Creamy Chicken-Broccoli Mac & Cheese with Mushrooms with Birdwatching on the Side

  With this version of mac and cheese, you can eat all you like ~ there’s a helping of greens is in it, as in broccoli.  Broccoli is full of vitamins and minerals and is a classic example of a superfood. 

Actually, there has not been much cooking here lately, as Bill and I have been busy “birding" for a while ~ watching 2 bird nests in bushes on the side of our house; one, a nest of cardinals and the other, a nest of robins.  

Woo hoo! It's Creamy Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot!

What’s all the buzz about the kitchen appliance, the Instant Pot?  What’s with that?  It’s like a cult following, an obsession.  Is it worth getting one?  It took me a while to buy one, but I caved in and bought one.

The Instant Pot is a small appliance with a digital control panel that is programmable for multiple uses ~ it’s a slow cooker, a steamer, a rice cooker or porridge maker, a sauté pan, a yogurt maker and a keep-warm serving pot, all in one convenient pot. It speeds up cooking time, cooking quickly without having to stand over the food.

It’s the most advanced pressure cooker available today, it’s safe to use, easy to clean, quiet and doesn’t heat up the surrounding area ~ a great thing for summertime usage.  Since it’s a multi-cooker, the Instant Pot can replace a number of small appliances around the kitchen.

The first thing I cooked in it was hard-boiled eggs, perfectly, I might add. They cooked quickly in 7 minutes, and were a gem to peal ~ no more hard-boiled eggs looking like craters on the moon and no more nasty green rings around the yolk!

Then I moved on to America’s favorite, mac and cheese.  I loved cooking it this way!  No draining pasta, no second pot for the sauce!  

To put it simply ~ add the ingredients to the pot - let it cook - add milk and cheese - melt the cheese - eat - it is delicious!

If you’ve just acquired an Instant Pot or are considering purchasing one for your kitchen, this is the perfect recipe to start with.  It’s easy, and it makes mealtime a breeze!  

I just hope you have an easier time than I did in setting the lid on and locking it in place.  A little tricky!

The mac and cheese turns out perfectly delicious!  I’m impressed with the recipe and even more impressed with the Instant Pot and everything it can do.  


Instant Pot Creamy Mac and Cheese
Slightly adapted from Center Cut Cook

Ingredients:

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
4 cups water
1 tablespoon dry ground mustard
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
16 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or combo of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses)
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Method:

Add macaroni, butter, water, mustard, salt and pepper to Instant Pot.
Secure lid, select Manual, and High Pressure for 4 minutes.  
Once complete, use a quick release.  
Open lid and check that the pasta is cooked completely.
If not, select Sauté, and cook for another 2 minutes until pasta is cooked.
Add in evaporated milk and the cheeses. 
Continue to mix and stir until creamy.
Add any extra salt to taste.
Serve hot!
6-8 servings
Printable recipe


Happy cooking!

Macaroni Gruyère and Parmesan with Bacon

Macaroni and cheese is delicious but macaroni and cheese with bacon is decadently delicious!
 

We all know the way to a man’s heart:  through his stomach!  And what man doesn’t like macaroni and cheese?  So here is a good treat for that special man in your life, be it your husband, father, brother, uncle, grandpa or boyfriend!  You can show him how much you care and satisfy his appetite by cooking the food that he loves on Father's Day this Sunday.  

Gruyère melts smoothly and has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that blends perfectly with Parmesan’s buttery, nutty flavors. Add the succulent, smoky bacon to the mix and it turns the macaroni into a mouthwatering dish.  This is a creamy savory macaroni and cheese main dish or side dish.

Be ready for a forkful of cheesy goodness when this comes out of the oven!  It had us saying, “Ah!!!” and I hope it will have the same affect on you and your loved ones!

 

Macaroni Gruyère  and Parmesan with Bacon

Ingredients:

4 strips bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips

8 ounces macaroni

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon dried mustard

4 cups milk

4 cups (12 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese

1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Chives for garnish, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Fry bacon until crisp.  Drain and set aside.

Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Drain well.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter.

Add flour and dry mustard to make a simple roux.

Stir in garlic.

Slowly pour milk into mixture, stirring constantly.

Add cheeses, except for ½ cup of Parmesan and blend well until mixture is smooth.

Scoop in cooked macaroni and coat well with the cheese and milk mixture.

Fold in crisp bacon strips.

Season with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into 3-quart casserole that is coated with cooking spray.

Sprinkle with reserved Parmesan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves 4-6

Yum!  It’s great with Gruyère, Parmesan and smoky bacon!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Dunbar Macaroni

I am a huge Pat Conroy fan, especially liking the stories regarding the Low Country, and have read all of his books.

  As I said in my bio, I love to read cookbooks and this one I am going to tell you about is just as much a novel as a cookbook.  It is:  The Pat Conroy Cookbook, Recipes of My Life.

This cookbook is filled with marvelous tales about food, the South, living in Italy and fascinating people.  Pat Conroy can tell a story like no one else, particularly about the Low Country.  His description of the many cities he has resided in, his description of food and of people is incredible.  You sort of feel like he is the all-American guy who you just know if you ever got the chance to meet him, you would swear you’d known him all your life.  Even if you do not care for any of these things, you should this book only because he tells a good story! He is a master story-teller!

In the South, eating the feast after a funeral is compared to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  It is tradition there to cook for a grieving family and friends and to carry the dish to the deceased person’s home the evening before the funeral.  Pat’s “go-to” dish for this occurrence when in Beaufort, SC was Pickled Shrimp.  He says:  “When a friend dies, I take two pounds of shrimp for the mourners.  When a good friend dies, I go to five pounds.  When I die, I fully expect all the shrimp in Beaufort to be pickled that day.”  I imagine, there won’t be a shrimp to be found in Beaufort after his funeral!

Dunbar macaroni is the dish that always appears at funeral time in Newbury, South Carolina, to the delight of many people.  The history of Dunbar macaroni belongs to Newbury and Pat learned of it through the death of his friend.  This recipe belongs to Julia Randel, his friend’s grandmother.  Ground beef or pork is added to it sometimes, but Julia insists that Dunbar Macaroni was meatless in its original form.  It is a winner!

Dunbar Macaroni

Ingredients:

1½ cups elbow macaroni

4 onions, chopped

2 (16-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, preferable San Marzano, mashed, without their juice

¾ pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni.  Drain and set aside.

Cook the onions in 3 cups boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain.

Add the tomatoes and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until liquid has evaporated.

Add the cooked macaroni, cheese, butter, salt and pepper.

Mix together and pour into a large greased casserole dish.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Serve hot.

Serves 8-10.

Now, cook up some Dunbar macaroni, relax, read some Pat Conroy and prepare for an adventure!

Sinful 3-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Now, I’m not talking about fast food or diet food, I’m talking about the recipe I created for macaroni and cheese and it is sinful, having Fontina, cheddar and fresh parmesan cheese with a velvety creamy base.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, ‘dinner in a box,’ hit the grocery shelves in 1937, making an instant hit.  World War II boosted its ratings when rationing took hold and meat and milk products were rationed.  Rosie the Riveter had to fill in at the workplace for men who were at war so; this was the perfect food to prepare for an evening meal.  Since then, the number of recipes for macaroni and cheese are probably impossible to count but most of us like the basic dish.

We love macaroni and cheese from scratch and this is definitely not your kids’ macaroni and cheese, it’s the adult version! It is a creamy, custardy macaroni and cheese.  You do not have to make a roux for this as it is like custard with the eggs, milk and spices being whisked together and poured over the macaroni.  It’s great as a side dish or for lunch or a meatless supper. 

This is comfort food for the soul at its best and is spot on delicious!  It is sinful!

Sinful 3-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cps. raw macaroni

2 cps. Fontina cheese, grated

2 cps. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

4 eggs

1 1/2 cps. whole milk

1 t. salt

¼ t. fresh ground pepper

1/8 t. ground nutmeg

½ t. paprika

1 t. dry mustard

1 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated

¼ t. cayenne

Method:

Grease 2 pt. baking dish.

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until al dente, about 6 0r 7 minutes, drain well.

In baking dish, layer macaroni, onion, Fontina and cheddar cheese.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, paprika and dry mustard.

Pour over macaroni mixture.

Spread parmesan cheese over top and sprinkle with cayenne.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until it is set and bubbly and a knife will come out clean. 

4-6 servings

ENJOY!