A Walk on a Snowy Day, A Lunch in a Bento Box and Ethan's First Day on the Hawaiian Chieftan + Recipes

On Thursday night it was predicted that we would get between 7" - 11" of snow. That meant that Larr woke up extra early on Friday morning so that he could get the walks shoveled before he and Ethan set off for the airport. However, when Larr checked his email and such, he found out that the flight Ethan was scheduled to take had been cancelled. This caused a bit of a panic. If Ethan did not get to Ventura in time, his adventure might have been put off by two weeks. Larr woke up Ethan and had him get on the phone. Luckily, Ethan was able to get in touch with a helpful agent who was able to find a flight into Los Angeles that morning. It would mean that the train trip would be longer, but ultimately he would get there on time. Larr sent him off and went to school.

On the way out Ethan sat next to a 17 year old boy who was on his first solo trip on an airplane. They struck up a friendship and talked the entire way. The other boy was unsure about how to get his luggage so Ethan helped him and they parted friends. Two rows up from where Ethan was seated was a woman who happen to overhear bits and pieces of his upcoming adventures. When he exited the plane she approached him, chatted a bit, and mentioned that she was driving to Ventura. She would be happy to give him a ride. He explained that he also needed to stop at a store to pick up a rigger's knife and a pair of boots. She said that would not be a problem. They set off for Ventura in a rented car. She was happy to have the company. They took the scenic highway and Ethan was able to take in many beautiful sights during the drive. He helped her trade out the rental car for her personal car and then they picked up Ricky, her husband. They decided to go to dinner before delivering Ethan to the harbor. Ethan offered to pay for the meal or give them gas money as a thanks for the ride, but they declined both offers. They were happy to help him. When Ricky was young he had gone on an adventure, landing in a town once he ran out of money. He met a nice guy who let him sleep on the floor until Ricky was ready to go. It took Ricky three weeks time to get to that point and by then he had secured a job. He stayed in that town for about 15 years. Ricky was happy to play that one forward.

At one point in the trip Ethan called home to simply touch base. He told us about he had made friends with people he met on the plane that they were giving him a ride. This cause a good bit of alarm for Larr and I. While Ethan is a strong young man who is a good judge of character, I was afraid. I had visions of awful things inflicted on Ethan by people we knew nothing about. Kelly could hear our concern on the other end of the line and offered to talk to us. In the end it was all okay, but very scary. Kelly and Ricky have a 20 year old daughter who is teaching in Japan. Each day she would wake in the morning and check her email for confirmation that their daughter had returned to her apartment safely.

I realized that Larr and I had always had each other (we met and began dating in high school) so we never adventured alone. We had no choice but to trust that we had raised our boy to be a good judge of character and to be resourceful in the event that trouble arose.

After dinner they exchanged contact information and told Ethan that he would be welcome to stay with them any time he needed to. They offered for him to stay the night, but he politely turned them down since he already had reservations.

Once at the harbor Ethan met Pete, the man who owns the sailboat, "Freedom". He rents it out like a B&B, donating the money to a local children's charity in Ventura. He and Ethan also hit it off. Pete's son had died about a month ago and visiting with Ethan made him feel a bit better. He mentioned that Ethan would be welcome to stay other nights. They, too, parted friends.

This morning Ethan met the Hawaiian Chieftan early in the morning and began his tenure on the boat. He was swept up in the activity right away. He was on deck, he went aloft (and was nearly sea sick as the boat was rocking when it was in waves that were 5' - 6' tall). They even took part in a mock battle. He thinks that it will be a good fit and that he likes the people on the crew.

I'm glad it is all underway for Ethan.

Back at home Ellie and I had a pretty quiet day. She made a nice lunch for Kohlton who works in the shop on Saturdays. She packed him a fresh salad, noodles with homemade pesto sauce, BBQ ribs and snickerdoodle cookies.Kohlton is always thankful for her loving efforts and gestures.

