Real Mac & Cheese
It has been a very busy couple of days...baking away cupcakes and cakes for customers..I do enjoy decorating cakes a lot and wish I have more time to come up with new ideas all the time. Whenever the time permits, rarely these days, I try to decorate new designs and take pictures of them. Here are some examples of easy, simple and elegant ones that fit for any occasion.
Speaking of cupcakes, I made a very small birthday party for Haroon, my 3 yeas old toddler at his nursery back in June. He loves trains and I thought how appropriate to make him a train track full of cupcakes instead of train wagons...so I did. The down side about that party is that it was a very hectic time preparing for the Henna party which I shared few posts back and it was Ramadan, so I was exhausted. I tried to pull off something simple and easy. It was not bad. Not super but not bad. Here are some pictures.
I did make very simple favors for the kids where I filled some clear bags with candies, closed the bag with a card board and stuck a train image. I also wrapped milk boxes with train water labels which I printed for free online
Today's recipe is for a family favorite...Mac & cheese. It is loved by all children and adults, a great side dish or a dish I would make for dinner for the kids to enjoy (Dinner is not the main meal here in Jordan :) )
I remember when I was first introduced to Mac and cheese back in 1998 when I went to Austin, Texas. I was in shock to see all the processed food when I first visited the west. You open a box and pull off food that can easily be microwaved, baked or cooked on the stove. Of course it was a time savor but the taste to me was ...well..mediocre...I mean I live in Jordan and the UAE and my mom never cooked anything but fresh...Fresh vegetables and meats...we used dried beans...barely any canned food except for Foul Medames...and I do recall a period where my mom made Foul at home and it was much better than the one out of can. So to make a long story short, I am not trying to bash canned or boxed food, but I do try to make things from scratch whenever possible. So I do make my own mac & cheese and don't buy the boxed stuff. It tastes real!!!
Real Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I like to mix sharp and melting cheeses like cheddar and Gouda or Edam cheese)
1 Tbsp butter to grease the baking the dish and top the mac & cheese
3 Tbsp bread crumbs
Salt, pepper
Directions:
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a pot and add the flour, cook for few minutes and add milk while whisking to prevent clumps. Once it comes to a boil it will thicken, add salt and pepper to your taste and add the cheese. Whisk until the cheese is melted. In the mean time, you boil and cook the pasta, grease your baking dish with some of the 1 Tbsp of butter and sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of bread crumbs as a coating. Mix the macaroni and the cheese sauce, then pour into the baking dish, dot with the left over butter and sprinkle withe the rest of bread crumbs.
Bake at 350 F or 175 c for about 20-25 minutes till nice and bubbly.
Enjoy!!
Speaking of cupcakes, I made a very small birthday party for Haroon, my 3 yeas old toddler at his nursery back in June. He loves trains and I thought how appropriate to make him a train track full of cupcakes instead of train wagons...so I did. The down side about that party is that it was a very hectic time preparing for the Henna party which I shared few posts back and it was Ramadan, so I was exhausted. I tried to pull off something simple and easy. It was not bad. Not super but not bad. Here are some pictures.
I did make very simple favors for the kids where I filled some clear bags with candies, closed the bag with a card board and stuck a train image. I also wrapped milk boxes with train water labels which I printed for free online
Today's recipe is for a family favorite...Mac & cheese. It is loved by all children and adults, a great side dish or a dish I would make for dinner for the kids to enjoy (Dinner is not the main meal here in Jordan :) )
I remember when I was first introduced to Mac and cheese back in 1998 when I went to Austin, Texas. I was in shock to see all the processed food when I first visited the west. You open a box and pull off food that can easily be microwaved, baked or cooked on the stove. Of course it was a time savor but the taste to me was ...well..mediocre...I mean I live in Jordan and the UAE and my mom never cooked anything but fresh...Fresh vegetables and meats...we used dried beans...barely any canned food except for Foul Medames...and I do recall a period where my mom made Foul at home and it was much better than the one out of can. So to make a long story short, I am not trying to bash canned or boxed food, but I do try to make things from scratch whenever possible. So I do make my own mac & cheese and don't buy the boxed stuff. It tastes real!!!
