The whole cheese drawer Mac N Cheese

 

When it came to the cheese drawer in the fridge, I had a bunch of odds and ends. I decided to make a crazy cheese buffet, mac and cheese, which was the tastiest mac and cheese I've ever made. I like to broil the casserole at the end of baking to crisp the cheese on top of it. You may like it less broiled, but I love the crispness and the almost nutty flavor the cheese takes on as it fries under the broiler. 

5 tablespoons real butter

1/4 block cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded  whole milk mozzarella

2 cups sharp cheddar shredded

1 1/2 cups shredded Havarti Cheese 

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

4 slices of Swiss cheese cut into little squares

4 slices smoked cheddar slices into little squares

1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon Onion powder

To taste Cayenne pepper

a little sprinkle of Lawry's seasoning

1/4 teaspoon Black pepper

1 cup Heavy Cream

2 cups Whole Milk

2 tablespoons of flour. 

2/3 bag of large macaroni noodles cooked extra Al'dente

9 X 9 buttered glass baking pan

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, add flour, and cook for 3 minutes, whisking almost constantly. Pour in cream while whisking, add milk while whisking, add cream cheese, and incorporate fully; add seasonings, add cheddar (reserving some for topping), add havarti half Swiss and smoked cheddar. Add in cooked pasta and stir to coat. Transfer contents to the buttered casserole. Add remaining Swiss, smoked cheddar, and mozzarella; push the cheese down with a spoon till it disappears into the casserole, but do not stir. Top with remaining cheddar, then havarti, bake in a 350 oven till bubbling and turn on the broiler to brown the cheese to finish the dish. 

Buttermilk Cornbread

 

2 Cups Shawnee Cornmeal

1 Cup Shawnee all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 teaspoons baking powder

1.5 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 1/4 cups buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk, use whole milk and a few tablespoons of sour cream; trust me on this)

Combine all dry ingredients with a whisk in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Beat eggs lightly. Pour in cooled butter and buttermilk, whisking together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry using a rubber spatula and using as few strokes as possible until combined. Scrape the cornbread mixture into a greased baking pan and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center (lighter color), or 30 minutes for lightly browned. 

If you prefer a more cake-like texture, use half flour and half cornmeal and reduce the sugar by half.