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)

Etsy

For the last few years I've had an Etsy shop. I used to make homemade hair bows, and well, I wasn't that great at it...for a beginner I wasn't terrible, but I wasn't great either. {I still can't figure out how to make them just right.}

Then I started to see all these melamine plates and platters all over Etsy and started looking into how to make them. After a lot of trial and error I figured it out and now that's what I've been selling for the past 3 years. My work is nothing fancy or brilliant, it's just fun and different. I recently started to make dish towels and mugs as well {from a printing source, I don't personally make them}.

I don't sell on Etsy necessarily for the money, cause lets face it, you can't rely on that much for income. I kind of do it for a hobby and kind of for a what if dream. What if my work was loved by someone like Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray? And then they put it in a magazine? The what ifs are fun and give me good ol' day dreams that we all need.

Here are some of my works and if you are ever interested in purchasing, please contact me and I'd be happy to design a platter or plate for you....or even a mug or dish towel:)

Blessings!

Biscuits and Gravy dish towel and coffee mug

BBQ Platter

Harvest Personalized Platter

A Best Seller, BBQ Personalized Platter

To order any of my work, please check out my Etsy site: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SouthernSweetys

Southern Style Spice Rack

I used to have all my spices in a drawer and like most people, most of my spices had long since expired and were just piling up. Just an FYI, as with your medicine cabinet, you should check your expatriation dates on your spices. Fresh spices help bring flavor to your favorite dishes, and spices that are in clearly marked, wide-mouth jars make it even easier to use. Cause, let's face it y'all, things shoved in drawers and in the back of cabinets get lost and before you know it, you have 4 of the same spice! 

Awhile back, I had seen this imagine of a mason jar spice rack in the background of someone's kitchen and just loved it. I searched and searched on-line for that mason jar spice rack and nothing. Recently, while shopping at Wal-Mart, I saw a little spice rack and turned my head to find half pint mason jars....this was the mason jar spice rack I had been searching for! Seriously, right under my nose the whole time. It's a put together southern style spice rack and I love, love, love it!!  That day I bought what I needed, assembled my spice rack and I have mine on the kitchen counter instead of putting it away. It's just too cute to hide!

I also searched for labels and ordered some on Etsy. These labels not only fit the half pint mason jar tops but also they fit my style. Look for what you like and 

what fits your style/kitchen theme best. I don't own a color printer, or else I probably would have just made my own. Do what works best for you. 

So here is how I put together my southern style spice rack; the cost and the link for the labels if you want the same as mine. 

Enjoy y'all!!!

Southern Style Spice Rack

1-Better Homes & Garden Bamboo 3-Tier Cabinet Organizer ($5.74)

1-12 pack Anchorglass Half Pint/8oz Mason Jars ($6.97)

**Both of these were found at my local Wal-Mart in the canning section/kitchen**

Labels were purchased through Etsy at this link:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250890978/printed-all-purpose-label-stickers-set?ref=shop_home_active_14

The labels cost me $12.99 total for 24 blue label stickers. Expensive, yes, however the labels themselves were only $2.99 but they were shipped from India. Shipping from India is what made them expensive. But I splurged a little for them.
Again, you could easily make your own, if you want. 

Pour your unexpired spices into each jar and label with sticker. 

The spice rack holds 9 mason jars, so you'll have a few left to use for other spices or for things like push pins and such. 

I hope you enjoy making your Southern Style Spice Rack!