Macroni and Cheese- Spicy, Cheesy Goodness!

I truly believe that macaroni and cheese may be one of the best foods ever invented. It is a staple of the Southern table (as well as the rest of the country, but I like to feel some ownership as a Southerner). The way that true macaroni and cheese has to be made is with roux, a butter and flour paste that will thicken the milk. A crunchy, buttery breadcrumb topping is preferred, but not absolutely necessary. (But why would you leave it off?

I remember being invited over to a friends house when I was like 6, and her mother made mac and cheese that was- if you can believe it- pasta, milk and processed cheese slices melted in a pot. I told her that was not the way you made mac and cheese, and I refused to eat it. The mother was not pleased with me. (And I have to say, she was not from the South!)

To spice it up, I could not decide between jalapenos and chipotle peppers. If you don’t know- Chipotle peppers are just smoked jalapenos that are sold in a can in a delicious adobo sauce. Jalapenos have more of a quick, sharp, fresh heat while the chipotles are a slow, smoky, long lasting heat. So, of course, I made both. I took them to a family dinner at the in-law’s house and the reviews were divided. Totally depended on which flavor each person preferred. Both were delicious but if you are a jalapeno lover, you will prefer that over the chipotle. Makes sense, huh? So pick your favorite and enjoy! (Did I mention the bacon?!?)

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups dry elbow macaroni
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp House Seasoning
1 tsp dry mustard
Dash cayenne pepper
2 cups whole milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
½ lb bacon
¼ cup diced pickled jalapeno peppers with juice OR 2 diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
½ cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain; set aside.

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in saucepan. Whisk in flour, house seasoning, mustard and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and whisk; stir constantly over medium heat until sauce thickens and is smooth. Add 1 cup cheese; stir until melted.

Cook bacon until crisp and crumble; drain on paper towels. Add bacon and your choice of pepper to cream sauce. Also add cooked macaroni. Stir to combine. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. Melt other 2 Tbsp butter and combine with bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbly.

Jalapeno Jelly

There are few things that are more Southern that canning. My grandmother (who is actually an admitted Yankee but made many concessions for my farm-raised, pure Mississippi boy grandfather) has made homemade pickles for as long as I can remember. Pickles, jams, jelly- all very Southern. How will I add a Southwestern kick? Spicy peppers, of course! If you have not had jalapeno jelly, let me tell you- it is a fabulous thing. You can use it all sorts of ways, but my favorite is just on a cracker with some cream cheese- it may sound odd, but it is delicious!

So, I had never even thought about canning and had to do some research on how to can, how to make things gel and of course, how to seal the cans. I found a recipe for Jalapeno Jelly/ Jam- the recipe calls for straining out the peppers, but I left them in, for a chunkier jam type consistency, and it was delicious. So you can strain, or not, depending on what you think you will like.



1 large yellow pepper, seeded
14 jalapeno peppers, some seeded- depending on level of desired heat
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
1 pinch salt
4 cups sugar
3 oz. liquid pectin

1. Combine the bell pepper and jalapeno peppers in the container of a food processor or blender. Process until finely chopped/ pureed. This can be done in batches, if the peppers do not fit.
2. Transfer the peppers to a large saucepan, and stir in the cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through at least 2 layers of cheesecloth, and discard pulp. You should have about 1 cup of liquid.
3. Return the liquid to the saucepan, and stir in the salt and sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, boil for one minute, then stir in the liquid pectin.
4. Ladle into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal jars in a hot water bath. Refrigerate jelly after seal is broken.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I love, love, love cupcakes! They are so “in” right now. I would love to make cupcakes all day! I found a recipe on the www.cupcakeproject.com for cookie dough cupcakes- they have a center of raw cookie dough as well as a ball of the dough on top. I mean, is there anything better, more comforting, more indulgent than cookie dough?

And don’t worry- the dough is egg-less, so no worries about anyone getting sick. I just had to try these. Her cooking times were way off for my oven- 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes- but when I checked them at 12 minutes, they were almost burnt (definitely crispy and way too dry). So I would say either drop the temperature to 350 or only cook for 10 minutes at 400. Do not freak out about “burning” the butter for the cupcake batter- it is really easy to do and gives the cake such an amazing, deep, rich, yummy, buttery flavor.

Burnt Butter Cupcake Batter

2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cups self rising cake flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
2-3 Tablespoons milk

First, burn the butter- place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it turns a dark golden color (3-5 minutes). Take the pan off the heat and strain into a bowl to remove sediment. Let it sit until it solidifies (30 minutes room temperature or 10 minutes in the fridge).

Once butter is soft/solid, mix all ingredients but milk with a mixer. Once well blended, add milk slowly until well mixed.

Fill 12 cupcake liners halfway (the self rising flour will make the batter double in size). Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.

When cupcakes cool, cut a hole in top and push in a ball of cookie dough. Cover with cookie dough frosting and place another ball of cookie dough on top. Yum!


Raw Cookie Dough Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons whole milk
1 cup chocolate chips (mini size)

Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
(I waited to add the chocolate chips until after I took out the amount for the frosting)

Cookie Dough Frosting

Mix 1 cup of raw cookie dough with ½ cup of heavy cream. It tastes just like cookie dough, but spreads perfectly!