After dropping off the lunch, we headed for the dog park. Remmie was hopefully excited, vocalizing and yelping. At one point he could not contain his excitement; he felt the need to sit on Ellie's lap so that he could see where we were going.

I dropped them off at the dog park in Golden and went to lunch with Natalie. I thought Ellie would get cold quickly and need to be picked up. Afterall, it was a balmy 19 degrees in the sunshine today. However, after the other dogs went home, Ellie decided they would walk into Golden to meet me.

Ellie said that they did not see a single person on the walk. She enjoyed the quiet calm of it all. I was happy to have uninterrupted time with my friend.

This evening Larr, Ellie, Grandpa Don and I went to a new sushi restaurant for dinner; it was great and we hope that they are successful. Tonight we are making a few things for Ellie to take to a Superbowl party tomorrow.

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Basil Pesto With Almonds Pasta
via:Brooklyn Farm Girl

3 cups of fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
3/4 Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup roasted almonds or pistachios
pinch of salt
pasta of your choice (cooked)
red pepper flakes to garnish

Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan Cheese, olive oil, almonds and salt in a food processor. Blend to a smooth pesto.
Pour on hot cooked pasta and stir so pesto is evenly combined.
Garnish with red pepper flakes for a added kick.

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The Best Snickerdoodles Recipe
via: Lil' Luna

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TB sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and blend well.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. (Makes about 4 dozen cookies)

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Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
Author: Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps

1 package puff pastry
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (I use jimmy dean)
¾ cup minced onion
¾ cup chopped cooked potato
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of red pepper flake
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water mixed together
Worstershire sauce for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly roll out each puff pastry sheet with a rolling pin. You just want to extend the puff pastry a bit. Cut each
into thirds, lengthwise, you should still be able to see the fold line to guide you.

3. In a bowl mix together, sausage, onion, potato, sage, salt and red pepper flake. Transfer to a ziplock baggie, cut
the tip off and pip the filling along the long edge of the dough. Should be about ½ inch of filling.

4. Roll dough, jellyroll fashion, seal edges.

5. Chill for 20 minutes or overnight.

6. When ready to bake, cut into 1 inch pieces. Place on baking sheet (non-greased), brush with egg wash, and
bake for about 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

7. Serve with worsteshire sauce.

Right Now: A Riot of Song and a Full Head of the Aroma of Farewell Dinner

If you were here with me now you would:

... smell the aroma of red onions, cabbage and Kale sauteing in the a large sauce pan as the cubed petite red potatoes bubble away on the back burner. These will all come together with a little milk, freshly ground nutmeg and melted butter to make Colcannon. You would also catch the scent of the Guiness Stout I prepare it for a Guiness & Balsamic Reduction Sauce that will grace the top of the Welsh Rarebit on Sourdough Toast that we are having for dinner.

... likely feel your toes tapping to the snappy tunes of Gaelic Storm. (You might recognize them, they are the band that plays in the basement party on the Titanic just before and during the time that it was sinking in the movie.) Right now we are listening to "A Box of Chickens" which I have included below. While that music is not Gaelic, it is a lot of fun. I think my favorite is "The Bear and the Butcher."

... likely hear us singing sea shanties later on. I've included some of them below, too.

... see Ethan's stuff spread out on the floor as he packs for his tip to California tomorrow. He will fly to Santa Barbara, then take a taxi and train ride to Ventura. If time allows, he will do a bit of quick shopping at a surplus store to pick up some rubber boots and other things he needs for the sailing adventure.

... see the snow falling in wet, thick flakes outside. It is predicted that 7" - 11" of snow will fall over night. Kids all over the city are praying for a snow day. I imagine that a good number of teachers are, too. I expect that we will have school, but that the classrooms will only be dotted with a few kids.

