Yet another experiment. (I'm off work this week, so I'm a little bored. Also, the checking account is low, so I'm using what we've got around the house) This used up the last of the root veggies we bought for the stew.

1 large Yam peeled
10 small potatoes
1/8 cup curry powder
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 cup sour cream

Cut yam and potatoes into chunks, boil until tender. Drain water add. Add remaining ingrediants and mash the heck out of those suckers. Sour cream amount can be adjusted to get desired texture.

These came out better than I expected, and not quite tasting how I expected. Definitely a keeper in the experiment department.

I don't know what to call this, I was mostly using up the veggies from the stew.

1/2 large Yam
1 large parsnip
4 small turnips
1/2 large rutabega
8 small potatoes
olive oil
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Lawry's Season Salt
Liquid Smoke
Cayenne Pepper

Cut veggies into 1in cubes, toss with olive oil, and seasonings, Bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour, or until veggies are tender.

Kind of like home fries with a twist. Quite good.

So I love Mac and Cheese. We tend to do Kraft Blue box variety a lot and then add things to it like mustard and hot sauce; sour cream, tomatoes, and green peppers; tuna; and a variety of other things that suit our fancy at the time.

I decided that Mac and Cheese and Ham sounded good today, but want to try making it homemade again. This is usually unsuccessful for me because I can never make a smooth cheese sauce. So I did what I always do when I want a new recipe. I went and search AllRecipes.com.

I found a recipe called Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pound elbow, shell or other bite-size shaped pasta
• 2 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in large soup kettle. Add salt and pasta. Using package directions as a guide, cook until al dente. Drain. To prevent sticking, drain and immediately pour onto a large lipped baking sheet and let cool while preparing sauce. Meanwhile, microwave the milk and chicken broth in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or bowl until hot and steamy (not boiling). Melt butter in the empty pasta pot; whisk in flour, then hot milk mixture. Continue to whisk until thick and bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in mustard, Parmesan and pepper. Turn off heat, stir in cheddar until melted. Add drained pasta (and optional flavoring ingredients, see notes) to sauce, and stir until everything is well combined over low heat. Stir to heat through, and thin with a little water if the sauce is too thick. Serve hot.

I boiled the pasta in one pot while cooking the sauce in another, saw no reason to not do it this way. When both were done I drained the pasta and stired it together with the sauce. There is a bit too much sauce for pasta, but it is very good.

My homemade Mac and Cheese is usually grainy. I read in the comments on AllRecipes for this recipe that one way to get rid of that graininess is to use part cheddar and part something else like jack. Someone else mentioned using peper jack for part or theirs. I thought this sounded pretty good. I went to the store intending to buy 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar and an 8 oz block of cheddar jack to shred. Instead I found a shedded cheese blend that was mild cheddar, monteray jack, and jalapeno peppers. So I used it. This gave the sauce a nice smooth texture and a little kick.

From: All Recipes

"South Asian influenced beans with a kick. Great served over rice or in a tortilla as leftover burritos. Serve over rice (jasmine rice is my first choice). They come out really spicy, so add only as much spice as you're comfortable with."

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite dishes. The Asian curry flavor is fantastic and the beans give it a heartiness that many vegetarian dishes don't have. You can, of course, adjust the level of spicyness to your own liking, but as listed, the recipe has some real kick.