Mac me some CHEESE!

Macaroni and cheese. Mmmm. Really, is there anything better? Well, I DON'T know as I cannot find a recipe I like!! I used to have one that I grew up on... my grandma's recipe. But my husband doesn't like it- states its too 'eggy'.  It involved two eggs, a whole brick of Cracker Barrel cheese and evaporated milk. Growing up, I loved it.  

When you get married, though, you have to adapt to the loves and hates of the family members. I make it every now and then just as a comfort reminder.  Since then, I have been on the search for THE recipe. I do make my own- I'm borrowing a picture from another blogger, Cooking Tip of the Day, as I made their version the other night.  Well, I should say I made their IDEA.

They used kielbasa in theirs, I used sausage tips. They used shells, I used traditional elbows. They also made their own sauce (roux) and I have given up on that. Mine always turns out grainy, no matter how much I whisk. So, instead,  I just grated up every cheese I could find (Monterey, Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar), then went for it. 

Here is what I did and no, I don't have my own picture because my family ate it all. Animals. 

1. Cook almost 16 ounces of elbows (I think I used about 10 ounces. A full pound is just too much)
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage tips in a 350 degree oven until browned to your liking. Drain, then cut into pieces.
3. Place about 2 tablespoons of butter in a bowl. Pour hot, drained pasta over it. Stir (yeah baby!)
4. Add handfuls and handfuls of cheese. Stir.  Pour about 1/4 cup of milk or cream over mixture. Stir
5. Salt and peppa!!! (Pepper.. seriously, no nutmeg. what is up with that?). Mix in sausage
6. Grease a casserole dish. Pour mixture in and then top with more and more cheese.
7. Lastly, top with buttered panko crumbs. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, then gently broil the top until brown.

Delish!!!
Please share your recipes with me and if you have a blog, I'll link your goodness if you link mine!
 Happy Eating!!

Baby's Baking Bacon!

When you live with a warped stove top, you have to become creative when it comes to making food that would traditionally be fried, sauteed, etc.  Now, anyone who knows me knows I love bacon. I do- its a fact. 

What I don't love is frying it. Its messy, its a pain, and I never can get it even because of my concave stove top.

So.. I bake it. I've perfected this technique and its pretty simple. 

1. Line a baking pan with silicon baking mat
2. Heat oven to 375
3. Lay strips of bacon on the prepped pan
4. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then remove. 
5. Flip all pieces over, then bake another 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on it toward the end to make sure its not getting burned (each oven is calibrated differently, so err on the side of caution).
6. Remove. Drain. Inhale

You're welcome.

So Latke-Like

Where has the time gone? I haven't blogged since summer! This is not acceptable! So, I'm back.. and with a double posting on a beautiful Sunday!!

I woke up this morning and was out of sorts. No real reason, really, just not feeling my chipper self. Cooking something was the answer and for whatever reason, I wanted bacon and latkes. These two would never be traditionally served together- I get that so let it go. Please.

After reading a few recipes for traditional latkes, I did what I do best and just winged it.  Started with peeling and shredding three potatoes:

I shredded in half an onion, then put the combined mixture into a sieve to drain. Took out some aggression by hand squeezing as well. Try to get as much moisture out as possible before adding in an egg, salt, pepper and about a tablespoon of AP flour:

Mmmm.  Now its time fry. 

Notice something odd here? TWO of the potato patties are in oil- the third is just hanging out in a dry pan!! This is my horrific dilemma- my stove top is WARPED!!! Its a masterful of tip the pan to get these bad boys done.. I digress.. sorry.

TADA!

Finished up and it was eaten up!! Happy Sunday! Baking bacon coming next....