Oscars-watching party with homemade kabocha mac-and-cheese

I never understood the hype about mac-and-cheese when I first came to the States. I think it's the American equivalent of the Chinese comfort food porridge, also a calorie-loaded version. Anyhoo, 11 years after my living in Texas, I'm finally trying to make mac and cheese from scratch! (I still think the instant versions are gross, fake cheese!) I'm starting to get the comforting aspect of this dish.

What I used
1 kabocha {a Japanese squash}
8 oz./ half-bag of elbow macaroni {full bag at 16 oz.}
1 cup of grated kraft sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 cup of grated Romano cheese
1.5 cup milk
1/2 Tablespoon butter
Some scallions {Chive would be the right thing to use, I used what I have in the fridge}
2 pieces of dried red peppers, finely chopped {could also use a pince of powder cayanne pepper}
Sprinkles of panko {Japanese break crumbs}

What I did
Cut kabocha in half, scrap out seeds. Steam over water for 10 minutes until soften. Remove skin and dice kabocha in small cubes.
Boil macaroni in salted water until cooked but slightly firm. Drain and shock in ice water to maintain firmness.
Place cubed kabocha in pot, add red peppper flakes, butter + milk to simmer. Mix well. Add macaroni and cheese, mix well. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick. Turn off heat and add scallion.
Pour mixture into a deep baking pan. Sprinkles panko and more cheese on top.
Bake at 400ºF (or 204ºC) for 10 minutes, then broil (to brown the top) for another 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it while broiling to avoid burning the food.

Saba Shioyaki / Grill Salted Mackerel

Super easy and fast.

1 Mackerel filet / store bought, already salted

Salt + Pepper

..Mackerel pat dry, cut in 3 pieces per filet.
..Optional: on baking sheet, drizzle a tiny bit of oil. Mackerel is an oily fish, this step just prevents the fish from sticking to the sheet.
..Place filet skin side up on aluminum foil. Season with pepper.
..Broil for about 8 minutes or until skin is lightly crisp and brown.
..Serve with lime or grated daikon {radish} with ponzu.

The best way is to eat with white rice. Yum! Just beware of fine bones in fish.

Green Tea Panna Cotta

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon matcha (I bought mine from MT supermarket, $6.49 for 1.05 oz., Hana market sells for <$5.xx, better deal!)


+Soften gelatin in 1 tablespoon cold water.
+In small bowl, whisk matcha with 2 tablespoons of half and half mixture until smooth. {Matcha powder is difficult to mix completely in. Warm up half-n-half prior for easier whisking, also pour liquid over powder, not vice versa. I also used a small frother to stir, very handy.)
+In small saucepan, heat sugar and 1 cup half-n-half until sugar dissolves, no need to boil.
+Turn off heat.
+Whisk in softened gelatin (from above) and vanilla extract.
+Mix in remaining half-n-half + matcha mixture; strain and divide among 3 small cups/ramekin.
+Cover + refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving.

Note: If you want to serve panna cotta on a plate, line the cup with a thin layer of neutral oil (such as canola) before pouring the panna cotta mixture. Before serving, dip cup in hot water and turn cup upside down. The panna cotta will slide off perfectly.