I have a friend who suddenly took ill right before Christmas, so I volunteered to make her family's dinner. My friend is from the north US and I grew up in the south US. With that said our meal traditions are a bit different. My additions to her family meal were squash casserole and mac-n-cheese. Everyone seems to love my squash casserole which is similar to Paula Deen's recipe with a couple of minor adjustments. As for the mac-n-cheese, well a 13 year old boy told me, "It is the best mac-n-cheese I ever tasted!" Now that was a true compliment because kids are the connoisseurs of Mac-n-cheese.
Christmas dinner for my friend C was as she said, fantastic! The Mac-n-Cheese was the star of the show (LOL), followed by sweet potato casserole and my famous cranberry orange cake.
Mac-N-Cheese my way! (this recipe makes Mac-n-Cheese for an army)
1 - box of Rotini pasta (any tube or corkscrew pasta will do) - cooked very al dente (negative 2 minutes according to package directions)
1- lb. yellow medium cheddar or Colby, freshly shredded (reserve 1/4 for topping)
1 - lb. white extra sharp cheddar, freshly shredded (reserve 1/4 for the topping)
1 - 8 oz Cream Cheese
1 - 10.5 oz. Goat Cheese
1/4 cup - Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
1/2 cup Roux (Butter/Flour mix)
3 - 4 cups low fat milk - warmed
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 tsp. ground mustard seed
Cook the pasta al dente as directed (neg. 2 minutes from the box directions). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain the pasta throughly and place in a large casserole dish.Warm the roux in a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan. Stir constantly until a soft golden color is achieved. Whisk in warm milk about 1 cup at a time; allow the milk to fully incorporate with the roux. Add cream cheese and goat cheese. Stir until completly blended, then add 3/4 of the cheddar cheeess and all of the parmesan. Add mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste. pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well to cover the pasta with cheese. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top of the pasta and cheese sauce. Place the dish into the 350 degree oven for 20 -30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese on top is melted and slightly golden.
Enjoy!
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp white truffle oil
Prepare the p iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii color is achieved add the warw
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