Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

Over Chrismakuh I exchange gifts with the girls in my office, we do secret santa, and this year I lucked out, not only did I get a lot of cute little stuff  I also received Rachel Rays cookbook, Look and Cook. I love it, there are so many great recipes, some that we have already made over and over again because we love them so much!! There are several recipes that we earmarked to make and this is one of them. We love all things Mac and Cheese and also love to experiment with different kinds, and this was one we hadn't made at home yet. So when I saw this easy to make and easy on the eyes recipe, I had to make it. In my version I used canned artichokes only because that was what I had on hand but it tasted great anyway. So once again use what have.... 

Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese 

ever so slightly adapted from :

Rachel Ray's Version

Items Needed:

Large Stock Pot

Large Saute pan 

Casserole Dish

• salt
• 1 lb Penne pasta
• 2 tbsp EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 med onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 2 c. milk
• Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon or to taste
• 1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel
• 1 can quartered Artichokes, slice in half again if desired 
• pepper
• 1 1/2 c. Fontina cheese, shredded , plus additional for sprinkling on top
• 1 1/2 c. Parmigiano cheese, grated,  plus additional for sprinkling on top 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.
• Meanwhile, place a medium pot over medium-low heat adding 2 tbsp olive oil, and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes. Then heat the broiler and position rack in the middle of the oven. 
• Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute then whisk the wine into the pan, cooking for another minute to burn off the alcohol
• Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, spinach, artichokes, salt and pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened and vegetables are warmed through, 2-3 minutes more. Add 1 cup of each of the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.
• Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle some more Fontina and Parmigiano over the top and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Eat and Enjoy!!!!!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I love Hot Sauce! There is said it, I can add it to just about anything, except dessert that is! So when wondering what to make for dinner the other night I thought Buffalo Chicken….but with all this rainy,windy weather we have had I wanted something a little more…. comforting. So Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese it is. I knew that most recipes that I found would be quite fattening so I tried to slim it down a little… Just a little don’t worry! We always drink 1% Milk so that was one way to cut out some fat, and I subbed in Reduced Fat cheese instead of the full fat. And that's about it haha, so just a “little” healthy.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Items Needed:

Baking dish

Skillet

Big Pot

• 3 Chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 box of elbow pasta
• 1/2 c blue cheese dressing
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 1 c milk
• panko bread crumbs
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2- 1 c Franks Red hot sauce

• Bring large pot of water to a boil, once boiling add pasta and cook following box directions, cooking just under al dente because we are going to bake later
• Heat skillet to medium high heat and add chicken in batches, salt and pepper chicken and brown for 4-5 minutes, remove each batch to a plate, when all chicken is done return to skillet and add 1/2 c hot sauce and cook until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside
• Drain pasta and add pasta to baking dish by layering some pasta then some chicken ( makes it easier to mix together ) stir in the blue cheese dressing and mix well
• Wipe the chicken skillet clean and add the milk, bring to a slow boil adding shredded cheese in batches, once all melted add the cheese sauce to the pasta and chicken and carefully stir to combine all ingredients.
• Sprinkle top with enough panko breadcrumbs to cover dish and sprinkle a small handful of cheese, bake for about 25 minutes, tasting to make sure it is hot enough, and cheese and breadcrumbs are slightly browned

Eat and Enjoy!!!!!

What is your favorite add in to Mac and Cheese?