Adventures in Cooking: Downhome Cook'in

The Pioneer Woman rocks when it comes to good 'ol fashioned, down home cook'in. Healthy and nutritious? Absolutely not, but damn, it tastes good! Most of her recipes are packed with butter (the real stuff!) and loads of salt, but we all need to take a break from the healthy stuff and induldge in some comfort food every once in a while! Her cookbook is fantastic, and I have become a huge fan of her blog as well.

 Friday night I made The Pioneer Woman's Mac and Cheese and it turned out AMAZING! It was a little time consuming (especially since I am a cooking amature) but well worth the time and effort! Everyone seemed to enjoy it as well.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-½ cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. 

Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
 

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

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Monday was a holiday (Memorial Day) so we stayed home and BBQ'd. PO made some killer BBQ chicken and grilled corn and I contributed to the meal by making The Pioneer Woman's 'Restraunt Style Smashed Potatoes'. They were super simple to make and turned out fantastic!

Ingredients

• 5 whole Large Red Potatoes
• 1 stick Butter, Softened And Cut Into Pieces
• 5 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 whole Green Onions, Sliced
• ¾ cups Sour Cream
• Salt To Taste (add Plenty!)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste (ditto!)
• ¾ cups French Fried Onions, More For Topping

Preparation Instructions

Nuke potatoes or bake in the oven until fork-tender. Add to a large bowl and smash with a potato masher. Immediately add softened butter, green onions, bacon, and sour cream and stir with a rubber spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add french fried onions and fold in.

Serve hot, sprinkling on extra french fried onions and green onions.

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To read more about our weekend adventures, click here!