Smoky Macaroni & Cheese

Husband Taste Rating: ***1/2  

"Could use more cayenne pepper.  Some bites are really flavorful, some not so much.  Good though!"

I found this recipe online and decided to try it out.  Gotta use up that smoked Gouda from the other day.  I followed the recipe exactly for the first time.

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) package elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

5 1/2 cups milk, divided

2 1/2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used sharp)

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

olive oil

Step One:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step Two:

Fill a pot with lightly-salted water and bring to a boil.  Stir the macaroni into the water and return to a boil.  Cook and occasionally stir until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm.  About 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Step Three:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk continually for 1 to 2 minutes to make a roux.  Whisk 2 cups of the milk into the roux until smooth and then add the remaining milk.  Raise the heat to medium-high and continue cooking and stirring until thickened, but not boiling.

Step Four:

Stir the Gouda, Cheddar, Swiss, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese into the mixture.

Step Five:

Once the cheeses have melted completely, fold the drained macaroni into the mixture to coat.  Pour the macaroni mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Step Six:

Stir 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl; sprinkle over the macaroni.  Drizzle the olive oil over the bread crumbs.

Step Seven:

Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting

Smoked Gouda & Italian Sausage Pasta

Husband Taste Rating: ****

"Could use more green onions.  I love green onions!"

This recipe is what we call "old reliable" in our house.  Super easy to make.  Cheap ingredients. Delicious.  One of the best parts is that there's no strict recipe.  You can freely adjust ingredients according to your own taste.  Here is how I do it.

Ingredients: 

1 box bow-tie pasta
Italian salad dressing
1 package sweet Italian sausage
2 small tomatoes (diced) or a handful of cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 bundle green onions
4 oz. of smoked gouda cheese (any kind of smoked cheese will do)

Step One:

Start boiling water in a small kettle.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

Step Two:

While pasta is cooking, fry sausage in large deep pan until browned.

Step Three:

While pasta and sausage are cooking, chop tomatoes, onions and dice cheese.  Mix together in a small mixing bowl.

Step Four:

Once sausage is browned, mix in tomatoes, onions, and cheese.  Add Italian dressing.  There is no specific measurement.  Add until ingredients are lightly coated.  You can always add more to taste later.

Step Five:

Pasta should be done by now.  Drain and add to the pan.  Mix well.  Add more Italian dressing to your taste preference.  Enjoy!

What's 4 Supper?

The question I probably hear most often in my house.... What's for dinner?  What's for supper?  Have you thought about dinner yet?  No matter how it's phrased, we all probably hear it more than we want to.  For women and men that work all day, sometimes the last thing you want to do when you get home is cook.

As a result, sometimes I find myself just "throwing in a pizza." I've decided no more!  We need more home-cooked meals in our house.  I figured I would start this blog for people like myself to share easy recipes that we can use on nights when we just "can't."

If you have recipes to share with me, feel free!  I will be posting my successes and my failures as well as my husband's rating for each recipe.  He's a picky eater, so we can trust him to give an honest review.