Herb and Cheese Sweet Peppers

Here's something that won't take too long, but it'll be gone rather quickly.  It's a new item for our traditional crudite platters that start to bore me after a while...

You'll need a bag of 30 (or so) mini sweet peppers.  These are easily found at Costco for $3.99, or you can grab a bag at most grocery stores.

You'll also need 18 oz. of semi-soft chevre (goat cheese), 1/4 C snipped chives, freshly ground black pepper, and some basil to garnish.

And then, the easy part?  Mix up the cheese, chives, and pepper to taste.  Clean and cut the peppers in half, lengthwise, and stuff the cheese mixture inside.  Garnish and serve.

So simple, but at least it changes up the look of your platter, and they taste great, even for those less than fans of goat cheese!

See?  They're in the middle back of my platter!  You have to hide them otherwise they're gone ASAP!

French Onion Mac & Cheese Bites

This recipe has me so excited.  I LOVE mac and cheese in ways that probably shouldn't be considered normal.

(But, if you haven't noticed how 'not normal' I am by now, is this really going to burst that bubble for you??  Probably not...)

I love the idea of individual serving sizes and cups, it keeps people from getting too grabby.  I might have overcooked some of these, so don't mind the dark hues, just note that the taste is fabulous and take it from there!

Ingredients:
1 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 C cold milk
3/4 C shredded Gruyere
2 T diced onions, lightly sauteed
1 C macaroni
freshly ground black pepper to taste
chives for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente and drain.
2. Heat butter over medium low heat in a sauce pan.  When bubbly, whisk in flour and combine into a thick paste.  Turn heat to low and continue to whisk until roux is cooked, not brown.
3. When the roux looks slightly grainy, add the cold milk and whisk.  As the milk heats up, any lumps will disappear.  Continue to stir over medium low heat until sauce is bubbly and thick.
4. Stir in 1/2 C of shredded Gruyere and onions, then season with pepper to taste.
5. Fold in macaroni into the cheese sauce.  Spoon into lightly greased mini muffin pan and compress to help maintain muffin shape.  Top with remaining gruyere and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until tops are nicely browned.
6. Let muffins cool before removing.  Garnish with snips of chives and enjoy!