Parking Ticket & My 2 Proud Food Posts

Well, it finally happened. Every Sunday, I park under the awning in the drive through at the Wilk for church. Why? 1) Because it is covered parking so i don't have to shovel the snow off my car 2) it is right at the door of the Wilk & 3) Because it was never monitored on Sunday...until now. So, I figured, that having parked there for over a year--52 Sundays-- $20 is a worthy parking "fee"of $0.38 a week, and with the traffic office discount for paying the ticket online, it will only be a $10 fine= $0.19 a week. Well worth not having to walk in heels to church in the snow. That being said, I will no longer be parking there. Hehehe :-) Ok, on to our 2 treats!!!!!

Graham Cracker Caramel Pretzel Bars

(variation on Crepes of Wrath recipe)

This is realllllly delicious and rich. Oh, it seriously exceeded my expectations!!!

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (~1 sleeve)

1/4 & 1/8 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/8 cup white sugar

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup pretzels (again, blend until tiny tiny)

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

vanilla frosting to top, if desired

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a blender, pulse your graham crackers into crumbs.

2. Beat the graham crackers, butter, sugar, and flour together until just moistened, until a dough forms. Spray a pyrex 8x8 glass pan with pam spray and press the dough into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Set aside until you have finished with the filling.

3. Beat together the brown sugar and eggs until smooth. Beat in the pretzels, vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder. Bake for 25 minutes or so, until the filling is golden and mostly set, although it will still jiggle a bit when you shake the pan – it will solidify as it cools. If you’re worried about it not being set enough, cover with foil and continue baking, so that the top does not brown as fast. (I left some foil on it and after 20 minutes, I turned the oven off and left it in there for another 10-15 minutes or so. This worked great) (Below is an image of what it looked like after the initial 20 minutes, but when I cut them into squares, I wanted the filling to be more set so that's why I left it in the oven with the foil on top, but turned the oven off)

4. Drizzle with icing if desired. Cut into squares and serve.

Baked Mac & Cheese

(Variation on Delightful Repast recipe)

1 1-pound package elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups milk (I used skim...worked great)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 pound medium cheddar, shredded

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add macaroni and salt & cook until al dente. Drain when done & set aside.

3) In saucepan, heat milk to a simmer; do not boil. (This is so the gravy thickens quicker I think).
4) In another saucepan, melt butter. Mix the flour and seasonings and pour into the butter. This is your roux. Gradually whisk in hot milk, whisking constantly until mixture slowly comes to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer on medium, whisking occasionally, for about 10. Take off heat and gradually whisk in cheese. When cheese is fully melted, stir in the cooked macaroni.

5) Pour into a 13x9 pan. Sprinkle dried bread crumbs ontop. If I had cheese its, I would have put those on top because that is what Joe's BBQ in mesa does. Mmmm. Delicious. I just used a little cornmeal and italian bread crumbs because that is what I had.

6)Bake at 375'F for 30 minutes.

7) Enjoy!