Mac and 7 Cheese

This is the official recipe. I suggest 1/2 this for any small army you might be feeding. Also, I add chipotle peppers in the mix and instead of topping with more cheese I top it with crushed up ritz crackers. You can thank me later...

Mac and Cheese

• 2 lbs. elbow macaroni
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
• ½ lb. (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 6 cups half-and-half, divided
• 4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided
• 2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar
• 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella
• 1 cup grated Asiago
• 1 cup grated Gruyere
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack
• 1 cup grated Muenster
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper

1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.

2.Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.

3.Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl.

4.Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.

5.Serve hot.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls

I've made a these a few times over the past couple of months when we had guests over for breakfast and they've been a hit every time. I've made cinnamon rolls for years but I'd never used BROWN sugar-- if you've never used brown sugar either then you don't know what you're missing. SO GOOD!

Dough
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk

Filling
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon


Directions:
1 For the filling, in a small bowl combine softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to form a crumbly mixture

2 Sprinkle 1/2 of the mixture over the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

3 In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

4 Cut in softened butter (sometimes your hands are the best tools).

5 Stir in milk to form a soft dough.

6 Roll out dough on a lightly floured into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.

7 Spread the remaining filling on the rolled out dough.

8 Roll up the rectangle, with a sharp knife slice into 18 small rolls (12 if you want them a little bigger).

9 Bake for 20-25 min at 400°F.

Found on food.com

I also top them with cream cheese frosting instead of a glaze because well, cream cheese frosting is too delicious not to be smothered on top of these rolls!

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract and smother on top of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. SO GOOD! Did I mention these are good?

Comfort Food

Ok, I know many of you are still sitting in the mid 60s and 70s, but some of us are watching it snow and dreaming of hot cocoa, warm bread, and our favorite comfort foods.  So, your new assignment this month is to post your favorite comfort food recipe.  You have until December 31.  I know there is a lot going on this month, but this is an EASY assignment, so I know you can do it.  Post away!