Macaroni and Cheese
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a package of several different cuts of meat from a local butcher. Tonight I finally tackled the pork chops! I had a major craving for some homemade mac and cheese, so the chops ended up just seasoned with salt, pepper, and sage, then panfried. I made a quick sauce by deglazing the pan with white wine, adding some chicken broth and minced onions, then reducing the sauce and finishing with some butter.
The main feature of tonight's dinner, though, was definitely the mac and cheese. I used to be a Velveeta girl when it came to mac and cheese, but somewhere along the line (thank you, Alton Brown!), my tastes grew up. Here's my stand-by recipe. I haven't quite gotten it to the point of creaminess after baking, so I keep tweaking it. Tonight I tried adding 2 oz of cream cheese, which did seem to help the texture a bit.
One-Pot Baked Mac and Cheese
8 oz Barilla Plus elbow noodles
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 T powdered mustard
1/2 tsp salt
3 c. 2% milk
2 bay leaves
1/2 medium onion, small dice
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded, to sprinkle on top
Fill an ovenproof (no plastic handles) 3qt pot to within 1" of the top with water. Bring to a boil. Cook the elbow noodles 10 minutes, then drain. Put a lid on the colander to help keep the noodles from drying out too much. Put the pot back on the stove on medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the flour. Stir and cook until golden brown, then add the mustard and salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, just to take the edge off. Pour in the milk while whisking briskly, then return to a medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until it starts to thicken, then reduce to very low. Add the bay leaves and onion, cover, and leave on a very low simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F if you want to bake it for 30 minutes, or 325F if you need to leave it in for an hour.
Remove the sauce from the heat, and take out the bay leaves. Stir in the 8 oz of cheddar, then fold in the cooled noodles. Sprinkle the 4 oz on top, and put the whole pot in the oven, uncovered. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or at 325F for 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
NOTE: Try mixing in some cream cheese, subbing some of the cheddar with Monterrey Jack, or using another creamy-textured cheese to help smooth out the texture.
The main feature of tonight's dinner, though, was definitely the mac and cheese. I used to be a Velveeta girl when it came to mac and cheese, but somewhere along the line (thank you, Alton Brown!), my tastes grew up. Here's my stand-by recipe. I haven't quite gotten it to the point of creaminess after baking, so I keep tweaking it. Tonight I tried adding 2 oz of cream cheese, which did seem to help the texture a bit.
One-Pot Baked Mac and Cheese
8 oz Barilla Plus elbow noodles
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 T powdered mustard
1/2 tsp salt
3 c. 2% milk
2 bay leaves
1/2 medium onion, small dice
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded, to sprinkle on top
Fill an ovenproof (no plastic handles) 3qt pot to within 1" of the top with water. Bring to a boil. Cook the elbow noodles 10 minutes, then drain. Put a lid on the colander to help keep the noodles from drying out too much. Put the pot back on the stove on medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the flour. Stir and cook until golden brown, then add the mustard and salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, just to take the edge off. Pour in the milk while whisking briskly, then return to a medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until it starts to thicken, then reduce to very low. Add the bay leaves and onion, cover, and leave on a very low simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F if you want to bake it for 30 minutes, or 325F if you need to leave it in for an hour.
Remove the sauce from the heat, and take out the bay leaves. Stir in the 8 oz of cheddar, then fold in the cooled noodles. Sprinkle the 4 oz on top, and put the whole pot in the oven, uncovered. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or at 325F for 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
NOTE: Try mixing in some cream cheese, subbing some of the cheddar with Monterrey Jack, or using another creamy-textured cheese to help smooth out the texture.