Mac N CHEESE

Well, obviously this post isn't solely about macaroni and cheese, however it was after making my first baked macaroni and cheese I have decided to share my new found joy of cooking.  Now, the history, I... was (I suppose its past tense at this point) pretty anti-domestic for the majority of my short adulthood.  This has all done a 180 and I have now found myself living in a 600 sq ft studio, on the beach in Miami, with my beautiful boyfriend who is blessed with a large appetite and a doubt in my inner domestic goddess, hence, feeding Nicky.  Conveniently, my mother cooked... A LOT, when we lived home in upstate New York, which spoiled him and left me with some LARGE shoes to fill.  In three weeks, I have only set off the fire alarm in our place... room... apartment... home, ONCE!

Not that I feel I am not this fantastic, gourmet, sous chef by any means.  However, we (I) have made some very yummy, dinners, lunches, and snacks (he makes breakfast) that are very easy and would like to share with you, and anyone that lives alone, or is in college, or lives in a tiny studio on the beach, or a house in Rome, NY (shout out to the boys that eat frozen food on Van Buren) :)  They are mostly recipes from our mothers that we tweak.

Which brings me to today.  I woke up around 10am and thought to myself, Sunday... well at home Val (my  mom) usually makes pasta and sauce or chili or chicken soup.  Sooo chili was the plan today.
Below is my mom's recipe, with our substitutions in parentheses.  Ours definitely has a little more kick... you'll see.

Chili, best for rainy (or snowy) days, and Sundays.
1# hamburg (my package was a tiny more than a pound)
1 lg onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 can 16 oz diced tomatoes (3 medium diced fresh tomatoes from the farmers' market)
2 medium celery stalks
2-3 tablespoons chili powder (go hard or go home, 3 tbl spoons)
2 teaspoons salt (definitely did about 4 sprinkles, not full teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar (a large pinch)
1 teaspoon woozy aka worchester sauce (organic woozy from the farmers market)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce (1 habenaro, 1 hot yellow pepper, and 1 short green pepper, they were labelled like, assorted peppers at the farmers market, and we may have gone overboard here, so worth it)
1 can 16 oz of kidney beans (left it out)
8 oz can of tomato sauce (we used a 6 oz can of tomato paste)

Ok, the directions with my ingredients.  Brown the meat in a large sauce pan.  While the meat is cooking cut up the onion, celery, and garlic. Add to the meat.  While the celery, onions, and garlic cook dice the three tomatoes and the three peppers. After the celery and onions begin to look more transparent add all the spices, then the peppers and tomatoes.  Bring everything to a boil and the turn down the heat.  We then left to cook out and watch football leaving the chili on low heat for about.... 7 hours.  I ate mine with muenster cheese melted over the top.  DOUBLE YOU OH DOUBLE YOU. Sooo good.

Which brings me to the Mac and Cheese. Football, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, 78 and sunny, and mac and cheese.  Quicker, much (ch)easier than the chili. 
Boil water (duh). Add 2 cups of roni's, elbows, whichever.  While your water is boiling, or before if you are more prepared than me, slice up or grate 1 lb of sharp chedda cheeeese.  In another pan melt 3 tablespoons or butter mix with 3 tablespoons of flour.  When the flour and butter are blended add 2 cups of milk and stir while it thinckens. Add the cheese and stir periodically until all melty and blended.  Now drain the pasta and add to casserole dish (who really has these, we didn't we used a reg baking pan).  Pour cheese and cover all the elbows.  Bread crumbs sprinkled on top are optional but I melted some butter in a frying pan and added bread crumbs to toast them.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and bake at 350 until it bubbles (15-30 min)
YEAAA cook out in November in Florida.

Not only did we have the staple grill food AND mac n cheese, but we got real tailgate with it and were living the High Life.  Nick made Skippys, which is the 2 oz. the beer of your choice (we had high life), a shot of vodka, and about 6-8 oz lemonade. We brought the upstate NY so SoFlo today kids.

Well this post is pretty lengthy, I do apologize. But you did get TWO of our more unhealthy meals and a Skppy! it's Sunday and there was sunshine and football though so its ok.  xo