The food network has rekindled my childhood dream of having my own cooking show. Now, some of you might be thinking... wait.. I thought Kirsten ate out at every chance she got? Why yes, thats true, but really- deep down, i do love to cook. My trouble is for the first few days after going to the store, I am excited about making dinner. After that, its all downhill. I just HATE coming up with something to make, thats the hardest part for me. Maybe you are like that too! Well, if thats the case, I am going to be posting a few of my favorite meal ideas and then you can do the same and then when we don't know what to make our blogs can help each other out. So here it is- my first recipe. I remember making this dish a lot when I was growing up because its only a few ingredients and it is a great comfort food. Will generously serve 2.
Homemade mac and cheese (but classier)
Boil any type of pasta you like- bow tie, macaroni, rigatoni or really anything. I never know how much to make- and usually make too much, maybe you are better at guessing than me.
3 T. butter
3 T. white flour
first of all, make a roux. This sounds complicated but its not, which is the best kind of dish to make. In a saucepan melt butter over med heat. Once it is melted (be careful not to burn it- I often started over at this point when I made it growing up) stir in the flour. I usually hold the pan up from the stove at this point because it can burn super fast. Then, stir in..
1 cup milk
just keep stirring and stirring. eventually your arm will hurt but don't give up. maybe if your husband is awesome like mine- he can help out at this point. Make sure to incorporate all the roux mixture that tends to get stuck on the bottom and sides of the pan. Soon, it will start to thicken up. Add a little more milk if you'd like. Stir in...
a dash of garlic powder (i use a little bit of garlic almost everything because nic and I both love it- if you don't you can leave it out)
a dash of pepper
Keep stirring. turn the heat to med/low. This is the longest part of the process. Then... you add the part that makes it mac and cheese (at this point, its a simple white sauce which also yummy) stir in...
a handful of cheese. I usually use a cheddar blend.
2 slices of kraft american cheese.
(i know... nothing says "classy" like processed cheese. This is my mom's trick. It makes the sauce really creamy, just trust me and my mom)
If you ever find the sauce is a little too thick, or if you all the sudden are having 3-4 guests for dinner, just slowly add more milk.
Then, drain your pasta and stir in your sauce. Serve. Make sure you mention "roux" a lot, its quite impressive.
A delicious variation: follow the above steps but add grilled chicken to the top. (I like to marinade in a mesquite seasoning because I like spiciness with the creamy sauce)
So there it is- dinner in less than 20 minutes and a great pick me up when you are craving some comfort food.
3 comments:
Sometimes I just can't believe how much we have in common. I default to pasta and chicken like 3 times a week because I can never think of anything else to make! This looks good though-I'll have to try out a new sauce for once! I mean...roux..
I can vouch for you. You cooked all the time when we lived together and went on and on about your love of Martha. :)
I make this all the time for my br--- er, KIDS! It really is easy and yummy. I also like to top it with some parmesan cheese. A little help in the texture department, imo. Going along with that theme, I find that putting any sort of crunchy crumb on top only enhances dishes such as this. Some crushed potato chips, or even better, French's Fried Onions. I have yet to find the savory dish that isn't imbiggened by fried onions. Man, I'm starving.
Post a Comment