Stove top Mac and Cheese

Decided the other day to try a stove top mac and cheese recipe, something easy. This was a pretty good recipe and easy to whip up. I added some peas to make it a little "healthier."  Haha, like mac and cheese can be healthy.



Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese 

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Recipe Source: Alton Brown

Jalapeno Popper Dip

My friend made this wonderful Jalapeno Popper Dip for a pot luck and I had to make it for Christmas. It was sooo so yummy and was gobbled up. Definitely a keeper to be made again.


Jalapeno Popper Dip

Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese

Directions

Stir together cream cheese & mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles, jalapeno peppers, and Monterrey Jack cheese. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Microwave on high until hot, about 3 minutes OR bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes.com

Mac and Cheese

I made Mac and Cheese for a holiday party dinner. I decided to try a different recipe and I am sure glad that I tried this recipe out. This was definitely a good mac and cheese recipe, much better than the recipe I tried out last year. I think the dry mustard and egg made a difference. I didn't get a chance to get a picture, but it was quite yummy. I will make this one again.

Pioneer Woman’s Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
4 cups uncooked macaroni
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. cheese, grated (I used all cheddar)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Dashes of cayenne, paprika, and thyme (optional) – (I used all three)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cook macaroni according to package directions until slightly firm. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook the mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly and being careful not to burn. Add the milk to the pot, stir in the dry mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook the mixture for five minutes until very thick. Reduce the heat to low.

Add the beaten egg to a small bowl. Take 1/4 cup of the warm sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the egg. Whisk until smooth. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Mix in the cheese, reserving a handful for topping, and stir until completely melted. Add in salt and other seasonings. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Add the drained cooked macaroni to the pot and mix well.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish, top with reserved cheese, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top.

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman

It's all in the cheese: Mac and Cheese

I decided that I wanted to make mac and cheese for a a family BBQ for my Father-in-law's birthday. So I looked at a ton of different recipes from friends and on the internet. There are a range of ways to make mac and cheese and I finally decided to take a little something from all the recipes I found and created my own. I am glad I did, everyone seemed to love it. I used 4 different cheeses because I love cheese, especially sharp cheese. You can really use any type you like.


Rumbly Tumbly Mac and Cheese



INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika
Garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9 X 13 casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the elbow macaroni and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7-8 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons of the butter. Add flour, whisking often until smooth bubbly. Gradually add half and half and cream cheese. Continue cooking on medium heat until sauce is thickened and cream cheese is melted. Add seasonings. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. Add half of the mixed cheese s to the sauce and stir until melted.

Stir sauce into the macaroni. Then add the other half of the shredded cheeses and mix until well combined. Transfer to the buttered casserole.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.