BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE

(worth the effort)

FROM THE PANTRY

2 C Macaroni pasta

1/3 C flour

1/2 t Dry mustard

1 t salt

1/2 t Black pepper

1/4 t Cayenne pepper

1/3 C Panko bread crumbs (topping)

A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

 (I used Great Value,. It's not nearly as good as Lea & Perrins so don't buy it)

A few dashes of Louisiana hot sauce

FROM THE FRIG!

10oz Grated, good quality, extra sharp Cheddar Cheese

( I use Kraft, don't use Great Value, it sucks)

4 T Butter

1/2 C Sour cream

2 C Milk

THE PASTA

It's pretty simple. In a large pot bring about 6 qts of water to a rolling boil

Add your pasta and about a tablespoon of salt.

Return it to a boil and cook until al dente.

Drain and return to pan.

When the pasta is done you will probably have the sauce ready.

IN THE MEAN TIME

As soon as I put my pasta water on to boil, I'm working on the sauce.

Melt the butter over medium heat. As soon as it's melted add the flour and incorporate the flour the butter till you have a roux.

Add the milk and whisk it well.  As the temperature comes heats back up you sauce will thicken.  So stick around and stir it occasionally. Add the rest of your dry ingredients, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

When your sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, it's ready for the cheese.

Add 2/3 of your cheese, reserving the rest for the top.

The cheese will melt in quickly and then it will be ready for the pasta.

Your cheese sauce should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter.

If it's thicker or seems too thick use a little milk to thin it out.

If you don't you will have an end product that is too thick and pasty.

LET'S MINGLE

Add your cheese sauce to your pasta and the 1/2 C of sour cream.

Blend it all together till it is uniform in appearance.

Spray a little Non-stick in a 9x12 casserole dish and pour it in. Now sprinkle your panko bread and the rest of your cheese.

It will look a little runny but that's ok. The pasta will drink up some of cheese sauce. Mmm!

BAKE IT!

In a preheated 350 degree oven,  Slide that baby in there and let it cook for about 30 to 40 minutes,

Your eyes and nose though are you best tools for doneness! So when it's bubbly and a little golden on top.  Pull it out!  Let it cool for about 20 or 30 minutes so it will set and you don't burn the snot out of your palate.

Well, there ya have it!  It might seem a little time consuming but it really isn't.

As I made this today, I had to take the extra steps to measure everything because I really don't measure much and it took me 35 minutes to prepare this and get it in the oven.

I hope you enjoy it!

God Bless!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Occassionally I get in the mood for a little something extra in my Mac N Cheese. There is nothing better than slicing fresh ripe summer tomatoes and putting a layer on your casserole before the bread crumbs and cheese.   Thawed, frozen broccoli mixed in.... very good.  BUT....adding a 1/2 a cup of Stilton Blue cheese and a 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese makes for a cheese lovers, savory Mac n cheese,

I love to constantly tweak my recipes.  I really think there is always room for improvement.  I have been cooking since I was a kid.  I come from a family that always cooked and we cooked a diverse menu.  Moving to the south when I was a teenager opened more doors and more flavors.  My newest influence is Louisiana cooking.  We do love Cajun cuisine!  My sister is married to a great guy born and raised in southern Louisiana and an avid sportsman.  We always look forward to sharing a meal with them or his family.  I believe my brother in law's Crawfish Stew is to die for. I am now striving to learn Cajun recipes.

I'm still trying to master my mother in laws Southern style chicken and dumplings, she has 60 plus years of experience on me though. Her dumplings just melt in your mouth.  I still cannot quite get that effect but my husband enjoys my every attempt.
A few of my specialties include but are not limited too.... Spaghetti, Homemade pizza, CHILI (I make the best!), meatloaf (my stepson swears by) and yeast breads.

Influences growing up made for a less than boring family menu.  My birth mother was Japanese and although she passed away at the age of 30 my father managed to teach me some of the favorites we enjoyed.  My fathers side of the family is of Bohemian and Moravian decent and my step mother of Scottish.

Growing up my grandmother sparked my interest in cooking.  From the time I was old enough to sit on her counter she was teaching me.  She inspired in me a passion for things.  Jesus, cooking, nature and family times.



