Southern Comfort Macaroni and Cheese

Need a hug? Bring it in. Need to talk? I'm all ears. Need to cry? My shoulder is ready. Need to emotionally eat? I've got you covered....nothing says love like food. Especially Southern comfort food. Food celebrates everything and comforts anything. New Baby-bring food. Death in a family-bring food. New home-bring food. Broken heart-bring food...and booze.

Simply put, food is my love language. If my boys are coming home for the weekend to visit, I like to have their favorite foods available so they can fill up their bellies and take home the rest. From Chicken Enchiladas, deviled eggs, pumpkin bread to macaroni and cheese. Doesn't matter what it is. It's my way of saying I love you, I've missed you, I want you to leave happy and I want you to come back and visit your family! Hint, hint Ryan and Matthew.

I'm not a world class chef and don't pretend to be (although I would LOVE to have my own cooking show and MAYBE I've pretended to host my own cooking show a time or two..."Kat's Kitchen" just sayin'). But I am a world class home cooking Mama. I'm someone who loves to cook and bake ALL the things that are supposed to be bad for you, AKA comfort food.

Food that smells like a long warm hug, chewy like a good conversation, spicy enough to make you cry happy food tears, all of it fulfilling your emotional needs. Yup-that's my style. And that's probably why I'm over weight too. But that's for another blog post (thyroid-I'm blaming it all on the thyroid).

So for those of you I can't reach over and hug. For my boys who don't visit home nearly enough. Here is my way of saying I love you, one of my favorite recipes: Southern Comfort Macaroni and Cheese.


             Southern Comfort Macaroni and Cheese

Preheat Oven to 375

Ingredients

1 pound medium cut elbow macaroni and cheese noodles

8oz sharp cheddar cheese

8oz monterey jack cheese

1 pound block of Velveeta cheese (store brand works fine too)

1 1/4 cups whole milk

2 large eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

1 stick of unsalted butter

Optional

*I like to add a can of drained rotel to my macaroni and cheese-my boys like the heat*

*Crumbled up bacon taste amazing with this too*

Instructions

Spray a 4 quart baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Boil noodles, rinse, drain-set aside

Shred the cheddar cheese and jack cheese-mix together-set aside

Pour milk into a large saucepan and warm over medium heat

Cut Velveeta into chunks and add into saucepan

Cook on medium heat and stir often until melted

Remove from heat-set aside

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and lightly whisk

{Temper the Eggs: tempering prevents eggs from scrambling in the hot cheese sauce}

Scoop out some of the hot cheese sauce and slowly add it to the eggs

Continue to whisk the eggs and cheese until well combined

Add half of the elbow macaroni noodles to the baking pan

Season with salt, pepper and optional ingredients

Slice thin layers of butter and spread them around the top of the noodles

Sprinkle 1/2 of  cheddar/jack cheese combo over the noodles

Ladle 1/2 of the Velveeta cheese sauce over that

Repeat the layers of noodles, seasonings, butter, cheeses and Velveeta sauce

Cook at 375 degrees uncovered for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned

Enjoy!!

(recipe adapted from Deep South Dish)

Meatloaf Veggie Burger

My family loves a good meatloaf, and so do I. Meatloaf is my go to recipe for company coming over and for a welcomed fall meal. But have you ever had meatloaf as a hamburger piled high with roasted root vegetables? Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all don't know food love until you've had these. My Mom used to make these when I was a little girl and here I am now making these for my family. This is a recipe I hope my children will grow up loving as much as I did. And this is a great recipe for anyone on a budget or new to cooking, too. Simple, easy and cheap.

Meatloaf Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 packet Beefy Onion soup mix

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg

Extra ketchup for smearing

1 large russet potato

1 bag carrot chips or 2 carrots for slicing

salt and pepper for seasoning

hamburger buns optional

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, using  your hands (yes, just like Mom used to do)

Mix ground sirloin, beefy onion soup mix, water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and egg 

Tear off 6 sheets of aluminum foil for wrapping meatloaf patty 

Form meat into 6 hamburger patties

Place each meatloaf patty onto a sheet of foil

Add additional ketchup to the top of meatloaf patties, smearing it across the top of the patty

Cut your potato and carrots into slices (not too thick because it takes longer to cook through)

Generously add potato slices and carrot slices to each meatloaf patty

Veggies should be over flowing, you want a bunch, trust me.

Season with salt and pepper to your liking

Wrap each meatloaf patty and its veggies in the foil sheet 

and poke a few holes in the bottom of the wrapped patty for ventilation and to let fat drain out.

Place wrapped and poked patties onto a lined cookie sheet 

Bake in over for at least an hour 

After an hour let the patties sit for a few minutes to cool off

Opening up patties straight from the oven could burn you because of the steam, so please use caution.

Put meatloaf patty on a bun and pile on your veggies from the same foil pouch

Top with ketchup or mustard or pickles or nothing at all....its so delicious any way you have it!

Best served with fries of any kind (I personally like sweet potato fries!!).

And wash it down with a sweet tea.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf Veggie Burger

My family loves a good meatloaf. And so do I. Meatloaf is my go to recipe for company coming over and for a welcomed fall meal. But have you ever had meatloaf as a hamburger piled high with roasted root vegetables? Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all don't know food love until you've had these. My Mom used to make these when I was a little girl and here I am now making these for my family. This is a recipe I hope my children will grow up loving as much as I did. And this is a great recipe for anyone on a budget or new to cooking, too. Simple, easy and cheap.

Meatloaf Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 packet Beefy Onion soup mix

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg

Extra ketchup for smearing

1 large russet potato

1 bag carrot chips or 2 carrots for slicing

salt and pepper for seasoning

hamburger buns optional

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, using  your hands (yes, just like Mom used to do)

Mix ground sirloin, beefy onion soup mix, water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and egg 

Tear off 6 sheets of aluminum foil for wrapping meatloaf patty 

Form meat into 6 hamburger patties

Place each meatloaf patty onto a sheet of foil

Add additional ketchup to the top of meatloaf patties, smearing it across the top of the patty

Cut your potato and carrots into slices (not too thick because it takes longer to cook through)

Generously add potato slices and carrot slices to each meatloaf patty

Veggies should be over flowing, you want a bunch, trust me.

Season with salt and pepper to your liking

Wrap each meatloaf patty and its veggies in the foil sheet 

and poke a few holes in the bottom of the wrapped patty for ventilation and to let fat drain out.

Place wrapped and poked patties onto a lined cookie sheet 

Bake in over for at least an hour 

After an hour let the patties sit for a few minutes to cool off

Opening up patties straight from the oven could burn you because of the steam, so please use caution.

Put meatloaf patty on a bun and pile on your veggies from the same foil pouch

Top with ketchup or mustard or pickles or nothing at all....its so delicious any way you have it!

Best served with fries of any kind (I personally like sweet potato fries!!).

And wash it down with a sweet tea.

Enjoy!