gratin de macaronis au fromage (and a bit of shopping)

That makes dirty old mac'n'cheese sound pretty special, doesn't it?  A bit more special than 'dirty old mac'n'cheese' anyway.

We've got a good old school mac'n'cheese recipe, but I made this one with a recipe from Rachel Khoo's Little Paris Kitchen cookbook (I want to be her when I grow up, remember?  or did we not discuss this fully enough?  I can't remember).  Made with a bechamel sauce and gryuere, it's  lovely but completely different to any mac'n'cheese I've had before.  It's really sharp, which would be the gryuere (I'm keen to try it with parmesan and see how that goes too - see how I can flavour it with the type of cheese), and the bechamel is simmered with a clove, nutmeg and bay leaf, and the requisite onion so it feels a bit flasher than your average bear (or, you know, mac'n'cheese).

Meatloaf and mac'n'cheese.  I'm totally taking over the world. 

(Also, that's not a tiny dish - it's huge pasta)

(And the kids ate it.  Bam!)

And don't panic that I've completely lost it.  There's a shopping post coming.  I'm just waiting until I'm completely embarrassed ... and done.  I'm doing my little office corner over.  So far, new very old desk and lamp.  To do - cushion (I'm obsessed with Gerty Brown cushions.  I must have a Gerty Brown cushion for my work chair), and a pantone mug for my pens (that one is colour driven).  I'll give you the grand total in ladles, if you want (actually, that reminds me.  I had a ladle moment recently.  Can't remember what it was ... I'll work on that too).

Ooooh ... yes!  And there's a book sitting on the windowsill behind my desk.  Also an interesting story.