The Easiest Macaroni Cheese ever…

Macaroni Cheese is just one of those comfort food, “everyone’s Mom makes the best”, dishes. It’s the basic cheese and pasta combination that just calls out for imaginative combinations of extras. Like a four cheese Macaroni with blue cheese, mature cheddar, feta and mozzarella. Or you can add some basic mince with a tomato-based sauce for a meatier version. Or cooked roast chicken pieces. Or ham and tomatoes. Or (like I did here) bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and mixed herbs. Or make a crispy topping with some bread crumbs on top of your pasta mixture. Or it’s perfectly divine just plain with some nutmeg. Play around with the flavor combinations to find your favorite. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s a cheats Macaroni as you don’t need to make the white sauce, this is the easiest recipe and it can be double, halved or whatever you need to feed a hungry crowd.

Bacon and Sun-dried Tomato Macaroni

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 250g Macaroni pasta
• 250g Mature cheddar (or any full flavored cheese)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tin (250ml) evaporated milk
• Salt pepper

Extras I added:

• Streaky bacon fried and cut up into pieces
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 15ml mixed herbs (including basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram)



Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.
2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta as to the instructions on the packet.
3. While the pasta is cooking, grate the cheese and mix together the eggs, evaporated milk, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and seasonings.
4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and put it into an ovenproof saucepan (I used a copper one they’re great in the oven) then pour the cheese mixture over the pasta.
5. Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.



 



In the copper sauce pan

 

Perfection

Recipe Adapted from: Nigela Lawson Express

Another Delicious Soup Recipe

This afternoon I felt like soup but I just couldn't quite put my finger on the type that I felt like. I was staring into the fridge and freezer as you do when you're hungry and a saw a bag of frozen corn and the idea popped into my head!

Chowder first originated in America and is basically a milk based soup. It is usually made with seafood, most commonly clams, but I decided to go for a meat option and used bacon. I was pleasantly surprised and definitely recommend giving this recipe a try

Corn Chowder:

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 1 celery stalk
• 1 medium onion
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme 
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (1%) milk
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into little cubes
• A small bunch spring onions
• 2 cups frozen corn
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 200g streaky bacon 
• Salt and Pepper









Ingredients

 Method:

1. Chop the onion and the celery.
2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan, over a medium heat. Add the onion and the celery and saute until brown. While the vegetables are cooking peel and cube the potatoes, and fry the bacon.
3. Pour the flour over the vegetables and fry for a few more minutes (at this stage you may need to add a bit more butter).
4. Pour in the milk and add the potatoes. Bring to the boil and carry on stirring so the soup doesn't stick to the pot. It should take about 10 minutes for the potatoes to cook
5. Meanwhile, thinly slice the spring onions. When the potatoes are cooked add the corn, bacon and the spring onions.
6. Bring the soup back up to the boil and sprinkle on some thinly sliced spring onion and crispy bacon bits
7. serve with fresh crusty bread.

Ready to enjoy!

 This recipe was adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe.