Homemade Mac & Cheese

1 lb. dried macaroni
1 egg

4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 1/2 c. whole milk
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 lb. cheddar, grated, plus more for topping
salt
Red Robin salt
black pepper
cayenne powder
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook the macaroni until still slightly firm. Drain and set aside. 

 

Grease a baking dish. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. 

 

In a large pot, melt the butter then sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Pour in the milk, add the mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick. Reduce the heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. 

 

Add all the seasonings to taste. Make sure to stir it in and taste it to make sure it is how you like it.

Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

 

Here is a link to the recipe I slightly adapted: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/macaroni-and-cheese-recipe.html

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Super easy recipe. And tasty.

3/4 c. salted butter, melted

1 c. brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. mashed ripe bananas

2 3/4 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

 

Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and bananas until well combined.

 

Add the flour and cornstarch. Mix.

 

Stir in chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and sticky.

 

Scoop 2 tbsp per cookie onto the prepared baking sheet. Pat scoops down a bit to flatten them out a little. They'll spread a little when baking, but not much.

 

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. The center will still look a little undercooked, but will continue cooking and firm up as it cools.

 

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool for about a minute on cookie sheet.

 

Move cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

 

Enjoy!

 

Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2015/02/11/banana-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

Digestive Biscuits

1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 c. spelt flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 c. shortening, cold
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1/3 c. heavy cream
flour for rolling out dough

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the rolled oats, spelt flour, salt, powder, and brown sugar to a food processor. Pulse several times until the oats are just small bits.

Add in the shortening. Pulse a few times.

Add the butter and pulse again.


Move mixture to a large bowl. Slowly add in the cream, stirring the mixture with a spoon until the dough comes together. Knead it in the bowl a few times.

Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a small cookie cutter and cut out the biscuits, placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the dough until all of the biscuits are cut.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden with faintly browning edges. Allow to cool completely.

Serve the biscuits with black tea for dipping.


Here is a link to the recipe I used: http://www.savorysimple.net/digestive-biscuits/