Saturday was a very random day and I have not had one of those in a while. First was the farmers market because we go there every Saturday. Midway through the market, it started to downpour so we sprinted out of there. To kill time after the market, we headed to Red Tail Golf Course. I have never been golfing before so this was something completely new to me. It's hilarious when my boyfriend takes me anywhere that tests my sports abilities because I end up catching on really fast. The first swing I did was about 150ft, but I did used to play softball and throw javelin. After the driving range and relaxing there, we felt like exploring Portland a little bit. Alberta was the spot that day and it was time for a snack. The grilled cheese bus was the one place that sounded the best to both of us. While eating in the bus, it started to downpour. So once we finished eating, we sprinted to the car to head back towards home. On the way home, we both were craving a Bloody Mary, and on Saturdays it is something that we always have. La Provence is always a great place to have a Bloody Mary at, but we also thought we would try some food we haven't had before. We had the mushroom crepes before so that was an automatic, but we also saw these thin bread crisps, with an avocado creme, tomatoes, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. It was such a light but filled snack to have. After our little snack, we headed back to my boyfriend's house to watch Corpse Bride. It is Halloween time and we both love Tim Burton movies. Plus it was a downpour outside so we just wanted to stay inside. While watching the movie, we tried some new fall beer. The first one was Laurelwood's pumpkin beer, which was heavier than I expected, but had lot of flavor to it. The second is one I really like a lot. Burnside did a pumpkin ale with chilies and spices. This beer had a lot of bold flavor and you could identify each one. First you would taste the pumpkin, then the warm spices, then the kick from the chilies. This is a beer is will definitely be having again.
For dinner I wanted some comfort food, and Mac and cheese is the best kind. I always make it homemade because it's easy and does not take long. I will list the recipe below.
Butter
Flour
Whole wheat pasta
Milk (I used soy)
Cheese (I used cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone)
Salt
Pepper
1. Boil pasta in its own pot
2. In a separate pan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, sprinkle in about 1 tablespoon of flour. You might need more, but you want it to start to clump up into a roux
3. Add about 1/4 cup of milk. You might need more after the cheese is added. Play it by ear.
4. Add all of the cheese into the mixture. My cheese ended up being about 2 cups.
5. Once everything is melted and combined, it should look like a cheese sauce
6. After draining the pasta, pour it back into the pot, and combine the cheese sauce with it.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste
I add hot sauce to my Mac and cheese to add that extra kick.
