A new mac and cheese variation for us

So its been a very long time since we posted, and frankly I don't know if anyone is following this at all but I thought it was time to add a new recipe. It's true that we have posted mac and cheese recipes before, but for what some might consider a simple food, to us it is most certainly not. This recipe is something of a ode to sandra lee's semi-homemade, someone who I am really not a fan of, but its her concept so credit where credit is due. This dish plays on some of our earlier mac and cheese variations, using greens to create a more complex flavor while still maintaining its classic down home soul food roots.

Semi-homemade baked mac and cheese

1 package of elbow macaroni
3 - 4 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
1 can of broccoli and cheese soup
1/2 cup of shredded Wisconsin cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 TBS of butter
1/4 cup of corn meal
1/2 cup of milk or condensed milk
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1-2 TBS of capers

Bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta, stir, and when reached the desired texture drain. Its best to leave it a little chewy because its going to continue cooking in the oven. Chop the spinach and the garlic. Bring a med. sauce pan to a med heat, allowing the butter to brown slightly. Add the spinach and garlic, and lower to temperature so the garlic does not burn. When the spinach has cooked down, add the can of soup. Continue to stir the mixture as you add the milk, letting the ingredients blend. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste. When the liquids have reached a simmer, turn off the heat, and then add the cheeses, keeping a small amount of the parm aside to put on top. When the cheese has melted, add it to the pasta. Let that set for a minute or two, while you butter the sides of the container you are using to bake it in. I suggest glassware, as it conductes heat well and is easy to clean. Once the sides are coated in the butter, add half of the cornmeal tossing it around to coat the butter. This will create a great crust for the mac and cheese. Add the mac and cheese mixture into the dish, and toss the rest of the cornmeal and parm on top.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and allow the dish to cook for 20-25 minutes or untill golden brown.

This is one great dish, and the leftovers just get better.

eat and enjoy!

Mac and cheese with a green flair

Dinner: Mac and cheese with a green flare.
1/2 box of pasta, we used shells, though anything similar would work
1/3- 1/2 pound of fresh string beans. canned just won't have the same crunch to them.
1/3 pound of peas. these do not need to be fresh, frozen works just as well.
2-3 large shallots
~1/2 cup of milk. we used skim and it worked great
1/2 cup of shredded mild cheddar cheese
~ 1/2 of gruyere cheese
black pepper,garlic powder to taste
2-3 shakes of tabasco sauce (to taste)
enough bread crumbs to cover the surface of it.

Cook the pasta. I don't think that really needs instructions. In the meantime start another pot of water. You don't need a lot, you just need enough to cover the green beans to blance them. Once the water is boiling toss in the green beans and let them cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Fill a bowl that can hold the beans with some ice water. This will shock the beans so they will stop cooking. While you are waiting for that, its a good time to start on the shallots. In pan heat some oil or butter and toss the thinly cut shallots in. Let them cook and brown. Once browned, toss in the cooked green beans (cut into thirds) and the defrosted peas. Add a table spoon or so more of oil to help coat everything. Now its time to add the pasta. (We ended up cooking this in the pan, but you can just as easily put it in a dish for baking it in the oven.) If you are doing it in the pan add the pasta first, if not then just create the cheese sauce first. Mix the pasta in the pan, tossing it with the vegtables. Lower the heat to low, and slowly add the milk. Continue to stir it, while adding in the cheeses, allowing them to melt and coat the veggies and the pasta. When the cheese is finally melted and evenly coated, its time to coat the top with breadcrumbs for that nice crunchy crust. When coated then either let it sit on the stove for another few minutes on the low heat, or place it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 for a really nice crunch.

Eat and Enjoy!