• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine stock, butter, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flour and cheeses to thicken. Reduce heat to medium, simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir to combine. Set aside or freeze for later use. We make a huge batch of this cheese sauce and freeze it. Every time we want mac & cheese all we have to do is boil the noodles, add the sauce, and bake.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add noodles; cook until al dente, according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in sauce and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
• Lightly coat a 9-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.
• Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top. Serve immediately.

I talk to him every day.

Twice, usually.

His voice calms me down in times of chaos. His smile encourages me to be better. His song brings tears to my eyes, every single time. 32 years later and his words teach me still.

My father. My pops, my padre, my papa, my dad.

There is no one in the world like him. He has shown me strength in the darkest of times and showed me faith when I had none. His eyes sparkle when the mini’s come into sight, all his pain and sorrow from hardships that forever changed him, disappear almost instantaneously.  In times of anger and pain, he reminds me of love.

My father. My pops, my padre, my papa, my dad.

Without him I would not be here. They would not be here. He teaches me what family really means. For a long time, he was my only family. My only rock. My only support. His support led me to find my own happiness in a family I never knew I so desperately wanted.I am grateful to him forever.

My father. My pops, my padre, my papa, my dad. My heart.

Happy Birthday Old Man. I love ya.

I have pink hair now. Actually just pink highlights, but still, my hair be pink.

The winter has been mild here in the CLE and the seasonal depression has yet to set it. As I write this is it 60 degrees in Cleveland. The sun is shining and everyone I have seen today has had the joker smile plastered across their faces. I think it must be my pink hair.

Valentine’s Day is in 15 days. While the Chef & I don’t shove chocolates down each others throats we do celebrate our love. Normally the Chef is in the kitchen and this year is no different. Except it is!!! The night before Valentine’s Day is something so special and never before seen in Cleveland. Chef Cory Barrett of Lola notoriety is doing an all dessert dinner as a Brick and Mortar Popup. I have been a HUGE Cory fan ever since I first tasted his 3am special and I have been running 5 miles a day in preparation for what is sure to go down as a memorable evening.

I would LOVE it if you could join me so I’m gonna giveaway a couple of tickets ($150 value) to this DELECTABLY DELICIOUS DINNER. To win leave me a comment telling me the MOST ROMANTIC thing that has ever happened to you or that you have done for someone else.

I will announce a winner on February 6th, which gives you a week to ask that special someone to be your dessert dinner date.

Good luck bitches.

This week’s installment of Family Dinner is Garlic Herb Polenta w/ braised kale and red bell pepper. I made this tonight for the mini’s and they. went. to. town. The boy had two servings and even asked me to save him some for breakfast! This recipe is hella easy to make and is high in protein, beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and super rich in calcium.

Bon Appetit!

Garlic Herb Polenta w/ Braised Kale & Red Bell Peppers

Garlic Herb Polenta:

• 2 C milk
• 1 3/4 C water
• 1/4 C butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 C freshly grated parmesan
• 1 C cornmeal(quick cooking variety)
• oil for baking

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and cut into pieces
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 tbs. vinegar
• s & p
• pasta sauce (to taste for finished dish)

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add all spices, milk, and water.

Bring to a boil.

Slowly add cornmeal all the while stirring polenta. Turn down heat. As polenta reaches the consistency of a soft cheese, add parmesan. Stir.

Remove from heat.

Pour into a 9×13 baking pan and let settle.

While polenta is settling heat oven 350°. Once heated, add polenta for 5-10 minutes. I like to leave mine in longer to get a crispier polenta.

As polenta bakes, warm a sauce pan on medium heat. Add 2 tbs. olive oil.

Add red bell pepper an onion. Sauté until onion is translucent.

Add kale. Cook over medium heat until kale wilts. At this time, you can add some water and vinegar if your kids like it. You can also add red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch. Add s&p to taste.

Cut polenta into squares. Add a tbs. of pasta sauce, then top with braised kale mixture. Grate Parmesan to finish. Enjoy!!

My kids freaking loved this dish. My son liked it better as a ‘polenta’ towered and my daughter liked it better deconstructed. When making this (and any other) recipe I believe you should always make it approachable for your kids. If they hate red peppers but love broccoli, switch ‘em out and modify. If they don’t like it all together, deconstruct it like I did for my girl. Make it approachable for them and I guarantee you’ll have them eating all sorts of wonderful foods in no time.

On Sunday morning I woke up to unbelievable amounts of support. Having organized a Tweetup / Watch party for that evening’s Iron Chef I really didn’t have a clue as to how it was going to be perceived. Sure, I knew my foodie peeps like JoeG and LisaZ would be tweeting up a storm however my 6th grade self at my 12th birthday party wondered if anyone would even show up.

Show up they did! Hell, they almost broke the internet. All day Sunday I sat by my tweetdeck and watched the #teamsawyer hashtags  flow. First 5 tweets an hour, then 10, the 30, then fifty! The show hadn’t even begun and #teamsawyer was on FIRE yo. My nervous stomach started to get the best of me as I drove downtown to the restaurant to watch the Chef compete on Iron Chef America.

When I arrived at the tavern the Chef was waiting with a glass of bubbly knowing my nervousness was growing. I downed the bubbly and waited in heightened anticipation with mah boys:

#teamsawyer

For what seemed like hours (in actuality it was only 1) I bounced around the room and ran back and forth between both restaurants. Both were packed with droves of people, all there to support the Chef and his team. Moments before Iron Chef began I took it all in. The Chef and I held hands on the stairs of our restaurant as we watched him in battle for the next 60 minutes.

The final outcome was one I could have gone without. Who woulda ever thought crudite would be a winning Iron Chef dish? Nevertheless, I know The Chef gave it his all and I couldn’t be prouder. Like always, he put his heart and passion into the battle. He was loud and boisterous, personable and funny, and I wouldn’t have wanted him to be any other way. He showed the entire world that he is a fierce competitor and more importantly, an extremely talented chef. We had an unbelievable night together with our friends and family and I am forever grateful that I live in such a close knit city. Happy in CLE:

Me & @kakaty

Birthday boy @lasher216 and me cheering for #teamsawyer

A huge thanks goes out to all the #teamsawyer tweeps! You guys made a huge moment in our life, monumental.

We’ll get em next tho’ and we’ll be sure to bring a shitload of cut veggies…

Heh. Heh.

But really, I would LOVE to know what you thought of the Chef’s Iron Chef America episode? Did you enjoy?

***And if you missed Sunday night’s episode, it is on YouTube and The Food Network will be playing it this Saturday at 5pm. Feel free to watch and tweet with #teamsawyer!