Recipes: The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever

I finally did it! I came up with the perfect cheese sauce for homemade Mac and Cheese.
Pay close attention because a great macaroni and cheese is not as easy as one would think. One of my favorite dishes is Mac and Cheese and I have struggled for years to get the recipe perfect. Hopefully I can impart all the tricks so you can enjoy the same great results and learn some new cooking words while you are at it.

Ingredient List:
2 Tbs Unsalted Butter
2 Tbs White Flour
1 1/2 Cup  nonfat milk warmed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese (16 oz.)

6 cups cooked elbow macaroni

Crumbled bacon for garnish


Perfect sauces originate from a perfect Bachamel Sauce first. First you have to make a Roux, turn that into Bechamel Cream Sauce and then add cheese to make your perfectly Cheese Sauce to which you add your macaroni.

Roux is a combination of unsalted butter, cooked with flour until the flour itself is "cooked out" at which time you get a nutty aroma.

Here we go: Making the Roux- Heat 2 Tbs Butter with 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Add 2 Tbs white flour. Stir with a whisk on a medium low heat that allows some bubbling but not burning. If it turns dark brown or burns, toss it out and start over! No one wants to eat brown macaroni and cheese! The only brown color should be the tiny flecks of cayenne pepper. Cook stirring constantly until a nutty aroma appears. This should take about 5 minutes. Getting to the nutty aroma stage is a must otherwise you will taste the uncooked flour in your sauce.

Heat up 1 1/2 cup nonfat milk in the microwave for 1 minute. Heating up the milk is equally as important as making the Roux. I am not sure why this works so well but trust me IT IS IMPORTANT.

Slowly add warm milk to roux while stirring continuously over low-med heat. The Roux will expand as you add the milk to create a smooth silky sauce. Do not add more milk until the bit that you have added has been absorbed by the roux mixture. Once all the milk is added stir over low heat until desired thickness is achieved. Add additional non fat milk (warm of course) if you want a thinner sauce.

Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper

Add 2 cups shredded cheese. I prefer Pepper Jack. But, you could use Colby and Jack or even cheddar. You can use what ever you like. Stir mixture until cheese is all melted.

Fold in cheese sauce to 6 cups cooked macaroni. Serve immediately with crumbled bacon on top or Transfer to a baking dish. Top with crispy fresh crumbled bacon and set aside. Bake at 350 for 30 just before serving.

Makes eight 1 Cup Servings.

Awesome!!!!!!

Gavin Tail Twister #27: You Look Like You Lost Weight!

Last night I asked my kids to write a simple note to their uncle for giving them money for the good grades they made this year in school. Sammy (11) wrote a simple 2-liner. Short and to the point. Gavin sat down to write his 2-liner and got frustrated writing just the word "Dear". He immediately moaned "what do I write Mooaom...."?
I was busy and paid Gavin little attention responding "Just say 'Thanks Uncle Dave. Your the best Uncle I've ever had and most handsome too...' Something like that Gav. It is not that difficult." Gavin's head went down as to accomplish a written task and then off he ran.
Later as I was packing the card in the envelope, I decided to read what he wrote. It went something like this:
"Dear Dave,
Thanks for the money you gave me for my grades.
Love,
Gavin
P.S. You look like you lost weight."

Ha! I guess he thinks that complement is the same as "your are most handsome too".

Mango Season Is Here! (Buy KENT Brand)

It is nearing the end of June which is our family's favorite time of year because it is MANGO SEASON! Our children love mangos and almost everyone who tastes this fruit thinks they have died and gone to heaven. There are many growers of mango in the world but our favorite is Kent. Why? Because the fruit is sweet and smooth with very little fiber strands.

How do you pick a good mango? First of all if you are lucky enough to have the Kent variety available to you, you pretty much can't go wrong. pick fruit with lots of red color. ( You don't want ones that are all green.) Make sure there are no bruises or brown spots.
They should be firm to the touch. If you are buying ripe mangos, make sure the fruit bounces back when you push on it or don't buy it.
If the fruit is not ripe yet set it in a dark cool corner wrapped in news paper for 3 days. Once ripen store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It won't be there that long...trust me!

Coming soon....pictures of the perfect mango.

Gavin Tail Twister 26: Bubby (In An English Accent), Pick A Card...GEORGIA (Screaming)!

