Table and a better sense of direction. The last few trips to the city we went with more of a plan, places we wanted to visit and reservations. We’ve dined at Asian fusion joints, American bistros and English pubs, but my favorite place is just a hole in the wall. Located on 12th St near 1st Ave is S’mac. What do they serve? Macaroni and cheese. And it’s delicious.

Sadly S’mac is in New York and I am not. So, I decided that it was necessary to replicate my favorite dish, the Buffalo Mac’n’Cheese. And maybe to drag my mom to S’mac next weekend…

What day is it?

So, apparently it's Friday, although I woke up thinking it was Thursday.  This is crazy because last night I watch Community (amazing show, go set your DVR) and Community is on Thursday nights!    I must have forgotten this fact as soon as the show was over, because I neglected to write a post for you today!  Here's the plan.  Today I'll take care of some blogging business, then tomorrow I'll send out a new amazing recipe (it really is good!).  Sound good?  Well, let's get down to business!
Recently I have been the recipent of the Stylish Blogger award!  So thank yous go out to not one fabulous blogger, but the six bloggers who thought I was stylish enough to deserve this award!  Thanks go out to...

The Mom Chef - She is currently cooking her way through Cooking Light Magazine, it's so much fun!

Fit Foodista - She has some pretty amazing recipes and they're healthy too!

Big Fat Baker - The desserts being posted on this blog are droolworthy!

Amy Bakes Everything - One word - hilarious.  I love reading every post.

Cookbook Archaeology - Loving following along on her journey of curing meat :)  So jealous of her summer in Pompeii!

Little Kitchen on the Prairie - Great looking recipes and stories written from the heart, love her!

Secondly, I am supposed to share some fun facts about me!  I'll share some different fun facts from the last time I recieved this award...

1. I am currently running an acetate cleavage in my hood.  (Chemists, enjoy my nerdiness, everyone else, giggle at my nonchalant use of the word cleavage)
2. I've been making a lot of candy recently, my kitchen floor is getting very sticky.
3. I will wear my winter coat until the temperature rises above 55 degrees.
4. I am excellent at navigating, I do not own a GPS.
5. I secretly compete with the people on the treadmills next to me.  I must outrun them!
6. My car is gold and it's adorable, no matter what anyone else says.
7. My apartment is so small, I didn't have to turn on the heat once this winter.  Remember, I live in CT.

Now wasn't that fun?  Some very useful facts about me!  Thirdly, I've got to pass this award along to some well-deserving bloggers!  I've recently discovered so many fun new blogs, here are a few, go check them out!

Lulu's Sweet Secrets - A new blogger with some amazing pictures

Delicious Inspiration - Some amazing desserts from a girl in my home town!

La Mia Vita Dolce - Delicious looking recipes that make you want to lick your screen

Honey and Soy - I wish my macarons were as beautiful as these!

Ingredients of a 20 something - A girl with a cupcake addiction to rival my own!

There we are!  Some of my new faves!

On another note, have you ever wondered where I got that pie plate, my cake stand, that handy dandy tool?  Check out the link on the right, you'll find all of my favorite tools, equipment and foods! 

See you tomorrow!

English Muffins

Has food ever surprised you? Like, you always wondered how they made gummy bears. Then you were totally surprised that they were molded in cornstarch? I was so amazed when I discovered how those little pictures were made inside of taffy (they start with a really big picture). Maybe you were amazed at how Hostess got the cream inside of a Twinkie, or how Tyson made chicken into little dinosaur shapes. Okay, maybe no one wants to know how Tyson does their magic.

On my current goal to complete the Bread Baker’s Apprentice challenge, I’ve been learning a lot of things I didn’t know before. Like patience. Lots and lots of patience. Why is yeast so slow at doubling in size? You know what helps? A DVR filled with Doctor Who episodes. Nothing like watching David Tennant run after monsters to pass the time. (I like you too Matt Smith, but your episodes aren’t running right now).

I’m also learning to measure. How can I tell when it’s exactly doubled? Luckily I’ve found something that really helps with my measuring problem. Granted I got mine in Interlocken, Austria and therefore my measurements are in metric, but it does the trick. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to bake a lot of bread.

Recently, I’ve learned about English muffins. I’m a big fan of English muffins. Toast them up, add a layer of peanut butter or jam or add some egg whites and a slice of good old Kraft American and you’ve got a meal. I had never considered baking my own English muffins, they always seemed so perfect. Even the commercials touted Thomas’ years of practice to obtain the ideal nook and cranny filled muffin. How could I make something to rival that which took the Thomas people centuries to perfect?

You know what, it’s all in the grilling. That’s right, I said grilling. Before my beautiful little orbs of dough were baked in the oven, they were cooked on the griddle. That’s it! That’s the secret! The curtain has been pulled back and the wizard is nothing but a square griddle. No magic, no special machine, just smoke and mirrors. But you might be asking, “How do they compare to the famous Thomas’ English muffin?” You know what? I’m never getting store-bought again.


Look at those nooks and crannies!