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Watch Empire.
This acclaimed and endlessly gifable drama that follows a high-profile family in the music industry has just dropped for binging on Amazon Prime in the UK and is perfect winter hibernation binge material. It's clever and one-of-a-kind, but Taraji P. Henson is the secret ingredient that makes it pure FIRE.
Watch it on Amazon Prime in the UK.
Read The Written World by Martin Puchner.
This fascinating book will captivate any bookworm worth her salt. Marketed as the "Sapiens of the literary world, The Written Word is full of tidbits and literary history that will blow your mind and most definitely bulk up your TBR.
Get a copy here.
Listen to reputation by Taylor Swift.
...Ready for it or not, Swift's new album has been worth the wait, with fans and critics singing its praises, so in her honour: paint your lips red, bake some cookies, put a cat on your lap and settle in for a full-on album party with lots of feels.
Download Dune!
Treat yourself to a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Check out this list of things everyone who wishes they could be a morning person needs.
Follow @rosiemadeathing
Rosie makes adorably snarky greeting cards and shares the artwork on her Insta. If you an scroll through her feed without saying "it me" at least four times, you're lying.
Follow here.
Cook Chrissy Teigan's mac and cheese.
Celebrated twitter queen, model, and husband-roaster Chrissy Teigan's new cookbook is full of comfort food and exciting new recipes your Instagram followers are bound to love nearly as much as your tastebuds. Give her signature mac and cheese (with cheesy garlic breadcrumbs!!!) recipe a go this week:
To make the mac and cheese you need:
Flaked salt
450g pasta shells
1 teaspoon vegetable oil 100g unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
5 tablespoons plain flour
1.2 litres whole milk
300g grated cheddar cheese 300g grated Gruyère or swiss cheese
About 16 slices processed cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
3⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta a minute less than called for on the package. Drain, rinse, and toss with the oil to prevent sticking.
Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with a little butter.
In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted but not browning. Add the flour and cook, constantly whisking, until it turns a light and toasty brown colour, 5 to 6 minutes. Gradually add the milk while whisking, then increase the heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking, until it thickens, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cheeses, a few handfuls/slices at a time, reserving a handful of the cheese, and whisk the sauce until smooth. Whisk in 2 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and the cayenne.
Stir in the cooked pasta, season to taste with more salt and pepper, and cook until the pasta is hot again.
Pour the mixture into the buttered baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and spread the breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Bake until the topping is browned and crisp, about 8 minutes.
For the cheesy garlic breadcrumbs you need:
8 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
6 cloves garlic
6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon flaked salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Method:
In a food processor, process the bread until it forms fine crumbs (you should have about 200g crumbs). Transfer the crumbs to a bowl. Add the garlic to the processor and process until finely minced (or do it by hand).
In a large pan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. When it foams, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic smells great but hasn’t browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until toasty and browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and transfer to a large plate to cool for 5 minutes. Toss in the Parm.
Chrissy says: "This is MY mac and cheese, dammit. Everyone is allllllways asking, begging John to make his mac and cheese and if I may be frank here for a moment: I DON’T GET IT.
I will admit, I like it too, but I prefer a creamy, saucy mac. Mac and cheese that you give your friends to take home in Tupperware, not sliced and wrapped in foil like a brick. OK, so maybe I’m bitter. Every single time he makes his mac and cheese, people lose it, like he literally invented mac and cheese. Why? It’s because he is a brilliant, handsome, kind, wonderful f*cking human being who is incredibly talented and famous who happens to make a good mac and cheese. It’s one more talent and whoa we did not see this coming. AMAZE.
I’m sorry, John. I love you so, so much and you are absolutely perfect. My dream man. You write songs about me, love me endlessly, you clean, you help me unpack, and you are a wonderful dog father.
But my mac is better. If you want to try his, google it. These pages are expensive."
