Mac & Cheese.

Last night (and by last night I mean a week ago when I wrote this post....and forgot to publish it) I had a craving for macaroni and cheese and I decided I wanted to try and make my own. Although I had never made homemade mac & cheese, I had heard my dad list his mac & cheese ingredients enough times to know the basics of what I needed. So without using a recipe, I winged it, and it turned out really tasty!

Disclaimer: I LOVE having a ton of leftovers, so I generally cook a portion big enough for Thanksgiving dinner...this recipe is no exception. If you don't want to make enough to feed a family of 6, just cut the recipe in half!

What you need to make a TON of mac & cheese....

• 4 cups of shells


• 5 cups of skim milk


• 1 8oz block of cheddar cheese, shredded


• 2 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard


• 2 tbsp cream cheese (optional)


• 3 tbsp flour (optional)

How to make it...

In a saucepan, add pasta and milk (you cook the noodles in the milk, no water required).  Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil. Cook until pasta is soft - this took about 20-25 mins on low heat.

While the pasta is cooking, shred the entire block of cheese!



Once the shells are cooked, turn the heat off. Add cheese and salt. Stir to combine.  Stir in the mustard, to taste. Cover and let stand for a couple of minutes to thicken up, then stir again. If it's too thick/not creamy enough, add milk a little at a time, and stir.



If its too runny, you can add more cheese. I didn't have any more cheddar cheese and mine ended up being a little too runny, so I added some cream cheese. After a few more mins of stirring, I still wasn't satisfied with the consistency, so I added flour, a little at a time, to thicken it up. In total, I ended up adding just about 3 tablespoons of flour. If you don't want to have to add cream cheese or flour, I suggest using 4 cups of milk to start, then you can add more milk at then end to thin it out if necessary.



You can also bake the mac & cheese at this point. Just place in a baking dish and top with a generous sprinkling of cheese (or bread crumbs? or whatever you put on top of baked mac & cheese). Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until cheese has melted and begins to brown. This mac & cheese made a perfect side dish to my pan-fried pork chops.

Once you taste this mac & cheese, you'll be really glad you have a ton of leftovers. K, bye!!

Chili Mac & Cheese.

Holy crap this was good. My boyfriend said it tasted like a really fancy hamburger helper - I say it tasted like heaven. I'm really not sure why, but mine didn't end up looking much like the picture in Cooking Light - but I swear I followed the recipe! And I still can't believe this wasn't a million calories.

What you need...

• 1 teaspoon canola oil


• 3/4 pound light ground beef (or turkey)


• 1 teaspoon garlic powder


• 1 teaspoon ground coriander


• 1 teaspoon ground cumin


• 2 teaspoons chili powder


• 2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth


• 1 cup water


• 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained


• 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni


• 1/2 cup fat-free milk


• 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese


• 4 1/2 ounces finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

How to make it....

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. What is a dutch oven, you ask? I have no idea - just use a big pot! Don't have a big pot? Yeah, I can't find mine either. So just use a medium-sized pot and hope it doesn't boil over...works like a charm (errr...kind of). Add oil to your non-dutch oven. Add beef and next 4 ingredients; cook until browned.



Add broth, water, and tomatoes then bring to a boil.



Stir in macaroni and cover - this is where things get sketchy if you're using a medium-sized pot...but just go with it.



Cook  for 10 minutes or until macaroni is done and all the juices have been absorbed.



Heat milk and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the cheese melts, stirring frequently.



Remove cheesy mixture from the heat and stir in cheddar.



Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture.



Stir until coated evenly.



All joking aside, if these pictures aren't making your mouth water then I think you need to go see a doctor....because I don't think you're a human.



This heavenly creation serves six. Each serving size is 1 cup, containing only 342 calories and 12.3g of fat! Seriously, go make this immediately...if not before. K, byeeee!