Food! err... Food.

The other day, Homestead Phil said "You don't talk about food enough in your blog." Agreed! My blog is "Family. Food. Fun!" I seem to be covering "Family." and "Fun!" but I'm lacking in the "Food." category!

Let it be known that one of my favorite foods is Macaroni & Cheese. Mac n cheese. Mac & cheese. Macaroni n cheese. Cheesy macaroni! What do you call it?

Boy do I heart mac n cheese! Probably my favorite one is a cast iron specific one. It takes awhile to make as it starts with bacon, then onions, etc but it is so delicious! Then it's baked in the same cast iron that the bacon was cooked it. DELISH! Here's a link: Macheesmo's Cast Iron Mac and Cheese! You COULD make it without a cast iron skillet or you could salvage one from your parent's or grandparent's stash.

I made this one recently only because I had leftover cream cheese from my holiday baking. I have more cream cheese in the fridge and I've been considering making some of that cookie dough dip. Have you tried it? It tastes like cookie dough but it is a cream cheese base so you don't have to eat raw egg. I do like to live on the edge and will eat raw cookie dough but if I'm having a dip serving size, I probably should steer clear of the raw egg. Anyway... this recipe was tasty although I didn't have any spicy brown mustard to add. I just used ground mustard. Here's the link: TasteOfHome.com Company Mac and Cheese. You can make it even if you don't have company coming over. I think I also added some meat to this one when I made it.

This is by far my favorite one to make when I need a quick meal. I found this recipe when we were in the midst of a DIY four-month kitchen remodel. All I used as a stove for four months was an electric skillet! This recipe is Skillet Mac and Cheese. I tend to add an extra slice or two of swiss cheese when I make it. I also double it to have leftovers and use more noodles than called for in the recipe. We know who raises 95% of our meet but by golly, I really love Hillshire Farms Cheddarwurst so I cut them up and put them into this recipe frequently. I've also put chicken, meat that tastes like chicken, and sausage. I'm not completely committed to macaroni as I also enjoy shells, farfalle, rotini, and radiatori. Without further ado, here's the link: Skillet Mac and Cheese! I've also made this in our little RV a time or two because it only takes one pan. Honestly, I make it in a pot more frequently than a skillet; however, I just got a fancy new 14" skillet from Pampered Chef that can hold a double recipe of this Mac and Cheese!

A Facebook friend, who apparently loves Macaroni & Cheese as much as I do, requested for Mac & Cheese recipes with the intention of trying all of the ones shared with her! I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand for a few of them BUT there was a recommendation of one that called for eggs! You heard me right! Apparently, it's a southern thing. Well... I pulled out my trusty new Pampered Chef skillet. (Let me know if you want one. I'll connect you with my cousin who sells Pampered Chef) and baked it right in that large skillet in the oven! This one is Paula Deen's and called The Lady's Cheesy Mac! It's the only one that I listed that wasn't called "Mac and Cheese". I like her out of the box name - not out of the blue box mac and cheese though! Homestead Phil likes it now and again but he can make and it that on the off chance that I'm not home for a meal. Here's the link: The Lady's Cheesy Mac. Interestingly enough, it calls for eggs but this is the only one of the four that doesn't call for flour. I'm sure if you have a gluten free pasta, you could make this as a gluten-free Cheesy Mac!

And a photo for your viewing pleasure of last night's The Lady's Cheesy Mac in my fancy extra large skillet!