Horchata

I first had horchata when I was in Mexico City visiting a certain Bengali gentleman while he was doing some research there.  Ever since, I've been totally hooked.  It's a cinnamon-spiced almond and rice milk, that is nutty and delicious.  It is rich and creamy and a delicious addition to coffee in place of regular milk.  The process is time (but not labor) intensive, since you have to soak the rice and almonds for at least 6 hours, but I promise, it's worth it.  This recipe is courtesy of the fine folks over at the NYT, who published a recipe by Rick Bayless.

Ingredients:
 - 6 tbsp. white rice
 - 1 1/4 c. blanched almonds
 - 1 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick, or a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
 - 1/2 to 1 c. sugar, depending on your taste
 - about 5 c. of water

Directions:
 - Combine rice, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl or large jar.  Pour 2 1/2 c. of warm water over the mixture.  Allow it to sit for at least 6 hours.
 - After soaking pour the mixture into a blender and blend for 4-5 minutes until everything is well mixed and it is no longer gritty.
 - Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, or a colander  lined with cheese cloth.  Make sure to squeeze the liquid out of the solids that are left behind in the strainer.
 - Add 2 c. cold water (or more, to your taste) to the almond/rice milk.  Stir in sugar, also to taste.
 - If you store it in the fridge before serving, make sure to stir it up before serving because it tends to separate.

Enjoy!
ceh.

Stuffed French Toast

So, here's a confession.  I am majorly self-conscious about my food pictures.  They never look very appetizing.  I feel like I make good food, but the pictures I take of it are pretty horrendous.  Take, for example, this little number, pictured above.  It looks *completely* unappetizing, and I know that.  But it was so delicious.  It really was.  

It's a combination of ricotta cheese, french bread, honey, eggs and cinnamon.  There's really not a bad ingredient in there.  Another bonus, you can assemble this all the night before, leave it in the fridge and bake it the next morning for breakfast.  I've taken the recipe from a fun food blog called Bitchin Camero, which in itself, endears me to the author.  But really, her recipes are amazing.

(I promise to try and take more appetizing photos.)

Now, on with the recipe:

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

This casserole is change-your-life good.  We had it last week (when I was cooking, but not posting) and we're having it again this week.  I don't even like macaroni and cheese, and I'm head over heels in love with this recipe.  The sauce that forms the basis of all macaroni and cheese, called béchamel, is generally made with butter, flour and full-fat milk.  Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, but pretty rich for a day-to-day meal.  So, this recipe makes a béchamel-esque sauce with non-fat milk and butternut squash.  That's about where the health-food aspect of this recipe ends, because like all macaroni and cheese, this has 3 kinds of cheese and a bunch of pasta.  But, you area also eating a whole squash while you're at it.  It's all about give and take.

This recipe idea was given to me by the lovely Ms. Emily while on a farmer's market excursion.  I tracked down a list-recipe from Martha Stewart.  I can promise you, this recipe is a very good thing.