... most likely be asked to let Remmie in or out. He loves the cold and the snow. He has invented a game that is sort of hike and seek with his toys in the snow. He tosses them in the air, then chases after them, looking for them in the snow. When he gets too cold he wolfs slightly at the window by the door, trotting in happily once you open the door. His dark coat glistens with the wetness and glitters with the snowflakes that are as of yet in tact and whole. Soon he will ask to go out again.

... possibly miss hearing the latest news in the sailing tales as told by Dana, in Two Years Before the Mast.

... possibly want to discuss the recent viewing of "Master and Commander."

... know that Ellie is not part of the mix as she is away at a babysitting gig.

... know that I am tempted to sign up for "Life Scripted," an online brush stroke lettering class.

Welsh Rarebit with Guiness Balsamic Reduction Sauce

2 bottles Guiness Stout
1 1/2 TBL Balsamic Vinegar
2 TBL Butter
2 TBL Flour
1 TBL Mustard Powder
1/2 tea Cayenne
2 TBL Worcestershire Sauce
1 # Cheddar Cheese, Grated (about 2 cups, roughly)
1 loaf of good bread (today it is sourdough)

To make the Reduction -
In a heavy sauce pan place 1 bottle of stout and heat on medium until reduced by at least half. (Make sure to use a pan with plenty of room. I started out in a smaller pan only to find that heating the stout causes it to foam significantly.)Once the reduction is done, stir in the balsamic vinegar. It takes the bitter edge off of the stout reduction. Do this to taste.

Preparing the Toast -
Preheat the broiler on high. Be sure the rack is close to the heating element. Slice the loaf into as many pieces as you like. Place them on a cookie tray and broil them until they are lightly browned. Be sure to keep on eye on them as they burn easily. Flip them over and toast the other side half as much.

Make the Cheese Sauce -
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add in the flour and stir with a whisk over medium heat until lightly browned. Be sure to stir the entire time so that it does not burn. Add in mustard and cayenne, stirring until fragrant. Next, whisk in 1 bottle of Guiness stout and the Worcestershire sauce. Once this part of the sauce is combined, remove from the heat and let cool until it is about 158 degrees. (This temperature will melt the cheese without causing it to become grainy or change the smooth texture.) Fold in the cheese
and stir to melt. (At this point the cheese sauce can be refrigerated for up to a day or so.)

To Serve -
Place the toast on the the cooking sheet, pale side up. Spread the mixture on top of the bread and place under the broiler until bubbly. (The broiler part is optional.) Add a tiny bit of the Guiness Reduction sauce on top and serve. It is traditional to add a side of tomato slices. It is also lovely with tomato soup. We liked it with a Caesar Salad.

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Colcannon
via: Barefoot in the Kitchen blog
Yield: 6 servings

3 slices bacon (I omitted this so that Larr could eat this)
2 lbs small red potatoes, chopped into 1" pieces
1/2 small head of napa cabbage, about 4 cups chopped small
(1 bunch Kale, cleaned, torn off of the spine and chopped - my addition to the recipe)
1 small yellow onion, about 3/4 cup chopped small
1/3 cup milk
kosher salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
(Pinch of Freshly ground Nutmeg (optional)I added this in, too. A small bit of nutmeg brightens the palette.)
2 tablespoons butter, soft or melted

Place the potatoes in a pot, along with enough water to cover them. Add 2 teaspoons salt to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15-18 minutes.

While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat. When the bacon has browned and is slightly crisp, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve about a tablespoon of the bacon grease and drain the rest. Leave the rest of the drippings in the skillet. Add the onions to the hot skillet with the bacon grease and saute over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Add the cabbage and toss lightly while it sautes and wilts, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper as it cooks.

Drain and place the potatoes back in the hot pot. Place the pot back over the still-warm burner (or if your stove is gas, set the heat to the lowest setting). Mash the potatoes over very low heat and add the milk, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Fold in the cooked and crumbed bacon, cabbage, and onions. Transfer to a serving bowl, form a small well in the center and fill with the butter. Serve hot. Enjoy!


