SERIOUSLY the BEST Mac and Cheese in the WORLD

I love mac and cheese more than anything and for YEARS I've been trying to find the perfect mac and cheese recipe. I like my mac and cheese creamy and cheesy (but who doesn't?!), and I will NOT settle by using velveeta. As I may have mentioned before, I hate the stuff. In order to find the perfect recipe, I am constantly trying different techniques, but nothing seems to do the trick. Usually, the mac and cheese turns out to not be creamy enough, or taste cheesy enough. Fear not though!! After continuous trial and error, I have FINALLY found the million dollar winner. THIS recipe is BY FAR the BEST mac and cheese I have ever had. As you can see, it is ridiculously rich and creamy, and it is SO flavorful. If you want to treat yourself, or impress someone special, make this recipe. If you follow the recipe perfectly, I can GUARANTEE you will love it!! This is the only mac and cheese recipe you will ever need.

Just a side note, this is a stove top recipe. If you like baked macaroni and cheese, follow these directions after making the mac and cheese: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; 2. Spray a baking dish with Pam; 3. Pour the mac and cheese in the baking dish; 4. Mix panko bread crumbs with melted butter or olive oil; 5. Top the mac and cheese with shredded cheddar; 6. Sprinkle the panko on top; and 5. Bake the mac and cheese for 25-35 minutes, or until the mac and cheese is golden brown.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cellentani pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

 Recipe:

• Cook pasta according to package directions
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and whisk in flour. Whisk for 2 minutes then turn heat to low. Whisk in milk. 
• In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch into evaporated milk.
• Add the evaporated milk to skillet.
• Add the Dijon mustard and all remaining seasonings to the skillet.
• Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened (continue to whisk). 
• Whisk in sharp cheese until melted. 
• Add pasta and toss until evenly coated.

Arabic Saffron Rice

I absolutely love saffron rice. I have so many memories of my grandmother making this dish every holiday. I would eat plate fulls of it at a time. She was an incredible cook and estimated all her recipe measurements by hand. Unfortunately, her recipes are often difficult to recreate (at least for those of us who are amateur cooks) because she rarely wrote down her recipes. My dad was on a mission though to make saffron rice for thanksgiving, and it turned out pretty darn good. I liked it so much that I decided to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of saffron (usually comes in 1 gram or .03 ounce boxes)
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup water
• Salt
• 4 cups basmati rice
• 5 cups chicken broth 
• Slivered almonds
• Raisins  
• Olive oil

Recipe:

• Place saffron in a pestle and mortar. Add a pinch of sugar. Grind until the saffron is in powder form (or grind it as fine as you can). 
• Pour saffron mixture into a mug, add 1 cup of hot water, cover, and let it sit for approximately 20 minutes until you see the dark rich saffaron color.
• Rinse the rice thoroughly with water to remove any excess starch.
• Soak the rice with plenty of water for about 30 minutes.
• Drain the water.
• Add the soaked rice to the pot.
• Add the liquid to the pot with the rice: 1 cup of the saffron water and 5 cups of chicken broth. 
• Bring to a boil under medium-high heat, uncovered.
• When it starts boiling, cover and lower the heat to low.
• Keep the top of the pot on at all times, but stir the rice occasionally to make sure you have enough liquid. If you don't, add more liquid as needed. 
• After fifteen minutes, take the lid off. If there is any excess water, allow it to boil off. Fluff with a fork.
• Place about two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add slivered almonds. Fry the slivered almond at low temperature. Once they start browning, take it off the stove top. Repeat with raisins. 
• Add salt as needed. 
• Serve the rice garnished with almonds and raisins. 

 

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Potato salad is most definitely my favorite dish at a summer get together. I am always excited to try a new recipe! I found this one on pinterest and I just could not pass it up! At your next cookout or BBQ I would most definitely recommend making this potato salad! It tastes exactly like a loaded baked potato...bacon, cheese, potato, sour cream...you just can't go wrong with that!! Its yummy yummy! I served it chilled though the originally recipe served it warm so you can do whatever you prefer!

Recipe Source: Dining with Leslie
Serving: 8 to 12 people
Ingredients:

• 8 large Russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 cup sour cream (plus a dab extra)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Leave some aside for the topping)
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped chives (Leave some aside for the topping)
• 16 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled (Leave some aside for the topping)
• 2 tsp black pepper
• Salt to the taste

Recipe:

• In a small bow, mix together mayonnaise and sour cream.
• Add the chives, cheese, and pepper to the bowl.
• Add salt if needed
• Let chill in the fridge
• Peel and cube potatoes into bite size pieces.
• Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.
• Boil until fork tender (about 18-20 minutes). You'll want to make sure that you don't cook them for too long because you don't want mashed potatoes!!
•  Drain potatoes and let cool. 
• Put potatoes in a large bowl and combine mayo/sour cream mixture. 
• Fold in crumbles of bacon.
• Chill until ready to serve.
• Top with the remaining chives, cheese, and bacon.