100th post, a little early

Dearest Readers,

Today is my 91st post.  When I first started Joie de vivre:  An amateur gourmet's guide, I started with the vague desire to share my recipes with friends and keep myself accountable to my weight loss goals.  I had no idea how big the creative hole was in my life that Joie de vivre would fill.  In appreciation for you, readers,  and in recognition of my 91st post, I am sharing my first name, Amanda.

I laugh as I write this too.  I had big plans to do this on my 100th post, but Joan from Foodalogue "outed" me.  It's alright Joan, it needed to be done.

Thank you so much for reading and for all of your lovely comments.  Here's to 91 more!

Sincerely,

Amanda (aka:  Joie de vivre)

Mac, Cheese, and the Laundromat

Cats are finicky creatures.  Have you ever done something stupid like save a few dollars buying a different brand of cat litter, only to end up having your cat pee all over your bed?  Yeah, that was me cursing my stupidity as I recently bundled myself and my comforter down to the Laundromat.  I brought my new Christmas present along with me, a copy of Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook, and a notepad in order to make my grocery list.  During the wash cycle, I was busy setting the week's menu and making my list, and when I popped the comforter in the dryer, I knew I had just enough time to make it to the grocery store and back before it was done.  Did I end up saving money with the new cat litter?  Unfortunately, I think by the time the laundry was done, I finished $10.00 in the hole.  Why must I learn the hard way?  The good news is that now our cat is finally using the litter box again, and I made a yummy macaroni and cheese with tomatoes inspired by my trip to the laundromat.  Nice kitty...

Macaroni and Cheese inspired by Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook

Ingredients:

Salt

Vegetable oil

1 lb. elbow macaroni

1 qt. 1% milk

8 Tbls. (one stick--that's right baby) unsalted butter, divided into 8 pieces

1/2 c. all purpose flour

6 c. grated cheese (I mixed 2 c. mozzarella, 2 c. medium cheddar, and 2 c. Swiss)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

four small Roma tomatoes, sliced

1 1/2 c. white bread crumbs

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, drizzle in a little vegetable oil, and add your macaroni.  Cook until al dente (about 6 minutes).  Drain and set aside.

3.  Meanwhile, heat the milk in a saucepan but do not boil it.  Melt 8 Tbls. butter in a large pot and add the flour.  Cook over low heat for 2 minutes stirring continuously with a whisk.  While whisking, add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking well between each addition.

4.  Off of the heat, add the grated cheeses, 1 Tbls. salt, the pepper, and the nutmeg.  Stir gently, wait 2 minutes and stir gently again.   Add the hot, cooked macaroni and stir well.  Pour mixture into a 3 quart baking dish.

5.  Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top of the dish.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on top.

Golden Chickpea and Polish Sausage Soup

Living more French means eating more vegetables.  What better way to get more vegetables to your diet than soup?  I've been making soup recently for Sunday evening dinners and then have lots of leftovers for healthy lunches throughout the week.  This one was inspired by the book, 400 soups, but I changed so much in the recipe it morphed into something totally, and deliciously, different.  I'm sending this soup over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday round-up!

Golden Chickpea and Polish Sausage Soup by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

2 onions, cut in half, then sliced into half moons

3 big cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 1/2 pints chicken stock

2 15oz. cans chopped tomatoes

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 1/2c. chickpeas, cooked

small pinch of saffron

pinch of chili powder

1 lb. Polish sausage, cut into bite sized chunks

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in a large stock pot.  Saute the onions until they begin to brown.  Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

2.  Add the saffron and chili powder.  Stir.

3.  Add the chicken stock, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and chopped tomatoes.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, approximately 20 minutes depending on the size of your sweet potato pieces.

4.  Add sliced sausage and simmer for 5-10 more minutes.

5.  Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.