Birthdays, Family and Comforting Mac n Cheese

Mindy here, and as you may or may not know by now, I had rotator cuff surgery almost two weeks ago. Since then, I've been adapting to life with the use of only one arm and, believe it or not, I can still do most things, only in a different way and not quite as quickly. Except for hair. I think I mentioned last week that doing anything other than brushing your hair is virtually impossible with one hand. Fortunately, hubby has been quite the trooper.

This is me grating cheese. Normally I would use do this task with my right hand, but since that arm is now in a sling, it's only there for support while my left hand does all the work.

 Why was I grating cheese?

So I could make mac n cheese, of course.

My birthday was last week, so my family treated me to some of my favorite foods.

Beef brisket from my favorite barbeque restaurant, jalapeno tater tots, deviled eggs, barbeque beans and macaroni and cheese.

Now that's some comfort food, right there.

And since my oldest daughter wasn't able to make it, I had to make her mac n cheese myself, because it is now my go-to recipe for the ultimate comfort food.

Here's what you'll need for this yummy dose of comfort:

8 oz. Velveeta, cubed

8 oz. Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp cheese, grated (for whatever reason, the flavor this lends is superior to regular extra sharp cheese)

1 can condensed Cheddar Cheese soup

1 cup half and half

16 oz. package of your favorite elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions

Ground black pepper (optional)

1/3 cup bread crumbs (I prefer the Italian style, and while I happened to have the Panko (crunchy) variety on hand, you can use  whatever you like)

2 tablespoons butter

If you haven't already, cook your macaroni. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine the soup, Velveeta and Cracker Barrel cheese over medium-low heat. 

Be patient and be sure to watch it, because you definitely don't want to burn your cheese. 

See, it really doesn't take that long.

I like to use a whisk to help eliminate any lumps.

Stir in your half and half.

If you like, add pepper to taste. I added about a 1/2 teaspoon.

Add the cooked macaroni.

And stir to coat.

Pour into a greased baking pan. An oblong casserole dish works well.

Next, over medium heat, melt butter.

Like you didn't know what that looks like.

Once butter is melted, add your bread crumbs.

Stir until butter is absorbed.

Then sprinkle over top of macaroni and cheese.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

That's heaven in a skillet, I tell ya.

And this is heaven in three tiers!

Aren't they beautiful?

My middle daughter made these. I was tickled pink. And purple.

And, of course, the best way to eat a cupcake is to take off the bottom and put it on top for a cupcake sandwich.

Man, I wish I had one of those right now.

As we prepare to move, we've been going through EVERYTHING and found these keepsake boxes I had put together for each of my three girls some years ago.

These two had so much fun looking at their baby books, old report cards and school projects that we liked to have never gotten them to come and eat.

My youngest, the one with her eyes closed, is now a kindergarten teacher, so it was rather interesting when she read over her own kindergarten report card and realized that she was that student that now drives her crazy. The one who "talks at inappropriate times" and "has problems listening."
Yeah, we all had a good laugh over that.

And I got to snuggle with two of my favorite girls.

Aren't they cute?

But spring has definitely sprung in north Texas. The grass is turning green, trees are budding and we had our first hail storm of the season.

Luckily, it was only pea-sized, so no damage.

Now it's your turn.

What's your go-to comfort food?

Have you ever been forced to use just one hand? Your non-dominant one? How did you handle things? I'd really love to hear your stories.

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and kids. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com