Tried It...Ate It...Loved It...: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

My second attempt at Mac and Cheese was to try to get a recipe that was “normal”.  Everyone really loved the Gouda Bacon Mac and Cheese but I figured I needed one that I could feed my kids friends and everyone like.  We were having 6 kids over for dinner coming up so I scoured recipes to see if I could find one that I liked.  This one ended up being great.

 I got this awesome recipe from allrecipe.com - my favorite recipe website

Mom's Favorite Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1 (8 ounce) package processed American cheese, cut into strips

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, salt, mustard and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture boils and thickens.
3.	Meanwhile, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
4.	To the milk mixture add the Cheddar and American cheeses; stir until cheese melts. Combine macaroni and cheese sauce in a 2 quart baking dish; mix well.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

**before I put it in the oven, I took out a servings worth and added truffle salt, cayenne, some Worcestershire and extra salt – it was divine but probably a little spicy for kids.

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Crafty Love: Personalized Texas Hat

I got a few of these hats Wal-Mart and love them because they fit your head so well.  I wanted to personalize them but my embroidery machine cannot monogram on hats.  I used heat transfer for one of them cutting it out with my Silhouette machine.  I then used the state of Texas with a monogram in the middle and used fabric glue to attach it to the hat.

Supplies

Blank Ball Cap

Fabric – I used a cute chevron

Thread

Embroidery Machine for the monogram (or heat transfer and cut out from Silhouette)

Fabric glue

I monogrammed the fabric and just cut around the shape with pinking shears.  I then used fabric glue to glue it to the hat.  I think it looks cute.

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Tried It...Ate It...Loved It: Gouda Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

I hate boxed mac and cheese. The smell of it makes me nauseous.   I think this is inherited from my mom as she is the same way. I do make it for the girls because I know how much they love it and it is a simple dish to make, however, I will not eat it at all.  I do love my girlfriend’s mac and cheese that she makes from scratch.  I decided that I should have a good recipe that I can make. My first attempt was a Gouda Bacon Mac and Cheese and it was AWESOME.

I got this awesome recipe from Shugary Sweets.

Gouda Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time: 25 minutes            Cook Time: 25 minutes           Yield: serves 10-12

Ingredients

·  16oz elbow macaroni, cooked and drained ·  4 Tbsp butter ·  2 1/4 cup skim milk ·  1/2 cup flour ·  1 1/4 cup heavy cream ·  2 tsp kosher salt ·  1 tsp ground black pepper

·  1/2 tsp dry mustard ·  2 tsp Worcestershire ·  1lb smoked Gouda cheese, shredded ·  1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded ·  5 slices bread (about 2cups crumbs) ·  3 Tbsp butter, melted ·  1/2 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

1.       Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Set aside.

2.       In large pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add skim milk and bring to near boiling. Reduce heat to medium and sprinkle in flour. Whisk vigorously over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Mixture should be thick and boiling. Slowly add cream, while whisking. Add in salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir for about 5 minutes.

3.       In food processor, shred Gouda and Cheddar cheese. Add to pot, stir until thoroughly combined.

4.       Add cooked macaroni to cheese mixture. Pour into a 13x9 dish.

5.       In same food processor bowl (no need to wash it after shredding the cheese), process 5 slices of bread to a fine crumb. Add melted butter. Sprinkle over macaroni. Top with crumbled bacon.

6.       Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.ENJOY!