Holy Mac n Cheese

Wow! Just found this great website and will definitely have to visit Houston sometime in the near future!! Jus Mac via damnthatlooksgood.com

Looks right up my alley with all that cheesy goodness!!!

Melt melt melt.

Very excited, going to do fondue! At the Melting Pot. It is my all time favorite place to eat. I love the idea of an interactive meal!  My fiance' and I are treating ourselves as well as doing good for children for the holidays. We donated $20 to St. Jude's Children's Hospital and got $40 worth of yummy melting pot goodness! I am looking forward to Wednesday night, and will post pictures! Yum!

And I ate.... and ate some more.

So, I decided to try to be creative this holiday season and make something out of the ordinary. There are always constants in our house that, if they go missing, are whined about and MUST be there.  This year, we had all the "staples", but I added, yes, you guessed it, extra cheese. I made a delicious cauliflour casserole that was the hit of the evening!!!

The only problem, is that I improvised the recipe, as it called for gruyere cheese. Have you seen the price? I was not spending $16 on cheese for a casserole for holiday dinner. I used Dubliner cheese instead.

Yum. It had great shredding quality and melted like a charm. 

Recipe:

Bring 3 quarts of water to boil. Salt liberally.
Chop 2 large bunches of cauliflour into large pieces, and add to salty water. Cook until al dente.
Set aside.

2 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp butter - create a roux.
I used 1.5 packages of dubliner, and shredded it.
Add 1/2 cup milk to the roux, whisk well until it is a light paste.
Add cheese, a little at a time, and whisk until a creamy cheese sauce is acheived.
Add 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, salt and pepper (to taste)

Mix together with cauliflour, and add to two greased baking dishes or casserole dishes

Sprinkle panko on top.

350 for 25 minutes.

Bon appetite'!

xoxo

Panera Mac N Cheese

Okay, I really can't contain myself when I go to Panera. I have to get the mac n cheese every time. For those who want to make it at home (it really does work), here is the recipe!!

~12 ounces pasta shells (one box)

~4 tablespoons butter

~8 tablespoons flour

~2 cups milk

~6-8 ounces of grated Vermont White Cheddar cheese (obviously 8 ounces for me, the more the better)

~1 ounce grated American cheese

Boil the pasta shells until slightly undercooked.

Melt 4 tbs of butter with 8 tablespoons of flour to make a rue. Slowly add the 2 cups of milk, constantly stirring. Keep over low to medium heat until the sauces thickens.

Add grated Vermont White Cheddar slowly to sauce (keeping over medium heat). The cheese will melt as you stir it in. Add the American cheese after adding all the white cheddar.

Combine the pasta and cheese sauce, pour into a well-greased baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until bubbly and turning slightly golden.

YUM!

Welcome!

Welcome to my first blog. I plan on giving a glimpse into my life, my love of cheese, and anything extra that may interest me!