"Box of Chickens" Gaelic Storm


"I'm Going Back to the Sea" by the Jolly Rogers (not exactly family friendly if the kids are old enough to understand the references.)

The Sea Calls, or Rather, the Grays Harbor Historical Port Emails...

After submitting an application to be on the sailing crew of the Lady Washington or the Hawaiian Chieftan, both tall ships,Ethan received an answer the very next day. They are exciting to have him join the crew, ASAP, thank you very much. Thus, Ethan has set about getting ready. He is tidying up his stuff here at home and we are making parts of a historical 18th century sailor's costume for him. It seems that the most important thing for me to make was a wool vest.

We went to pick out fabric from the fabric store on Saturday night, but the seasons are changing and all of the wool they had on the bolt was simply too business like and too thin. We opted for purchasing a men's coat at the thrift store from which I upcycled the wool. Reworking it into a vest was a lot more work than I had expected. The biggest part was the fact that the pockets were in the wrong place, so I had to patch them and create new, vest-style pockets. I also cut up the coat to make it shaped like a vest. Much of the time my sewing machine was not working properly so I ended up hand sewing much of it. I am not thrilled that it was so hand made, but Ethan is very happy with that aspect. It turns out that the sailors would buy used clothing at consignment and thrift shops to repurpose the material. Some of it was refashioned, just as I did. Some of the cloth was cut into strips around treated in such as way as to make it part of a rope. He says that the hand made quality makes it all that more authentic. I am glad it makes him happy.

Ethan spent his Saturday with Grandpa Don making this Marlin's Spike. It is a sailor's tool used to undo large knots. He is very happy with how it turned out. He made a practice one out of pine as well, so as to learn the technique, but unfortunately, Remmie got a hold of it and crewed it up. Bad Dog! He hasn't done that kind of thing in a while. I feel a little bad that it happened, but thankfully the important one was tucked away.

Ethan leaves on Friday and I don't know when he will return.I picked up some special snacks for him to have on his plane and train rides to the port in California. It feels good to be able to send small bits of home with him as he sets sail on this exciting adventure.

Of Sailors, Dogs, Doughnuts, Pancakes and Brussel Sprouts

On Friday Ethan received an email from the Tall Ship folks inviting him to set sail with them next week. It was very exciting and much sooner than any of us had expected. As directed, he called in to the office to get any last minute instructions. It turned out that they are short handed so Ethan will be flying out to California on Friday, taking a train and taxi to Ventura and beginning to crew on Saturday. That day he will be part of a mock battle. Friday night he is renting a small sailboat in the same harbor. The few plans I had for the weekend were set aside so that I could help Ethan by making him parts of an 18th century sailor's costume. I will share those details with you as soon as I get the vest completed.

Saturday was a glorious day. Ethan spent it making a marlin's spike with his Grandpa Don in the wood shop. I spent most if it sewing, but I did take a break to take the dog to the dog part. That happens most every day. Remmie is always happy to go. He knows the way and starts to vocalize as we get closer.

On Sunday I worked on the vest some more, but took another break to go to the park again. This time Ellie and Kohlton were with me. They took this selfie that I think is super cute, but I am not thrilled that they do not have helmets on. They promised that they were only at the park and would not actually go on a ride without the helmet.

Later in the day the kids and I went to VooDoo Doughnuts. They are not actually open yet, but open for a few days at a time for 24 hours to get the kinks worked out of making doughnuts at this altitude. The original stores are all in Portand, Oregon. They have all kinds of funky doughnut flavors, including a Voodoo Doll raised doughnut that has raspberry filling (blood) and a stick pretzel stake through the heart.

The first time they opened a few weeks ago, people waited in line for hours to get in. I think it only took us about 30 minutes to get in. It is kind of a funky place.

