Playing favorites...
Playing favorites...
...and white macaroni and cheese
Hi friends! Today I bring you a little public service announcement for the week - It’s okay to play favorites. (Within reason - food yes, kids no.)
Here’s what I mean - Planning what to eat for dinner every night is hard, even for someone who loves to plan, and cook, and be in the kitchen (ahem, me). Sometimes we just get stuck thinking of ideas, and I have to remind myself that it doesn’t have to be new and exciting all the time.
So, I’m here to advocate for the fall back meals, the family favorites, and the dinners you can just throw in when you don’t have a clue, but you know everyone loves “that” and who cares if you just made it last week (and might make it again next week).
It’s part of the reason Taco Tuesday is so popular. I mean yes, tacos!, but also it takes the decision making out of dinner for at least one day a week. Our brains are exhausted by all the decisions we make over the course of the day, and the predictibility of knowing what’s for dinner is like a sigh of relief. Same goes with Pizza Night. Or the people who roast a chicken every week (looking at you, Ina Garten).
At our house, it’s probably pasta. Any pasta and any night of the week usually works, but each week during my planning, I know one night is pasta night. And I know we’ll all be happy about it! Maybe last week I did red sauce, so this week it will be alfredo. Or last time was chicken, so this time is sausage. Any way I look at it, pasta + salad + garlic bread = dinner is done!
This week’s recipe is for a White Mac ‘n Cheese that is a definite family favorite and also tends to make it’s way into our rotation fairly often. It’s rich and creamy (thanks to a killer combo of cheeses), and seems to go with everything. You can even change it up to keep it interesting or make it a full meal!
My favorite variations:
Chicken Bacon Mac ‘ Cheese - add shredded chicken and crumbled bacon, BBQ sauce for drizzling is a must!
Cheeseburger Mac ‘n Cheese - add browned ground beef and onions (pickles optional).
French Onion Mac ‘n Cheese - change part of the cheese to gruyere and add a layer of caramelized onions to the middle.
A few more notes - For me, macaroni actually means any short-medium noodle. Rarely do I use an actual macaroni; I just love fun pasta shapes! Also, you can change the cheeses to regular Velveeta with a mixture of cheddar and colby jack for a traditional yellow mac ‘n cheese. Oh, and it freezes really well! I love to split this recipe between two pans and do my “one for now, one for later” or “one for me, and one for you” thing.
That’s all for this week, so here’s to family favorites, and dinners on repeat, and making planning easy at least once in a while!
MONDAY - Smoked Sausage, Hashbrown, and Veggie Sheet Pan
Trying someething new with sliced smoked sausage, frozen cubed hashbrowns, onions, and peppers all on a sheet pan. (Testing to see if this would be a good easy meal for the cooking class I help teach!) Also wondering if a fried egg would be good on top…
TUESDAY - Shredded Pork Tacos
A pork shoulder roast does great in the slow cooker and always comes out so tender and easily shred-able. I have both corn tortillas and flour tortillas and all the toppings for a “make-it-your-way” dinner.
WEDNESDAY - Meatballs and Orzo Pasta
I like to keep a stash of homemade meatballs in the freezer for easy meals. This one will pair turkey meatballs and a creamy tomato orzo with fresh parmesan and basil scattered over the top. (Finally back to being able to run outside and clip fresh herbs, woo hoo!)
THURSDAY - Chicken and Twice Baked Potatoes
Chicken with a sweet and smoky rub can go on the grill or in the oven (weather dependent), and twice baked potatoes can be made ahead for a side dish everyone loves.
FRIDAY - Friday night pick-up!
SATURDAY - Dinner at Yaya’s (the in-law’s!)
Fire pit and hot dog roast! And she always makes sure to have those big square marshmallows for our s’mores!
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s
He got a new grill that needs to be tested out! Marinated chicken thighs, eggplant slices, and sweet bell peppers will all go on together with a salad on the side.
LUNCHES for this week -
I’ve been eating on the curried chicken salad I tested last week, and when that runs out, I’ll probably just grab some vegetable soup from the freezer. (Hot tip-when you make soup, portion some of it in single-serve portions for easy “defrost and heat” lunches!)
EXTRAS for this week
Doing some cooking this week for a cousin who just had a baby! Time to load them up with a few goodies. Thinking about some baked goods and some dinner things that all either be eaten this week or put away in the freezer for later. Right now my list has blueberry muffins, pork tenderloin + mac ‘n cheese, meatballs + marinara, baked chicken breasts, and shortbread cookies.
White Macaroni and Cheese
Makes one 9x11 casserole.
· 1 lb Cavitappi (corkscrew) Pasta, or shells, or another fun shape!
· 4 tablespoons Butter
· 6 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
· 1 cup Heavy Cream
· 3 cups Whole Milk
· 6 ounces White American Cheese, cubed (from deli counter or White Velveeta)
· 8 ounce block White Cheddar, shredded
· 8 ounce block Fontina, shredded (or Gouda, not smoked)
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· ¼ teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 and arrange a rack in the middle position. Coat a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
In a medium size bowl, mix together shredded white cheddar and fontina cheeses. Remove 2 cups of shredded and set aside for topping the casserole.
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan (2-quart or larger), melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is bubbling, whisk in the flour and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Slowly whisk in the cream and milk a little bit at a time, stirring and waiting for the sauce to thicken each time before adding more liquid. Once all the liquid has been added, stir constantly and wait for the sauce to just come to a slight bubble. It will not be very thick.
Remove from heat and stir in cubed white American cheese. Then stir in the shredded white cheddar and fontina (not the part you set aside for the top!). Stir until melted and smooth.
Combine the cooked pasta and cheese sauce. It will seem too runny, that’s ok! Let the pasta and sauce sit for about 10 minutes (it will thicken a little), then pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Top with reserved shredded cheese.
Place casserole in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes until bubbling around the edges and starting to brown on top. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
To make ahead: Complete all the steps through topping the mac ‘n cheese with the extra cheese. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Follow the above baking instructions increasing baking time to 45 minutes to one hour.
Other NOTES: This can easily be divided between a couple of smaller casserole dishes and also freezes really well. Just thaw overnight before following baking instructions.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all my past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)