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8
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oz
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package of macaroni
|
|
1
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cups
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eggnog
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|
2
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Tbsp
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butter
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|
3
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Tbsp
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flour
|
|
1/2
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tsp
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salt (I eyeballed the seasonings, these measurements are a guess.)
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1/4
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tsp
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black pepper
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1/2
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tsp
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nutmeg
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1/4
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tsp
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cayenne
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|
1 1/2
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cups
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shredded Cheddar
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|
1 1/2
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cups
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shredded Colby Jack
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|
1/2
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cup
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grated Parmesan (I had it in the fridge so I just dumped some of it in the mixture.)
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I LOVE mac and cheese, I could seriously eat it everyday. Melted cheese on everything sounds like the best day ever. I like putting new (even if it's just new to me) ingredients into food. In between Halloween and Thanksgiving I made a pumpkin mac and cheese, which was amazingly delicious! It was cheesy and thick and pumpkin-y and comfort food-y and etc. Then for a friend's Thanksgiving I made a beer and bacon mac and cheese, you could really taste the beer, it was pretty cool, though if I made it again I may try other cheeses or just more cheese in general.
Beer and Bacon Mac and Cheese
Anyway, I was making eggnog cookies (I added a glaze to this recipe made of powdered sugar, rum, and eggnog, no real measurements just looking for consistency) for a party and I had just looked through recipes for all kinds of other eggnog dessert recipes (cake, cheesecake, etc.) and I guess my lack of a sugar-toothed brain got over sugared so it started thinking of savory foods. Surprise, surprise my brain went straight to mac and cheese. "Has eggnog mac and cheese been done?" "Will it taste okay?" "People put nutmeg in their mac and cheese so why not?!"
I decided to look on google, I didn't really like the results I was getting it didn't really seem to understand my query. I took that to mean it hadn't been done or at least not often. I did find this video, but I'll be honest I fast-forwarded to the end to see if he mentions how it tastes. As far as I could tell he didn't, but one day I should be fair and watch the whole 5 minute thing, I mean am I that lazy? (Yes.)
My brain said, "Screw it. Let's just do it and base it off of recipes we know." Move over, milk, eggnog is in the game!
All I did was substitute eggnog for milk, it really wasn't a huge deal. I did however love the consistency and the flavor and it went over really well! If I wasn't being cheap I may have used different cheeses, but the Cheddar, Colby Jack, Parmesan mix seemed to go over really well.
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350°
Cook pasta. (Follow package about 8 minutes or til al dente.) I used some fun curly stuff which I just learned is this: https://www.google.com/search?q=Cellentani (Look out! My Italian is showing...)
Make a roux: Melt butter on a large hot sauce pan, whisk in flour until it's smooth and let it cook (while whisking) for a couple of minutes.
Slowly whisk in eggnog, whisking constantly for ~5 minutes (until it's thickened.)
Whisk in salt, black pepper, cayenne, & nutmeg (these are the seasonings I chose, you may go a different route.) Whisk 1½ cups of cheese until smooth. (Bah! I meant to take a picture of the sauce and then forgot!)
Stir sauce in with your pasta, put in your baking dish, top with remaining cheese and bake for about 30 minutes or cheese is bubbly and golden to dark golden on the edges.
Now: EAT! (But watch out if you just took it out of the oven!)
Happy whatever holiday you celebrate or don't and a happy, happy New Year!
P.S. There weren't enough pictures in this post, so here's a picture of the kite lights with faces at Celebration in the Oaks!
