As I was searching for the perfect "macaroni" picture to accompany this blog entry, I stumbled upon a pretty amusing website that really captures the title of this blog. You can view it here, but only if you promise to come back and finish reading. :)
Anyway, Pat and I ended up having somewhat of a last minute cook out at our house last Friday. Several of Pat's friends were here from out of town so 8 of them came over and I was in charge of the cooking. With my new found cooking enthusiasm, I was really excited about this! Of course I made the potato salad recipe (which I'm quite sick of now, by the way), spinach artichoke dip, cheese, crackers and pepperoni and I also made crock pot macaroni and cheese. It's a delicious recipe that I stumbled across last year and made a few times.
When I find recipes online, I don't print them out but rather just use them right from the computer screen. If I like them, that's when I hand write the recipe onto an index card, noting any modifications I made, etc. One thing I usually forget to write on the index card is how many people the recipe serves. I couldn't remember how many servings the macaroni and cheese recipe made last year and I couldn't find the same recipe online. So I decided to be safe, I better double it. Turns out the original recipe makes more than enough for 10 people. After I doubled it, I had enough macaroni and cheese to feed a small army (or the entire population on Sweetbriar Drive). We ate it for dinner on Friday at the cook out and had some for lunch on Saturday. We took it to the lake with us on Sunday to try to get rid of it, but no one ate any. So we brought the entire dish back with us. I packed it for lunch on Monday and Pat and I both ate it for dinner on Monday night. I packed it for lunch on Tuesday and Pat and I both ate it for dinner on Tuesday night. It is safe to say, I am sick of the macaroni and cheese!
As I said, the recipe is really yummy and I always get good reviews after I make it but you can only eat so much of something before you feel like you have it coming out of your ears. Not only am I sick of eating it, I also have a few complaints about the recipe. Obviously if it's made in the crock pot, it isn't a fast recipe. It takes at least 3 hours to cook and definitely more if you use the amount of milk the recipe calls for (which I learned the hard way not to do).
I also don't like the fact that it calls for Velveeta Cheese. I was searching all over the place for this cheese at the grocery store and couldn't find it anywhere. Why wouldn't it be with all the other cheeses? I asked someone where I could find it and they took me over to the isle with the boxed meals and canned soups. Duh. Why didn't I think of that? Cheese that doesn't even have to be refrigerated...now that is scary! Doesn't quite meet the standard I've been trying to set with eating healthy. BUT...all the other macaroni and cheese recipes I've made are dry and lacking flavor. Only the fake cheese turns out moist and flavorful. Go figure!
I almost forgot my biggest complaint with this recipe. THE CLEAN UP! Oh. My. Goodness. It took me 2 days of soaking the crock pot and no less than 30 minutes of scrubbing to get it clean. Not to mention all the dishes we dirtied storing and eating the stuff (remember - it was at least 5 meals between the two of us). I have about 6 dishes in the sink right now soaking in hot, soapy water. This fake cheese really sticks to dishes! (Yes - if you were counting the days in your head, I obviously haven't cleaned a single dish since Saturday...I've said it before and I'll say it again, Betty Homemaker I am NOT).
Well I think I've talked enough about macaroni and cheese. I had no idea I had so much to say about it!
One more thing: Does anyone have any good macaroni and cheese recipes they would like to pass along?
Tonight I'm trying a new recipe! Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Penne Pasta on the side. I will most definitely let you know how it goes. Until then...
Anyway, Pat and I ended up having somewhat of a last minute cook out at our house last Friday. Several of Pat's friends were here from out of town so 8 of them came over and I was in charge of the cooking. With my new found cooking enthusiasm, I was really excited about this! Of course I made the potato salad recipe (which I'm quite sick of now, by the way), spinach artichoke dip, cheese, crackers and pepperoni and I also made crock pot macaroni and cheese. It's a delicious recipe that I stumbled across last year and made a few times.
When I find recipes online, I don't print them out but rather just use them right from the computer screen. If I like them, that's when I hand write the recipe onto an index card, noting any modifications I made, etc. One thing I usually forget to write on the index card is how many people the recipe serves. I couldn't remember how many servings the macaroni and cheese recipe made last year and I couldn't find the same recipe online. So I decided to be safe, I better double it. Turns out the original recipe makes more than enough for 10 people. After I doubled it, I had enough macaroni and cheese to feed a small army (or the entire population on Sweetbriar Drive). We ate it for dinner on Friday at the cook out and had some for lunch on Saturday. We took it to the lake with us on Sunday to try to get rid of it, but no one ate any. So we brought the entire dish back with us. I packed it for lunch on Monday and Pat and I both ate it for dinner on Monday night. I packed it for lunch on Tuesday and Pat and I both ate it for dinner on Tuesday night. It is safe to say, I am sick of the macaroni and cheese!
As I said, the recipe is really yummy and I always get good reviews after I make it but you can only eat so much of something before you feel like you have it coming out of your ears. Not only am I sick of eating it, I also have a few complaints about the recipe. Obviously if it's made in the crock pot, it isn't a fast recipe. It takes at least 3 hours to cook and definitely more if you use the amount of milk the recipe calls for (which I learned the hard way not to do).
I also don't like the fact that it calls for Velveeta Cheese. I was searching all over the place for this cheese at the grocery store and couldn't find it anywhere. Why wouldn't it be with all the other cheeses? I asked someone where I could find it and they took me over to the isle with the boxed meals and canned soups. Duh. Why didn't I think of that? Cheese that doesn't even have to be refrigerated...now that is scary! Doesn't quite meet the standard I've been trying to set with eating healthy. BUT...all the other macaroni and cheese recipes I've made are dry and lacking flavor. Only the fake cheese turns out moist and flavorful. Go figure!
I almost forgot my biggest complaint with this recipe. THE CLEAN UP! Oh. My. Goodness. It took me 2 days of soaking the crock pot and no less than 30 minutes of scrubbing to get it clean. Not to mention all the dishes we dirtied storing and eating the stuff (remember - it was at least 5 meals between the two of us). I have about 6 dishes in the sink right now soaking in hot, soapy water. This fake cheese really sticks to dishes! (Yes - if you were counting the days in your head, I obviously haven't cleaned a single dish since Saturday...I've said it before and I'll say it again, Betty Homemaker I am NOT).
Well I think I've talked enough about macaroni and cheese. I had no idea I had so much to say about it!
One more thing: Does anyone have any good macaroni and cheese recipes they would like to pass along?
Tonight I'm trying a new recipe! Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Penne Pasta on the side. I will most definitely let you know how it goes. Until then...
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