This is a little bit Italian and a tad bit Mexican. It is very rich, but Jose (my fiance) loves this stuff, and since I'm trying to learn how to make everything "homemade" I decided it would be a good time to experiment with a mac and cheese dish; this one definitely has a fun kick to it. I wanted a different mac and cheese, and this is good enough for me...at least until I think of another idea.
So here it is...there is a tad problem, I seriously have a bad time remembering to actually measure things (I cook every day, but I rarely measure--unless I'm planning on posting a recipe on this blog) so some of this is just what I estimated by eye, though toward the end, I did measure...I just figure, whatever "looks" right for two cups of pasta, that's what I used.
Instructions:
In a medium sized pot, Cook 2 cups (I measured this) of plain macaroni noodles (with about 3 1/2-4 cups water) until they are soft enough to bite, but not soggy and mushy. After straining the pasta, and putting it in a bowl on the counter somewhere...you can start cooking these dairy products on the stove in that same pot you cooked the pasta in (make sure it's cooked over a low flame):
Add about 1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded colby/jack cheese (I just used the shredded Kraft cheese that comes in the bag)
1/4-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 TBSP butter
2 1/4 TBSP cream cheese
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
(I've seen mac and cheese made with eggs, but I don't use 'em)
Stir this mixture until it's all melted together, then you can add these spices:
1/2 TBSP salt free garlic and herb (I use the McCormick brand)
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 TSP Onion powder
1/2 TSP black pepper
1 TSP ground paprika
1/2-3/4 TSP chili powder
1/4 cup dried bell pepper (I buy a bell pepper blend at a gourmet grocery store here in TX, aka Central Market; if you can't get your hands on some of the dry bell, then just use 1/3 cup of pre-sauteed [with olive oil] bell pepper; use green, red, and orange.)
Let these ingredients simmer on the stove with the melted cheese/milk blend for about 5 minutes, but make sure you keep stirring it so that the milk mixture stays smooth and creamy, not lumpy. I added about 1/4 cup more of milk as the ingredients all cooked together, because the sauce was thickening more than I wanted it to...anyway, once you can smell that the bell pepper blend has cooked with the other spices, you can add the mac and cheese to the sauce and stir all these ingredients together for the last time before you serve.
the godfather meets pancho villa mac and cheese, really!
