Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

Every good southerner, or really just person in general, needs a great mac and cheese recipe in their back pocket.  Today I bring you my new favorite - stove top mac and cheese! 

I've been making this recipe for years and tweaking it here and there. In the past, i've usually baked the macaroni with breadcrumbs on top.  I still love the baked counterpart, but this stove top version is the creamiest, richest mac you'll find.

Once you understand the method and standard ingredients, the possibilities are endless.  You could always experiment with different cheeses, fold in some crispy bacon, add broccoli or tomatoes, really anything!

Ingredients:

 *1 lb. cavatappi or macaroni

* 4 tbsp. butter

*4 tbsp. flour

*2 c. whole milk

*1/2 c. half and half

*1 tbsp. dijon mustard

*1/4 tsp. nutmeg

*1/4 tsp. paprika

*salt, pepper

*8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, freshly grated

*4 oz. gruyere, freshly grated

*dash of hot sauce (optional)

Prepare the pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes until the butter and flour are well combined and lightly browned (you want to cook out the raw flour taste). 

Add the milk and cream and heat until small bubbles form around the edge and the sauce is slightly thickened.  Stir in dijon mustard, nutmeat, paprika, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.  Remove from heat and whisk in the cheddar and gruyere.  Stir in pasta and serve immediately.  

*I made this an hour or so ahead and reheated it over medium low heat with a touch more cream to smooth out the sauce. 

Bacon Cheddar Dog Treats

If you follow me on Instagram, chances are you know I'm pretty much obsessed with my chocolate lab, Roscoe.  Today, Roscoe turns 5 and we celebrated over the weekend with some homemade dog treats and a family cookout.

Roscoe absolutely loved his Bacon Cheddar Dog Treats, and after testing them out on a few other pups at a friend's cookout Saturday, I can safely say these are pretty popular.  

 I don't actually know much about doggie nutrition, but after looking at a few other recipes online, I saw that whole wheat flower and skim milk were common ingredients.  It's not abnormal for Roscoe to have a little bacon or cheese, so I didn't think twice about feeding him these.  If your pup has a more sensitive stomach or doesn't eat a lot of human food, there are quite a few healthy alternative homemade treats on Pinterest. I found the Lab cookie cutter at Williams Sonoma - they lots of breeds!

Roscie enjoying his birthday present- a baby pool!

Ingredients (makes 24 cookies, depending on cookie cutter size):

 *3 c. whole wheat flour

*2 tbsp. butter, diced

*2 tbsp. olive oil

*1 c. milk

*1 egg

*4 oz. freshly grated cheddar cheese

*2 pieces bacon, cooked and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 and line 2 cookie sheets with tin foil or parchment paper.  In a large bowl, add the flour and cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork, until the butter is the size of small peas.  Add the cheese and bacon to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, and olive oil.  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined.  When the dough comes together, shape it into a ball with your hands and refrigerate for 20 minutes (if it is too dry and not coming together, add water, 1 tbsp. at a time until the dough forms).  Cut the dough in half and roll out to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface.  Cut into shapes and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. 

Food Inspired Friday: Society Social's Impromptu Entertaining Tips

One of my favorite blogs is The Social Diary, the blog of Society Social.  If you haven't heard of Society Social, it's a great site filled with signature bar carts, entertaining accessories and custom furniture.  I've been dying for one of the bar carts for ages but I haven't pulled the trigger just yet.

Roxy, the founder and North Carolina native behind SS,  recently shared some amazing hostess tips for an impromptu dinner party, so I thought i'd share for today's Food Inspired Friday.

I love that she suggests to always use place cards- I love place cards!  It adds something sort of special to the table and seems considerate. Natural center pieces are also great for an outdoor table.

Another one of her tips is to bring indoor furniture outside.  I love her colorful mix and match table.  The turkish towels for guests to wrap up in if it gets chilly are such a lovely personal touch. 

This looks like a fearless dinner party - multiple main courses!  Steak, pasta and salmon - I love it!  Coming up with a cohesive menu is sometimes challenging, but serving multiple mains would be a great way for everyone to contribute.

See Roxy's full list of entertaining tips here.   Happy Friday!

Favorite Kabobs

I am a girl who loves to grill.  I am also a girl who is married to a man who refuses to let me grill. 

My newest excuse is that it's for my blog, so I HAVE to do it.  I mean, bloggers integrity, right?  So I bring you my favorite kabobs, which I mostly grilled myself, except when Mike was forcibly grabbing the tongs from me to demonstrate the proper way to turn all the kabobs at one time.  Ah, men..

I absolutely love this marinade.  Not only are the sweet and savory flavors delicious, but the brown sugar and honey in the marinade help caramelize the edges of the meat for that amazing color, flavor and texture. 

If you prefer your kabobs to have more of the saucy-factor, feel free to double the marinade! 

Ingredients:

* 1.5 lb. chicken, steak, or a combo

* 1/3 c. low sodium soy sauce

* 2 garlic cloves, cut in half

* 1 tbsp. ginger spice blend (with the fresh herbs at the store)

* 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

* 1 tbsp. honey

* 1 tbsp. light brown sugar

Soak skewers in water (I cheated and rinsed them instead of soaking and they burned up terribly!).  Meanwhile, prepare the marinade by combining soy sauce, garlic, ginger spice blend, red pepper flakes, honey and brown sugar in a shallow casserole dish.  Cut the meat (I used two steaks and one chicken breast) into one inch cubes, add to the marinade and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. 

 Skewer the beef  and chicken separately as they have different cook times.  Pour the remaining marinade (there will only be a small amount) into a small sauce pan.  Heat the grill to medium high and add the meat, cooking until done.  Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil over medium high heat, whisking often.  When the meat is almost done, brush with the boiled marinade.  Enjoy! 

Thai Peanut Chicken Wraps

One of my all-time favorite restaurants in Greensboro is Taste of Thai, which has long been my Thai staple.  Their cashew chicken is to die for, but honestly, what I get most excited about is the salad that comes with every meal!  It's very basic, just iceberg, cabbage, and grated carrots, but it is served with the most heavenly peanut vinaigrette. 

For years i've been searching for a comparable bottled version and I have to say, Trader Joe's Spicy Thai Peanut vinaigrette is sooo close, it is calming my Taste of Thai cravings! 

This vinaigrette is great with a simple iceberg salad, served as a dip for crudite, a marinade for chicken sate, or in these grilled chicken wraps for a light and fresh dinner.  If you go to Trader Joe's, be sure to pick up a bottle! 

To make the wraps, I tossed grilled chicken with the vinaigrette and served with shredded butter lettuce and carrots in a spinach wrap - with more dip on the side of course.  Enjoy!