Quick and Easy...Rosemary and Black Pepper Roast with Feel Good Mac and Cheese

My husband is going out of town tomorrow and so I have been running around like a mad woman.  So tonight its something quick and easy! This is something you could do ahead of time and then have it ready for times like this!  Next time you go to the grocery store spend a little extra and pick up a "tri-tip roast" if they have it, or a beef tenderloin. When you get home, before you throw to the back of your freezer put it in a freezer bag with a marinade! You can really do this with ANY meat....marinate it in a zip lock baggy, throw it in the freezer and forget about it. Then when that crazy busy night comes, and your sweating over what you're going to do for dinner, AH! then you remember you have that meat in the freezer...I compare the feeling to finding that $20 bill in your winter coat from last season. 

Try this marinade, this is a good one for red meat.  Try some red wine in it too! There is no red wine in this one but get creative. You might amaze yourself. 

*A good key to remember when choosing a marinade is...the darker marinades are better for dark meat, red meats...the lighter the marinade the better it is for pork, chicken or fish. (Red wine=red meat, White wine=white meat)

Rosemary Black Pepper Marinade

You will need:
fresh or dry rosemary, chopped roughly to release flavor notes
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper corns, or coarse black pepper
juice from a whole lemon
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and pour over cut of meat. Let stand up to 24 hours in the fridge or pour into freezer bag, let and freeze until later use. You can cook this in the crock pot, grill it or bake in a 350 degree oven until desired doness.

Feel Good Mac and Cheese
 You will need:
1/2 cup per person, dry macaroni noodles
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
s/p
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp parsley
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup shredded parmasean cheese
1/4 sour cream
1/2 mozzarella cheese
 and any other cheeses you would like to try! Goat cheese is really good, but sometimes hard to find and very expensive.  Ricotta is a wonderful cheese to do too!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Boil noodles just to al dente texture.  In a bowl mix cooked noodles with all different cheese, reserve some cheddar to use as a topping. Toss gently.  Add s/p, mustard, sour cream, cayenne and butter. Toss gently.  Pour over heavy cream. Pour into your favorite baking dish! Bake for 15-20 until top is bubbly.

Bon Appetit