I've been hoarding this recipe for far too long but I figure National Cheese Day is the appropriate occasion to release it to the masses! By now most of you are familiar with my Classic Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese tutorial, in which I broke down the ins and outs of making a successful pan of mac & cheese. If you haven't familiarized yourself with the technique for preparing a bechamel sauce, that's the best place to read all about it. It was a solid recipe that spun off into a handful of variations, so I won't be throwing anything new at you here as far as the technique goes. (I actually simplified a step to make it an easier, one-pot process!)

If you've spent any time in the south, you've probably had or at least seen pimento cheese spread at parties, restaurants, and the prepared foods section of your grocery store. I'll be honest, the shit terrified me for years before I ever tried it. Something about cold shredded cheese mixed up with mayo just didn't sit right with me, and I love mayo. Well, as it turned out, pimento cheese is not just delicious, it's downright addictive when made right. Scooped up with crackers or slathered on a hot buttermilk biscuit, I can't get enough of it. Some recipes can be kind of basic, but the key for me was shredding cheese by hand and seasoning it just right. I'm partial to pimento cheese made with a hint of something spicy and smoky to offset the sweet, mild pimiento peppers. Using the same flavor profile to make mac & cheese was an obvious and natural progression. Not a new idea, but as with the spread, the right seasonings and good quality cheese are what separates the bland and boring from the spectacular. My pimento mac & cheese pairs really well with bbq dishes in the summer.


Pimento cheese is traditionally made with cheddar, so I stayed true to that here with an extra sharp cheddar as the base to the flavor. Muenster cheese has a mild flavor but serves to amp up the cool string-cheese effect. The cheese that I'm gonna need you to get into for this recipe is Butterkäse. It's a ridiculously creamy, semi-soft German cheese with a buttery flavor. Yes, you'll have to find this one at a cheese counter but it's totally worth the trip. Stores like Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, and Trader Joes often carry it, but I've even spotted it at Costco so check around. (Boar's Head makes one, so it's not impossible to find these days.) What I love about Butterkäse is how much it reminds me of the way Velveeta melts so smoothly. Perfect for mac & cheese, and an amazing compliment to cheddar. If you absolutely must substitute something else, Cream Havarti is probably your best bet. But I'm begging you... seek out the Butterkäse!

The only other ingredient note is in regards to the onion. Instead of steeping it in the milk like my classic recipe, this time you're just going to dice it and include in the mac & cheese itself. I used Vidalia onions since it's summertime and they're in season. They have a mild, sweet flavor that plays nicely here without overshadowing the cheese. If you make this out of season, just be sure to grab sweet onions and not a standard yellow or white onion, which would be too strong of a flavor.

1 lb dried elbow macaroni noodles
Kosher salt, as needed
1 large Vidalia onion, diced (about 1 cup)
8 oz extra-sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz Muenster cheese
8 oz Butterkäse cheese
8 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
2 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8 oz sliced pimiento peppers, and the liquid from the jar(s)


Servings: 8 to 10
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hour
Equipment Needed: Large pot, pasta strainer, deep casserole dish, cheese grater, fine grater or zester

My body is craving lighter meals this week after overdosing on barbecued meats for the last couple weekends. It's tough finding fresh seafood around this area, but yesterday I finally had time to make the drive out to Wegmans. I can always trust the quality of the seafood counter there. After treating myself to a salmon poke salad bowl for lunch, I still had a taste for fish so I picked up a tuna steak. My five-year-old daughter Raven was almost as excited as I was, having tasted my poke bowl and declaring that she too, wanted a "sushi salad." So, a seared tuna salad was in order for both of us, inspired by the ingredients from yesterday's poke salad bowl at Wegmans.

Before we even get to the tuna, what I liked about this salad was that it hit all the texture notes - crisp greens, cucumbers and radishes, soft edamame, creamy avocado, crunchy cashews. As I was editing photos, I realized I forgot to sprinkle with sesame seeds, but I didn't miss anything at all when I ate it! The dressing is sweet, tangy and a little spicy, made with The Essential Table's Thai Chili Tequila Jam. I love the versatility of this jam! As some of you may remember, I used it previously for a chicken stir fry sauce. I've included substitution notes with the ingredient list, but if you can, pick up a jar and support another woman-owned business here in Virginia.

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I used my lemon pepper blend to season the fish, because cracked pepper always works nicely for seared tuna. It's one of those dishes that looks much fancier than it is difficult to cook. It is definitely a splurge, because of the cost of fresh tuna, but it's not one that you'll have to worry about ruining. Always make sure you're buying fresh fish from a reputable source. If it looks funky, old, or otherwise unappealing, it's not going to get better by searing it for thirty seconds, so wait until you can find a tuna steak that is worth the money. (By the way, if you don't appreciate the texture of rare tuna, don't bother - you'd be better off buying some good imported canned tuna, which is still a bit of a splurge but obviously not nearly as much as fresh fish.)

All in all, this was an easy lunch to pull off but tasted like something I'd order in a restaurant, so that's always a win in my book. Raven enjoyed her kid-sized salad as well!




Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 2
Special Equipment: heavy skillet, tongs

These lemon pepper wings were so damn good I had to post a recipe the same day. You'll definitely want to add them to your cookout menus this weekend! I've been making them for years for my son, tweaking the brining process and the seasonings. I used to roast the wings in the oven, but trust me it doesn't compare to getting a little smoke and char on the grill. (I'm not going to blog a separate process for roasting, but feel free to adapt.) The buttermilk brine was the biggest improvement I've made in recent years, which tenderizes the chicken, seasons it throughout, and creates golden brown skin on the grill. What I love about these wings most is how flavorful they are without needing to be drowned in sauce. I finish by basting with a lemon butter glaze that has just enough honey to compliment the heat and spices, but not so much that it makes the wings sweet. (I've omitted the honey when I'm going without sugar, and they still taste great.) In case you missed my previous post, you'll want to start with the homemade lemon pepper blend, which is the key component to the recipe!

Total Time: 6 hours, up to 24 if including an overnight brine
Yield: About 16 whole wings
Special Equipment: Charcoal grill, chimney starter, fire starter cubes, small disposable aluminum pan, lighter, metal grill tongs, instant-read meat thermometer, Zester or fine grater, silicone baster