The Set Up: We went to Disney World in the middle of June. Mistake number one! The four of us stayed in a hotel with two king size beds, a dresser, a desk, and a chair with ottoman. Mistake number two! We bought Leg-gos to occupy the kids while in the room.That took up all the floor space in our room for four of five days. Mistake number 3!

On this particular day, Gavin (age 7) had talked all day. Of course we let him because we were at Disney's Animal Kingdom. He was so excited , he couldn't stop asking questions and commenting on everything. Boy he has a lot of thoughts!! By the time we back to our room, only six hours later, I had to lay down and my Canadian Man had to sit and watch Sport Center in what seemed like peace and quiet. Gavin kept on chattering. He got a card trick at the magic shop and every 5 minutes was asking me to " pick a card any card"! Oh by the way , I am his new assistant and will reap 25% of all profits he makes at any of his magic shows. So far I am still $28 in the hole for the so called "trick cards".

We let the kids spend their money where they wanted and guess where that was? Yes, it was at the game booths at Animal Kingdom. Gavin won 3 stuffed animals, one of which he gave to a crying little boy whose dad couldn't get the basket ball into the basket. That child was sobbing and the poor dad felt awful. Gavin ran to us and said "hurry dad give me one of my stuffed animals". Bill retrieved one and handed it to Gavin who ran to the little crying boy and proudly presented it. That was a proud moment for us. Next Gavin attempted his hand at the basketball game and was lucky enough to sink two baskets which won him an even larger stuffed animal..Yea!!...It was amlarge purple and blue stuffed Iguana. Name: Bubby (said with an English accent like in Harry Potter)!

I had just gotten out of the shower and Gavin hits me with " pick a card, any card!"
"Gavin give me 5 minutes to get dressed and I'll play."
In a whiny voice say " no nooowh... pick a card!"
My response " no ice-cream for you tonight for not listening the first time!"
Gavin promptly responds "noooo! OK I'll listen" as he makes a u-turn out of the bath area.
Later that evening when we were getting big brother Sammy his ice cream, Gavin said "I want ice cream!"
"No you lost your ice cream privilege."
"Oh yea that's right I did." long pause....."Mommy, why did I loose my ice cream privilege tonight?"
Long pause ........Mmmmmm I can't remember but it was something.
A few minutes later I remembered... "Oh yea it was because you did not listen to me when I asked you to give me five minutes to get dressed. "
"Oh yea..." He turned his head down to his trick cards that he holds so dear and says under his breath "it was worth it!"
"What did you say Gavin?"
"I said it was worth it!"
I was getting upset that he thought his punishment was "worth it!"
I mean Mom is "I deserve the punishment because I did not listen!"
Gavin ate no ice cream, stroked Bubby's head all evening.

The next day Legos littered the floor in a billion pieces. Bubby was flying through the air across the room. Bill and I just sat in our bed. Bill watching Sports Center and I staring straight off in the distance. The boys were playing catch with Bubby's life. They giggled incessantly. Yes, the natives were getting restless!
We packed them up to go shopping, play putt putt and get a bite to eat. Bubby came along for the ride and so did those annoying cards. It was Bubby this and Bubby that... and if that were not enough Sammy started trying to find cars with Georgia plates. Every time he saw one he would YELL...GEORGIA! This was a game he had never played and was so excited about it.

Gavin Tail Twister #26: Acting Like A Pregnant Woman!

On this particular day, we had multiple repair people in the house and we had Maggie (family dog that I did not want...that is another story!) in the laundry room because one of our repair guys really did not like dogs. As the repair guys were leaving, I could hear Mag's barking and carrying on behind closed doors. I asked Gavin my seven year old son to check it out. He went into the laundry room only to fine Maggie had made her way into the master bath and was noticeably upset by something. I inquired with Gavin about Maggie's status. His response was "I don't know what is wrong with her but she is ACTING JUST LIKE A PREGNANT WOMAN!"

My curiosity peaked and I bit...hook,line and sinker! So I asked "And just how does a pregnant woman act?"

Of course Gavin style involving his whole body, shook and flailed while he let out intolerable moaning sounds as if to be in a state of panic. I did not worry that maybe he had seen something like this on TV. I figured if he had he would have been laying down flaling and he wasn't ... he was standing.

And now when ever anyone in our family acts short tempered or unreasonably ill, this saying always follows..."Stop Acting Like a Pregnant Woman!" That will put a smile on your face every time!