Fancy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Last night was another recipe I haven't made that many times, but it's one that I'd been meaning to try again. Out of the Frying Pan was a collaboration between a blogger (before that was even a word) I read in the early 2000s and two of her friends/colleagues. It's been abandoned and revamped a couple of times, so who knows how much longer it'll be available online. It happens to house a few of my favorite recipes, so I popped the favorites and the "maybes" into Cozi, and got started working them into our family meal plan.

So this is one of them. It's not just fancy; I would say that depending on your kids' tastes it might be kid-unfriendly due to the scallions and white wine. You could always omit those, but I do feel like the scallions give it a more interesting flavor than your basic blue-box.

Modifications/choices: I used half a package of Italian 5 cheese blend and half a package of mild cheddar. I didn't have as much ham on hand as I thought, at least not thawed, so I used one 2 oz package of Buddig sliced deli ham and diced it into small bits. I did use the scallions and some Italian-style bread crumbs.

I cooked the noodles, made the cheese sauce, and assembled it until the step where you plop it in the oven. Then I placed the casserole dish in the fridge while Sam and I went to Music Together. Then I baked it when we got back. It took about 25 minutes or longer to get hot all the way through, but it turned out just as well, I think, as it would have if I'd baked it right away.

Unfortunately because I was trying to cram in prep time between the park and our class, and because I just didn't remember, I didn't take any pictures last night. I did, however, take a picture of some leftovers I had for lunch today.

Not sure on the verdict for this recipe. I like it a lot, but Dan wasn't feeling too well (and was 'pasta'ed out) so he didn't give me a firm yes or no. Sam wasn't at all interested, but he's not that big a mac and cheese fan anyway.

Tonight is Garlic Lime Fajitas. Hopefully I'll get more pictures of the process there. I've made this particular recipe three or four times (with no seasoning packet!) so it should be good.