Stephanie's Slice Of Life

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  • Tag: mac and cheese

    • Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

      Posted at 12:02 pm by StephMo
      Nov 9th

      Is there anything better than Mac and Cheese? The answer is no, there isn’t. It is the ultimate comfort food. I could eat mac and cheese every day and would not tire of it. If you are feeling a little spicy, why not give that heavenly mixture of macaroni and cheese a little kick with some buffalo sauce.

      This recipe is just a little spin off of the regular mac and cheese recipe that I normally make. It is also a recipe for baked mac and cheese, but if you prefer it unbaked just skip the breadcrumb topping and baking step. I always preferred it baked, but now I am starting to lean more towards unbaked. Either is delicious and I alternate back and forth.

      This is also one of those recipes that I make without measuring everything so please bear with the lack of accurate measurements.

      Now let’s get to that cheesy goodness!

      Ingredients:

      1 lb. pasta

      8 oz. block of cheddar cheese

      4 oz. block pepperjack cheese

      3 cups milk

      Pepper

      Ground mustard

      Shredded chicken

      1/4 cup – 1/2 cup Buffalo sauce

      3/4 cup breadcrumbs

      7 tbsp. butter, divided

      1 tbsp. crumbled blue cheese

      Shred the cheddar and pepperjack cheeses and set aside. I recommend using block cheese and shredding it yourself. You can use pre-shredded cheese, but using block cheese gives it better flavor.

      Shred some cooked chicken, you can use as much as you would like. I am guessing I used about a cup or a cup and a half.

      Start getting the pasta ready to cook. The sauce takes about 10 minutes so gear when to start the pasta based on that.

      Melt 4 tbsp. of butter in a saucepan. Add some pepper and some ground mustard and whisk together. I just sprinkle some in, maybe about two shakes of the ground mustard. You can also use about a tsp. of regular mustard if you don’t have ground mustard.

      Add flour and whisk to create a roux. I don’t measure the flour, I just add some and then add a little more until it becomes the consistency seen in the second photo below. It is really important to constantly whisk during this step.

      Add the milk while whisking well to really incorporate the roux into the milk. Add the buffalo sauce, use as much as you think you would like. I always tend to put less and then have it on the table for people to add more if they prefer. Bring to a low boil while continuing to whisk frequently.

      Once boiled reduce heat to a simmer and add the cheese. Whisk well until all the cheese is melted. As you can see I dropped some cheese on my stove, ooops.

      Keep simmering and whisking frequently until pasta is cooked.

      If you prefer an unbaked mac and cheese, just mix the pasta, chicken and cheese sauce together in the pan and serve.

      If you would like it baked, put half of the pasta and all the chicken into a greased casserole dish. Pour in half of the cheese sauce and stir it together. Look at that yummy cheese!

      Add the rest of the pasta and the rest of the sauce to the casserole. Stir.

      Mix together 3 tbsp. of melted butter with the breadcrumbs and blue cheese. If you like a lot of blue cheese, add more than the 1 tbsp.

      Sprinkle over the top of the casserole and bake covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, and an additional 5-10 minutes uncovered until bubbly.

      Yum, yum, yum.

      So good! Enjoy!

      Posted in Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, Dinners | Tagged buffalo chicken, buffalo chicken mac and cheese, buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe, buffalo mac and cheese, Comfort Food, food blog, food blogger, mac and cheese, mac and cheese recipe, Recipes, stephanie's slice of life
    • Mac And Cheese, Yes Please!

      Posted at 9:26 am by StephMo
      Dec 17th

      If you are anything like me, seeing that picture of melty cheesy goodness over pasta just made your mouth water. Mac and cheese is honestly the most wonderful creation that has ever been created. It is hands down my favorite food group. Yes, I consider it its own food group. It is the true definition of comfort food.

      I am such a lover of mac and cheese than when my daughter was first introduced to it as a baby and she didn’t like it, I actually thought she may have been switched in the hospital. It was not genetically possible for me to have a mac and cheese hating child. Thankfully she came to her senses quickly, and I am happy to say that mac and cheese is now her favorite food as well. Phew!

      Over the years I have played around with how I make it. I have tried different cheeses, different amounts of cheese, different amounts of milk, etc., until I settled on the recipe below.

      I like to use a combination of extra sharp cheddar and gruyere cheeses. I use the entire 8 oz. block of cheddar, and a little more than half of the block of gruyere. It is best to use block cheese, not pre-shredded. I did not shred the cheese for this batch, I just cut the cheese up into small chunks and it melted just as well.

      I start the sauce a few minutes before I put the pasta in to cook. The sauce usually takes about 8-10 minutes. Use a pound of pasta, and any pasta will do. For this classic mac and cheese recipe, I tend to use elbow pasta.

      The first step in making the cheese sauce is to create a roux. A roux is a mixture of flour and fat (butter) to use as a thickener for a sauce. Some recipes I have seen only call for a small amount of flour, but I always use enough to make a very thick roux. I actually added a little more flour after I took the picture below. I have never measured how much flour I use, I just keeping adding small amounts until it gets to the proper consistency.

      Melt 4 tbsp. of butter in a sauce pan over low to medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, and about 1/4 tsp. ground mustard. You can use actual mustard as well, which I have done many times. Whisk in flour constantly until you get a thick roux and cook while whisking for about a minute.

      The important thing to remember is not to stop whisking. The sauce will burn on the bottom very quickly.

      While whisking, add 3 cups of milk until it starts to thicken. It will take about 3-5 minutes. Don’t forget, keep whisking!

      Once your sauce has started to thicken and bubble a little, add the cheese. Keep whisking and cooking until all of the cheese has melted. By now your pasta should be cooked.

      Drain the pasta and pour into a greased casserole dish. Pour that heavenly cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well.

      If you don’t have time to make a baked mac and cheese, you can just add the sauce to the pasta and serve as is. Sometimes I prefer to make an unbaked version, or as we call it “a big bowl of cheesy yummy”. When I am not going to bake it I usually use medium shells pasta, it’s just my personal preference.

      For the crumb topping, melt about 2-3 tbsps. of butter in a bowl, add about a cup of panko bread crumbs, and about 1 tbsp. of grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the top to cover all of the pasta. Bake at 350 degrees covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes until bubbly and the crumbs start to brown.

      Then dig in! Nom, nom nom!

      Posted in Dinners, Macaroni and Cheese | Tagged blog, cheese, Comfort Food, food blog, food blogger, mac and cheese, mac and cheese recipe, mac n cheese, mac n cheese recipe, my slice of life blog, recipe blog, Recipes
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