Real Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I like to mix sharp and melting cheeses like cheddar and Gouda or Edam cheese)
1 Tbsp butter to grease the baking the dish and top the mac & cheese
3 Tbsp bread crumbs
Salt, pepper
Directions:
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a pot and add the flour, cook for few minutes and add milk while whisking to prevent clumps. Once it comes to a boil it will thicken, add salt and pepper to your taste and add the cheese. Whisk until the cheese is melted. In the mean time, you boil and cook the pasta, grease your baking dish with some of the 1 Tbsp of butter and sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of bread crumbs as a coating. Mix the macaroni and the cheese sauce, then pour into the baking dish, dot with the left over butter and sprinkle withe the rest of bread crumbs.
Bake at 350 F or 175 c for about 20-25 minutes till nice and bubbly.
Enjoy!!
نهاية اسبوع معجوقة بخبز الكي كيك والكيك بمطبخي...ريحة البيت كلها تعبت فانيلا وشوكولاتة وليمون وجزر....هههههه ما عم بشكي ابدا ما في احلى من ريحة الخبز بالبيت...وانشغلت بتزيين الكيك هالكم يوم الماضيين وطلع اشياء حلوة ولطيفة. وبحاول كل فترة اطله باشكال ناعمة (انا بحب الاشياء الناعمة) وبحسها بتلبق باي مناسبة...
وبالحديث عن الكب كيك بالصيف عملت عيد ميلاد لهارون بالحضانة كان سريع وخفيف ولطيف لانه الدنيا كانت رمضان وكنت معجوقة على الاخر بترتيبات الحنة فصح للاستاذ عيد ميلاد خفيف وكان النمط هو القار لانه بحبه كتير....عند قطار فقررت احط
عرباية القطار الاصلية (اللعبة)على السكة ويكونوا الكب كيكات همه العربايات...طلع لذيذ مش بطال
وهدايا الصغار عملتها باني عبيت اكياس باشياء زاكية وسكرتها بقطع كرتون احمر وطبعت صورة القطار من الانترنت وكمان تغليفات لعلب الحليب...زي الصور
وصفة اليوم هي لطبق بيحبوه الصغار والكبار وهو معكرونة بالجبنة. بتذكر اول ما رحت على اميركا انصدمت اديش في اكل بيطلع من علبة...قصدي مصنع وبحجة توفير الوقت الناس بتوقع بمتاهة اكل مصنع وغير صحي وخاصة انه احنا بهالجزء بالعالم وعلى الاقل جيلنا تربى على اكل الخضار الطازجة والفواكة واللحوم والحبوب....يعني بتذكر انه الاشي الوحيد المعلب اللي امي كانت تجيبوا كان الفول ورب البندورة...بس اجت فترة كانت تسلق الفول بالبيت وكيلو البندورة كان يوصل ل 5 قروش فتعمل رب بندورة وكاتشب بالبيت...يا الله اديش زاكي..وبالمناسبة امي كانت معلمة وعندها اربع اولاد فمش شغلة وقت بقدر ما هي شغلة نية وتنظيم وقت... على كل بلاش تنظير بس بدي اقول اد ما بتقدروا بعدوا عن الاكل المصنع وعشان هيك اليوم بدي اشارككم وصفتي للمعكرونة بالجبنة لاحلى طبق جانبي او على العشا للاولاد
المعكرونة بالجبنة
:المقادير
1/2 1 كوب معكرونة معكوفة مسلوقة
2 ملعقة طعام زبدة
2 ملعقة طعام طحين
3 كوب حليب
ملح، فلفل اسود
1/2 1 كوب جبنة مبشورة (انا بحب اخلط شدر مع جودا او ايدام)
ملعقة زبدة لدهن صحن الخبز وللقليل على الوجه
3 ملاعق طعام قرشلة مطحونة
الطريقة:
تسيح الزبدة ويقلب الطحين عدة دقائق ويضاف الحليب وتحرك باستمرار لمنع التكتل
عندما تغلي ستسمك قليلا تملح وتبهر وتضاف الجبنة وتحرك لتذوب الجبنة
يدهن صحن الخبز بالقليل من ملعقة الزبدة وترش بملعقة طعام من القرشلة
تخلط المعكرونة بصوص الجبنة وتسكب في الصحن
ترش ببقية القرشلة وتوزع بقية الزبدة على الوجه
تخبز على 175 من 20-25 دقيقة لتغلي ةيصبح وجهها ذهبي قليلا
تقدم ساخنة والف صحة..
استنوني يوم الاسبوع الجاي بوصفة لبقايا المعكرونة بالجبنة وشو تعملو فيها....
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