Feeling Autumnal

When we were in Texas, I justified the lack of a true fall season with the notion that winters were incredibly mild and we could start gardening in February. Now that we're back to the Midwest, I need to savor every leaf-crunching second of fall and steel myself for the long, cold winter. The trees are really peaking here and this one is right in front of my campus building; I love seeing it when I'm walking in.

Today we purchased a few pumpkins and a few mums. It was chilly enough that I didn't spend a good deal of time contemplating the purchase. We can always get more!

Later we decorated a little outside. A wreath of leaves and the pumpkins decorate the front of our house (most visible to the street) while our front door has the mums and a wreath of black roses, silver skulls, and red LED lights. The front door is not very visible from the street but it is where trick-or-treaters will arrive. We still have some lights to put up.

With the cooler temps, some comfort food was in order. We decided on green chili mac and cheese. We've never found a great mac and cheese recipe but this one we sort of invented seemed very close to what we both wanted.

Lunderoy Green Chili Mac and Cheese (serves about four)

8 oz whole wheat elbow pasta 2 c. 2% milk 4 T butter 4 T flour 2 c. taco cheese (Mexican queso quesadilla if you can find it) salt pepper cayenne 1 small can chopped green chilies 1 c. panko breadcrumbs 1/2 c. parmesan cheese 2 T butter, melted

1. Boil the pasta until al dente.

2. Melt butter in saucepan; add flour, salt and pepper and whisk together until well blended.

3. Pour in milk gradually, stirring constantly until thickened.

4. Gradually add the cheese, stirring until incorporated.

5. Add dash of cayenne to taste.

6. Combine pasta, green chilies, and cheese mixture; pour into greased casserole dish.

7. Combine panko, parmesan, and melted butter. Top macaroni mixture with the crumbs.

8. Bake at 375º about 25 minutes until bubbling and top is golden brown.