The Hungry Squid

This past week, we said a fond farewell to a postdoc in our lab, and, in her honor (and also just for fun), a lab member held a very delicious dinner party. Though the gracious host told us just to bring ourselves, everyone felt compelled to contribute to the feast, which consisted of treats that ranged from homemade dumplings, scrumptious salads, babba ghanoush and hummus, as well as authentic Italian lasagne the best tiramisu I have ever tasted. Oh, and there was a lot of wine, which was especially exciting, as it was a Tuesday. My contribution to the table of treats was avocado bruscetta, a lovely recipe that I found in Vegetarian Times magazine (aka Squid Daily) a few years ago. Let me first say this: overall, I don't really care for avocado. The texture and flavour turn me off of it and, in general, I will opt not to top my salad with it. I do, however, love guacamole, but I am not sure if that counts....in any case, making this recipe was a strange departure for me, but I am ...

KD has had it's time. For many years (i.e. during my 4 years in undergrad), it was a mainstay in my cupboard, next to the box of Oreos and the the bag of candied ginger. It was the perfect remedy to late-hunger, afternoon lunch, early dinner, normal dinner...basically appropriate on any culinary occasion. But now, as I begin the venture into adulthood (which, by the way, is a concept that is as vague to me now as it was to me 4 years ago) I have been making a conscious effort to leave the relics of my youth behind. So it is with sadness, that I say goodbye to you, KD, and move towards human food. In honor of its bastard plastic cousin, I decided to make real macaroni and cheese, the right way. This recipe, from Epicurious(a website that, I am ashamed to say, have neglected over the past couple of weeks), was surprisingly easy to make - M and I had it ready in just under 1 and a half hours, most of which was baking time. We modified the recipe by adding pancetta, substituted pimien...