I had a maple bar with strips of bacon on the top. I also had a Mexican chocolate doughnut that had a spicy kick to it. The kids seemed to like the candy and sugary breakfast cereal or cookie covered donuts.

It was fun, but I don't think I will wait in line so long next time. I think things will calm down once they are open for a while.

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I also made a few good recipes this weekend. Here's what I made:

I've been searching for a good pancake recipe for a while. A long time ago Larr gave me a small book of pancake recipes. Many of them are good, but I can't seem to find the tiny book - bummer. We had this one this morning and really enjoyed them.

Pancakes
via:modified from a recipe found at Allrecipes

3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Butter for the pan (or cooking spray)


Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
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We are also eating a lot of brussel sprouts these days. I wanted to jazz things up a bit so I took what looked like a good recipe and added to it. My husband and I thought they were great. Too bad that the kids were not here to have any of them.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Maple Chili Glaze, Almonds and Dates

1 lb. Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
1/4 cup Butter, melted
2 TBL. Maple Syrup
1/4 tea. Brown Sugar
1/4 tea. Chipotle or Ancho Chili powder or flakes
1/8-1/4 tea. Northwoods Fire Spice* or Liquid Smoke
1/2 cup Almonds (sliced or slivers)
1/4-1/2 cup Dates, chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil or parchment
Toss the brussel sprouts with just enough olive oil to coat them.
Spread them out on the baking pan. Lightly salt, if desired.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender.

While the brussel sprouts are roasting, make the glaze. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add in the maple syrup, brown sugar, chili powder and Northwoods Fire or liquid smoke. Stir to mix. Turn off the heat.

Once the brussel sprouts are tender, place them in a serving bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the brussel sprouts and stir to coat. Add in the almonds and dates. Stir once again to distribute the almonds and dates.

This is nice served warm or cold.

Organizing, Grouping and 2 Weeks Before the Mast

January is a time for me to regroup on the home front; I think it is the same for many of us. While I love the holidays, I also appreciate the relative calm that shuffles in with January. One of the informal resolutions I make each year concerns scrapbooking and holding onto the stories of what our life is like right now. Last year I had resolved to do the pages of the same month, but from the previous year. So, in January 2013 I did the pages for January 2012. That worked until about spring break and then it all fell apart. I ended up doing the pages in great chunks during jags of time and spurts of creativity (which often do not coincide).

I have found that getting my pictures chosen and "placed" on the digital pages allows me to work more effectively. It allows me to sit down and work for small amounts of time. The photo above is a screenshot from my Adobe Bridge software. You can see that the photos are digitally stacked and ready to go. When I am ready to do a page I will review only those files, instead of everything in the folder for that month. Sometimes I have enough photos that I actually create a two page spread. Other times I will simply not use all of the images I have chose. I have also started selecting 2 main fonts for each year. One for titles and one for storytelling. This lends a sense of continuity through out my book. I am happy to report that I have all of the pages organized for 2013. I am still working on pages for 2012, but hope to get those done soon. I am currently working on pages for November, 2012.

I've also spent some time helping Ethan do the paperwork for his application to work on a tall ship. It is very exciting, but my what a lot of paperwork.

(Grays Historical Seaport Harbor)

It is a very exciting opportunity and I really hope it works out for him. I think it will. He talked with folks from the organization and they do not see any reason why he could not go. Still, we will wait for an official word and dates for a voyage. The rather tricky thing is that you cannot rent a car until you are 25. This means that Ethan will fly to California and have to take a taxi, series of buses, etc. to get to the historical port where the ships are docked. I think he is spending today considering the new gear that he may need to purchase.

(Two Tall Ships)
This organization runs the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftan. The Lady Washington was the Black Pearl in "The Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. The other tall ship was part of the Royal Army in those movies.

(Lady Washington)
Ethan would love to be on either ship, but he seems to prefer the Lady Washington.

(Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain)
I wish I had been both brave enough to do stuff like this when I was 20 years old, and had the wherewithall to even know that such opportunities existed.