Pineapple Upside Down Cake




De boned chicken stuffed with rice, cornbread dressing and smoked sausage, prepped.



Cooked!

Homemade Pizza, prepped

Cajun Chicken Potpie, Southern style

*MEATLOAF*

I think meatloaf has gotten a bad reputation over the years.  Possibly because public schools thought they could make good meatloaf. If this is something that is not a regular at your house, maybe you should reconsider.  You can make days or weeks in advance and freeze it for a rainy day. It is also a budget meal. One thing you have to remember is that everything in your meatloaf recipe is not a constant.  Meatloaf is usually an end of the week meal of what is leftover or what remains in the pantry.

Here's my basic rules for meatloaf. How ever many people you want to feed will determine how many pounds of meat to use and if you want a leftover meatloaf sandwich for lunch the next day.

Ground meat - I use a blend of 3 types, 2 minimum.  I  use a choice of ground venison, ground beef, ground pork and ground turkey. Say I'm making a 2LB meatloaf (precook weight) I would use 1 LB of venison (because it's lean) and 1/2 LB of pork and 1/2 LB of turkey. I let my meat sit out on the counter for a least 30 minutes before I start.  It makes it easier to blend.

To that I add...

1 slice of bread soaked in 2/3 c of milk

1/2 c raw oats/oatmeal

1 lg egg, beaten

1/2 c chopped onion

2 cloves garlic crushed

1t dried parsley

1/2 t basil

1/2 t celery seed

1 T Worcestershire sauce

S&P to taste

(increase this by half for a 3lb and double for 4lb)

NOW...

Anything beyond that as far as taste is up to your palate. My mother would always add canned diced tomatoes and bacon to hers.  Some times I might add some leftover veggies like greens or corn. There is no right or wrong with flavors, it's whatever you like.

THE MAKING

So...after I have determined what I want in this particular meatloaf I blend it by hand.  I put latex gloves on for easy clean up. Try to blend it gently and don't over do it.  Too much mixing will make it hard or kind of rubbery like in texture. You just want to incorporate everything.  It should be firm, moist and hold it's shape.  IF its seems too dry, add milk.  If it seems to loose, add bread or bread crumbs.

THE TOPPING

Here again this is as versatile as your taste buds. My husband prefers a BBQ type topping.  I'm pretty much ok with anything but here are my usual pairings..

1/2 c ketchup & 1/2 BBQ sauce

1/2 c ketchup & 1/2 Heinz 57

Orange Chipotle BBQ sauce

Honey Mustard

Just ketchup

Just BBQ sauce, either a sweet and spicy or a tangy

 (I use Sweet Baby Ray's or Cattleman's)

OR

Plain w/ Brown gravy on the side

*I DO NOT PUT ALL OF MY GLAZE ON BEFORE  I COOK IT.  I USUALLY PUT ON HALF AND THEN RE COAT IT THE LAST 15 TO 20 MINUTES IT'S IN THE OVEN.

THE COOKING OF THE MEATLOAF

Please do not get out your meatloaf pan.  The only thing you should use your meatloaf pan for is baking bread.  If you want greasy, mushy meatloaf ...then by all means break it out.  If you want firm, moist and tasty meatloaf, get out your cookie sheet and cover it with foil (easy clean up) and lightly spray it with Non-stick spray.

Dump your mixture out on it and gently form it into a loaf.  I find that taller is more important that wider.  You want your meatloaf to about 3 to 4 inches or so tall, precooked.

IN THE OVEN IT GOES

I usually cook meatloaf at about 350 to 375 till juices run clear and you have an internal temp of 155 to 160...about 45 minutes to an hour..give or take.  I really don't time mine.  My nose and eyes tell me it's done.

While it's cooking...if you notice that you are getting too much fat in pan..say you used a deep baking sheet and maybe the the meat had a higher fat content.  I pull it out and pour off some of it into a bowl....gravy base ( ;

In a nutshell that's about it.  I cannot recall ever getting a complaint from my family on meatloaf night. I have however completely screwed one or two up that my dogs thoroughly enjoyed.  So play with it some till you get a the hang of it.

** I cannot find my meatloaf picture?!? So I will post a picture of my next one. Shouldn't be too far away.

Mini Muffaletta's

Homemade Bread