Classic Favorite Nom Nom

For the first Nom Nom Monday in my new house I'm going to go with something simple and classic.  Ya all know I love mac & cheese, and since I'm eating by myself tonight I couldn't think of a better meal to start off with.  Sadly because I don't currently have internet at my house I'm going to share my recipe with no photos today.  Though you can drool over my similar creation of Bacon Mac & Cheese.  

Today's recipe is Bacon & Peas Mac & Cheese.

Ingredients:

- 1 box of mac & cheese (any brand will do)

- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar melts the easiest)

- 3 tablespoons of cream cheese

- 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese

- a splash of 2 % milk

- 1/4 frozen peas

- 5-8 crispy bacon strips

Directions:

Boil water for the mac and cheese noodles in a medium sized saucepan.  While you are waiting for that to happen you can cook the bacon.  The bacon should be extra crispy, that way it's easier to crumble into little bits.  Once the water is boiling add the macaroni, and after the noodles are about half way cooked through add the frozen peas.  Don't substitute with canned peas, because the flavor and texture is significantly different.  Once those are throughly cooked drain the excess water off, and run cold water over them.  This will keep them from sticking together.  

Now for the cheese sauce.  Using the same saucepan you used for the noodles add the powdered cheese packet, the shredded cheese, the cream cheese, and the cottage cheese.  Melt everything together on low - medium heat, and add a little bit of milk to keep from getting too thick.  You can always add more milk, but if you add too much you end up with a soupy mess.  I highly recommend using 2% milk because it will be easiest to get the correct consistency and flavor with that percentage.  As for the cheese I like to experiment with different cheeses, but cheddar is usually always my base.  It has a great flavor for mac and cheese, and it's easiest to melt to the correct consistency. 

Once the dairy products have melted together completely you can mix in the noodles and peas.  Then serve and add some bacon to the top of each serving.  I can't think of a more filling or decadent way to eat mac and cheese.  What a meal in deed!  

Have a great night everyone and happy DIYing, chris!

Bacon Mac & Cheese

Happy Nom Nom Monday!  Oh gosh, what I have for you today is TO DIE FOR!  Bacon Mac & Cheese, but there is a special mix of cheeses that bring this dish to the next level.  

This can be made with any brand of box mac & cheese (but Velveeta), cook the noodles as you normally would.  While that is cooking make some bacon extra crispy.  Use enough for each person eating the mac & cheese.  When the bacon is done crumble it up, and set aside.  When the noodles are done drain and set aside.  I like to run cold water over the pasta so it doesn't stick together.  Now for the cheese sauce, use the cheese powder packet, 1/3 - 1/4 cup 2% milk, 1/4 cup cream cheese, and 1/4 cup farmer's cheese.  Once that is all melted together mix in the noodles.  Serve, and top each mac & cheese with the crumbled bacon.  

This is the creamiest tastiest cheese you will ever let cross your palette!!  Absolutely perfect!  I'm not sure I'll be satisfied eating my mac and cheese any other way!  

Have a great week ya'll, happy DIYing, chris!

BLT Grilled Cheese

Aaron and I hung out with our good friends Kristen & James last night, and they had a magazine with 50 different grilled cheese recipes.  I woke up this morning salivating with grilled cheese ideas.  So I HAD to make some for this edition of Nom Nom Mondays!  After eating some breakfast, we headed over to this fantastic local farmer's market called Highland Orchards.  We bought some tasty fresh bread, farmer's cheese, a tomato, romaine lettuce, spinach, and some organic bacon.  

Aaron also picked out some broccoli and kohlrabi.  We started our broccoli a bit late, and only two of them came up.  Boo-hoo.  These look lovely though, so yay for local farmers!

We shared lunch with my mom, so I enlisted her help with slicing the bread.  My mom is dang skilled at slicing bread thinly and neatly by hand.  My slices always end up thick and uneven.  

Aaron slowly cooked up some bacon on medium/low heat.  We like our bacon crispy, so this was the longest step.  When the bacon was done we moved it to a plate with some paper towels, and we used the bacon grease to cook the sandwiches in.  Oh man, that was a key step there, that bread tasted phenomenal.  

We placed the bread in the bacon juices, and then layered on the farmer's cheese, tomato, bacon, and the other bread slice.   After about two minutes we flipped the sandwich.  

Once the bread was browned to our liking and the cheese was the perfect meltiness (that is definitely a real word), we sliced them in half and commenced eating!  

Perfect sandwich!  We will definitely be making these again.  Before packing it all in, I opened it up and slipped some of that lovely romaine in there too.  The bread and cheese and bacon and lettuce were all so prefect together, mmmmm.  I can't wait until we have some of our own tomatoes and lettuces to put on the sandwiches!

Here's Cricket Chicken wishing you a happy Nom Nom Monday, and happy DIYing!  Hope to see you tomorrow, chris.