A Bit of Shopping and a Bit of Baking + Clementine Cake Recipe

On Friday I had a dream that if I did not brush my hair after washing it, I would have long ringlet curls like Shirley Temple had. This is funny because my hair is long and straight, stubbornly so. Who knows why I would dream about that.

This three day weekend is a calm, quiet one. On Saturday the boys went to the mountains. Ellie and I went shopping. She wanted to find a few things for Valentine's day. We also managed to find an amazing deal. We found a fake leather jacket, brand new, for $8. My mother would be proud. I thought that Remmie would go crazy for the fringe, but he does not seem to care about it. Toby, one of our cats, is another story. He will try to eat it, if he can.

She also tried on a few dresses. She likes dresses, but she does not wear them often. There is a dance in February so that could be a reason for a new dress. She said that some day she would like a sequin dress, but this one was too short to work. We thought about reconstructing the midsection, but that is iffy since the fabric is so fluid.

In the end we did not get a dress, but we had a lovely day together and lots of nice chats.

Once home I decided to make the clementine cake that is featured in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." I had wanted to make it since we say the movie earlier in the week. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is a gluten free recipe.

It begins by piercing and heating up whole clementines which are then pureed.

This is added to the cake mix.

While the cake is baking, I made the candied clementines and the glaze.

We were all excited to taste the cake so I removed it from the pan a bit too early. The result was not pretty, but it was very tasty. I had enough batter to make a few cupcakes as well. I will send a few of these to my gluten free friends.

We liked it. Ellie thought it tasted like orange marmalade.

Clementine Cake
via: Country Girl's Daybook
and Cathy Merenda Blog
Cake:
7 small clementines
6 eggs
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 cups ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze:
2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
3 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup clementine juice (I used orange juice concentrate)


CANDIED CLEMENTINES
3 clementines
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter and line an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with parchment.
Poke each clementine 3 or 4 times with a knife. Put the clementines in a bowl with a microwave safe cover or plastic wrap. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes. Cool slightly then dump the clementines (whole) in a food processor and process until smooth.

In large bowl beat eggs and sugar until light colored and doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). Add in chopped clementines and mix well. Then add ground almonds and baking power and mix until combined.

Pour mixture into pan and bake for about 45 minutes (when a skewer will come out clean).

While the cake is baking, make the glaze by mixing everything in a bowl adjusting clementine juice and sugar to make a loose but thick glaze.

You can also make candied clementines for decoration. Slice clementines very thinly.Put sugar and water in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add clementine slices and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes. Pull clementines from sugar mixture and place on parchment or silpat until cool.

Cool in the pan on a rack. Once cake is cold, remove from pan and pull off any parchment.

Glaze and add candied clementines to decorate.

A Quiet Calmness, I Hope + Mac and Cheese Recipe

It has been a pretty good week, but it has also been an intense one filled with lots of standardized testing and large groups of people. I am a bit over peopled.

(Photo by Ellie)
I am hopeful that it will be a quiet, calm weekend with pockets of time for creativity.
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Grandma Gay's Mac and Cheese

2 cups Macaroni, cooked al dente
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 cup of Butter, chopped into pieces or melted (1 stick)
2+ cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Add the pasta to boiling water to cook it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

While the pasta cooks, stir 2 eggs into a cup of milk.

Once the pasta is done, drain it and put it in an 8" x 8" casserole dish. Quickly add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Next, quickly add in the cheese and stir it so that the heat from the pasta melts it. You can add more cheese to the mix if you want it to be more cheesey.

Next, pour in the egg and milk, stirring to mix. Halfway through the baking you can add more cheese to the top, if you like.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

(I tried precooking the pasta, adding in the butter and the cheese so that I could take this to a friend's house where I finished it. The mac and cheese was good, but not great. The texture was not as nice as this was. My kids tell me that it reheats well.)