Kicked Up Mac Cheese Food

KICKED UP MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Prepare macaroni and cheese with milk and 1/4 cup butter, following package directions. Gently stir in peas, corn and pimentos.
• Place in 3-quart casserole dish.
• Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter, mix with breadcrumbs, and sprinkle evenly over casserole. Place under broiler about 2 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

"KICKED UP" MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta from the Kraft dinner until firm-tender (do not over cook, leave firm!) drain and rinse under cold water, set aside the cheese packages and the cooked macaroni.
• In a large frypan or Dutch oven brown the ground beef with onion, garlic and celery until beef is no longer pink; drain fat.
• Add in the mushrooms and the cooked macaroni to the ground beef; mix to combine.
• In a bowl, mix together mushroom soup, tomato soup, HP steak sauce, Tabasco sauce (if using) green pepper, Parmesan cheese (if using) and the two packages of cheese mix; mix well to combine.
• Add the mixture to the ground beef in the pan and stir to combine.
• Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes; reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding in milk to thin sauce (I use about 1/4-1/3 cup).
• Delicious!

KICKED UP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9 by 2-inch square baking dish with the butter. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, 1 cup of the White Cheddar cheese, the ham and the tater tots. Mix the mixture thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

KICKED UP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. A little at a time, whisk in milk, mustard, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat and whisk in pepperjack, Cheddar and Parmesan until smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and pour into shallow 2 quart baking dish.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in bread crumbs and chili powder. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

KICK IT UP A NOTCH MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook elbow noodles according to directions.
• While the pasta is cooking cut 16 oz block of cheese into small cubes and slice the Velveeta into pieces.
• Drain the pasta when done, do not rinse.
• Return the pasta to the pot; add butter, milk, cheese cubes and slices to the hot pasta. Mix well until the Velveeta is melted.
• The mixture will be soupy and the cubes of cheese will not be melted completely.
• Add the peppers and salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour in baking dish. Cover with the 8 oz of cheddar that has been shredded.
• Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Top should be browned and pasta should be set.

KICKED UP SAUSAGE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a large casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, stirring, until browned and the fat is rendered. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the onions, bell peppers, and 1 teaspoon of the Essence, and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and anise seeds, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
• Melt the remaining stick of butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook over medium heat until thick, 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to let the flour brown. Using a whisk, add the milk in a steady stream and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and 2 cups of the cheese, and stir well. Add the noodles, cooked sausage and vegetables, and stir well to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup of cheese with the breadcrumbs and remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

KICKED UP MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Boil macaroni about 8 minutes, until al dente, and drain well.
• Meanwhile melt 1/4 cup butter and whisk in flour until smooth.
• Add milk a little at a time, whisking until smooth; bring back to a boil.
• Repeat until all the milk is added.
• Stir in white pepper and garlic powder.
• Remove from heat, slowly stir in the Velveeta cheese and Cheddar cheese, mixing until smooth.
• Stir in macaroni, set aside.
• Fry the onion and kielbasa to brown meat.
• Stir in broccoli, cook for 5 minutes to warm through.
• Stir mixture into the macaroni and cheese.
• Pour into a large crock pot or a 9x13 baking dish.
• Mix bread crumbs, melted butter and parsley together; sprinkle over macaroni and cheese.
• Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes.