Friday, March 8, 2013

Mac & Cheese with Lindi Peterson


Hello Yankee Belle Cafe!!

Lindi Peterson here and I'm thrilled to be a guest on the YB cafe. I've visited before, but never been asked to the kitchen. What an awesome place. Smells good in here.

Okay-now I'm hungry!

First I have to say, I hope Speedbo is going amazing for those who are participating. Nothing like writing fast and furious to reach the end. It's a great feeling.

I'm here to share the easiest, no-fuss, homemade, delicious macaroni and cheese recipe n the world.

Yes, in the world!!

It's easy because it takes no time at all to prepare. How long does it take to boil macaroni? That's the prep time.

So, this is how we start. The ingredients. Photo please!


From the left: 4 cups shredded fiesta blend cheese, 1 can cheddar cheese soup, 1 box 16 oz macaroni, 1 egg, 1/4 to 1/2 stick of butter, 1 can evaporated milk, and 1 cup of regular milk.

Okay--those are all your ingredients. Please don't make the mistake my son-in-law made and buy sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk--doesn't make for great mac n cheese.

First step: Boil water and add the macaroni.



Second step: While macaroni is boiling, beat the egg.


Third step: Mix the beaten egg, the condensed milk, the real milk and the soup together in a mixing bowl. I use a whisk to make sure everything is mixed really well.


Fourth step: Then I add 3 cups of the cheese.


When you are finished you should have a mixture that looks like this:


Now this process should have taken you no time, so now you are waiting for your macaroni to finish boiling. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of tea, take a sip and relax for a few. (Imagine! A recipe where you get to relax and think about that next scene you are going to write!)

Okay--back to cooking here. Step 5: Pour macaroni into Crockpot. (Gotta love Crockpots!)


Step 6: Pour your cheesy mixture that you just whisked on top of the macaroni.


Stir the mixture into the macaroni.


Now add your butter. (You don't have to stir it in. It will melt ooy-gooy into the mixture as it cooks. :) This is where you can add salt and pepper if you'd like--however much you see fit!


Remember, we still have 1 cup of cheese reserved, right?


After the mac and cheese has been cooking for 3 hours on low, give it a good stir and add the 1 cup of cheese on top, cover and cook 1 more hour. (I find that if it cooks much longer than the 4 hours it will start to dry--don't ask how I found that out.:))

See the cross that hangs from my cabinet? YB gal Mindy sent that to me for Christmas one year. I love it and think of her daily when I'm in my kitchen.

Finished product!  Yes--you are now officially done! (Except for watching the clock!)

I do not have a finished product photo. Crazy, I know, but imagine a yummy heaping of mac and cheese on your plate. Hey, I had to put you to work somehow--this recipe is so easy!

And the cool part about this recipe? You can add chopped ham or cooked ground beef to make it a meaty meal. You can switch up the cheese and soup to have a different taste. One of my favorites is to use cream of mushroom soup with sharp cheddar cheese. I found that if you use only mild cheddar it can taste a little bland which is why I use the fiesta blend cheese.

I've also used pepper-jack cheese for a spicy blend.

Use your imagination, (and I know you have one--you are writers!) to make this easy-peasy, awesome-blossom tasting mac and cheese many different ways.

Good luck with speedbo--stay out of the kitchen, and let me know if you try this and how it comes out.

Seriously--approximately 15 minutes kitchen time for a yummy meal--can't beat that.

YB Gals--thanks for having me!






18 comments:

  1. Hi, Lindy, and welcome to the cafe!

    I love, love, love crock pot meals! And my family loves mac and cheese (of course, I do too). This is definitely going on next week's menu. Thanks!

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  2. I am seriously in love with this idea of crock pot mac and cheese, and I'm planning it for this coming week. Dave loves mac and cheese, homemade, but I like mine a little gooier.... and I think this will be perfect, Lindi!!!

    And I'm so psyched that you're here.... Oh my gosh, I just feel like throwing a party, first Pepper, now you, and a host of fun cooks this month.

    This is AWESOME!!!!!

    Thank you, Lindi!!!!

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  3. I can attest that this is amazing! I was at the grocery store having Lindi text me the ingredients and recipe a year ago or so and have made it many times since then. My kids LOVE it!

    Lindi, thanks for sharing!

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  4. Hi Ruthy and Missy! Thanks again for having me here. Ruth, I know your family will love this! I got this recipe from a guy at work when we had a Thanksgiving luncheon where everyone brought a dish. He gave me the recipe..it's on a yellow post-it note in my drawer, but I know it by heart now.

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  5. Yum, I love mac and cheese and this is a totally different recipe from any that I've seen before. Definitely adding the ingredients to my grocery list. One question though -- what is fiesta cheese?

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  6. Hi Kav--It's the Mexican blend cheeses. Usually a 4 cheese blend. You can use whatever kind of cheese you want. I like the 4 cheese blend because I like the flavor. If you have a favorite use it and let us know how it turns out. Like I mentioned, I've done this recipe several different ways.

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  7. LINDI!!!!!!! Hugs, girl.

    I love this recipe. It's so easy. And it's great for feeding the masses.

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  8. Mindy!! HI there, friend!! Miss you much. Will chat soon. :)

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  9. Seriously!!!! This looks amazing. I cannot believe you eat it though. Me. Yes. But you are like a third of me. Mini me.

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  10. Tina--hello!! Girl, I will fast lunch for a week to eat this--it's a give and take thing. It's kind of like the reason I was always hungry on WW....because you can eat 1 bag of potato chips, or an abundance of celery and carrots. Hello chips!

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  11. Oh, I'm laughing at this fun exchange... Trade-offs. Life is all about dietary trade-offs, isn't it?

    But this melty/cheesy-goodness.

    Oh mylanta, I'm in heaven.

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  12. Lindi and I have a similar weakness in life. BREAD. Y'all should watch us at a conference sometime. Just watch us go for seconds on the bread. Oh, and the butter! LOL

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  13. Ruth--Missy is right. We scope out the table for those who aren't eating bread so we can have theirs. Or, if everyone seems to be a bread eater you'll catch us trying to flag down the waitstaff. :) Good times. And I'll trade the bread for dessert.

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    Replies
    1. I'll give you my bread and take the dessert. Any day.

      Mmm....

      dessert.

      :)

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  14. Bread is the staff of life, Missy, but Mac and cheese is a close second. Thank you for this crockpot approach, Lindi! Can't wait to try it!

    Piper

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  15. Hi Piper--Let me know when you do. :) You'll love it, I'm sure.

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  16. Oh my gosh, I'm going to die of yearning now. I haven't ahd home made mac and cheese for about 18 years!!

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  17. Virginia--18 years!! Oh my! You must make this. No one should be deprived of home made mac n cheese. Ever.

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