Best Remedy: Chicken Soup

I have realized that nearly every post beings with me talking about my family. I think this is because 1. I miss them terribly and 2. cooking is a family affair in our house. We do our best to eat most of our meals together--DEFINITELY dinner! It's something I look forward to all day. Nothing makes me happier than when my sister is helping set the table, my mom is cooking something divine on the stove, I'm chopping the salad, and my dad is with my brothers grilling outside (and typically calling my name to bring him the tongs or bowl he almost always forgets to take out with him). Sometimes my grandparents who live a few blocks away will surprise us around this time and join us. Then we all sit around the dinner table together while the dogs perfect their begging skills (they've gotten pretty darn good). It is dinner time--It makes the you forget the bad parts of your day and just be happy.

In our family, we each have our "speciality." I'm the salad connoisseur, my grandmother makes incredible...everything really (not fair!), and my mother is known for her Chicken Soup. This is my attempt at washing away the day's worries with what I know to be the best remedy--Chicken Soup.

What you'll need:

- 4 large carrots, cleaned and cut into thirds
- 4 pieces of celery, cut into thirds
- 1 bunch of dill
- 1 medium onion, cleaned and quartered
- 1-2 lbs of chicken with bones (you can use any part you like. I prefer dark meat)
- 2 large tablespoon of chicken bouillon
- water

How you make it:

Place all of the ingredients in a large pot, making sure to place the dill in last. Fill the remaining space in the pot with water and place on HI heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low. Make sure that it is NOT boiling! Let it simmer for hours, periodically removing any foam that may form at the top.

Serve with any noodle of your preference or throw in some matzo balls!!! Nothing is better than this. Absolutely NOTHING.

(CHEESY) MAC-Culloch v. Maryland: Trying this is Necessary & Proper!

Living in Virginia has its good and its bad. My number one struggle is being so far away from my family. Luckily however, I've found a group of amazing friends that are making it much easier for me. We do our best to have dinner as a group once a week, and, to be honest, it's usually my favorite night (yes, I like it even more than bar review. Insanity!). This week, I decided to make Erica happy and make her one of her favorite foods--Mac 'n' Cheese.

I winged it, but I think it turned out great! How can you go wrong with cheese, pasta, cream, and a little spice?! Try it out, I promise you'll like it :)

What you'll need:
- 1. 5 lbs of pasta [aka 1. 5 boxes] (you can use elbow or cellentani)
- 4 cups of shredded cheese (I used 1 cup pepper-jack, 1 cup mild cheddar, 1 cup gruyere, and 1 cup parmesan)
- 4oz of cream cheese
- 2 cups of milk
- 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 2 tbsps dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I recommend using panko crumbs)
- 3 tbsps butter
- water to boil pasta
- red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

How you make it:

Start by cooking the pasta in boiling water until it is tender, but not completely done, aka al dente (It will finish cooking while it bakes). Then drain the pasta and pour it into your baking dish.

In a pot, mix together the milk, cream, cream cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, jalapeno, and red pepper. Cook this over medium heat, slowly stirring in all of the cheese. When the cheese is melted, pour the mixture over the pasta. Make sure to mix it around so that everything is well coated!

In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the pasta and place the entire thing in the oven at 375 degrees for 30mins, or until the top is golden brown. Broil on HI for an extra minute to get an extra crunch.

SO DELICIOUS!

This is M.C. She really liked the mac 'n' cheese :)

This is the Williamsburg fam in Snowshoe, WV

NOTE: After making the Mac, I went back and made some adjustments to the recipe (ex. I originally didn't have enough salt and I had too many bread crumbs). The recipe described above is the newer and better version, I promise!