individual baked mac 'n cheese

Birthdays mean fun things I'd never buy for myself. For my recent bday, I received these adorable mini casserole dishes from Kabeer's mom and was dying to use them as soon as possible. I was trying to find an individual mac 'n cheese recipe that incorporated pepperjack due to our recent trip to Costco in which we came home with a 2 lb block of it. I was unsuccessful, so this recipe was definitely a test drive! I only made enough for 2, because this is not one of those things you want sitting in your fridge tempting you for days...or maybe it is. mmm chhheeeeeeseee....

you will need:
3/4 cup dry elbow macaroni or mini rotini
1/8 to 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp butter, more for greasing dishes
panko or italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
optional: garlic salt to taste
2 10 oz dishes or one 20 oz dish.
*serves 2

If you don't want a spicy-ish dish, then use different cheeses such as gruyere, extra sharp white cheddar,   parmigiano-reggiano..this pasta has a bit of a kick to it! you could also add chicken, veggies...whatever you're up for.

1. Heat oven and boil pasta. Set oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta until cooked on outside and undercooked in the inside, about 2-3 minutes under the manufacturer's suggestion. Transfer to coriander, rinse, cool.

2. Prepare baking dishes by greasing with butter.

3. Make cheese sauce. Melt butter, add onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until translucent. Whisk in flour and cook until it is bubbling but not browning. Add cream, half and half, sour cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add cheese, add more or less depending on your desired thickness. Stir until cheese is completely melted and smooth. Add nutmeg, red pepper, garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

4. Assemble dishes. Pour pasta into sauce pan and combine. Transfer to dishes. Add reserve cheese and then breadcrumbs to top of dish. Bake for 25-35 minutes on a baking sheet until cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before digging in!

white chocolate oatmeal cookies with cadbury mini eggs

yay spring! the parks are full of people, daylight savings is here, and warm weather is just around the corner. that means one thing... cadbury mini eggs are back! my apologies to the creme eggs, i'm just not a fan. that "yolk" thing has always creeped me out. these cookies are so delicious. i like a variation on the traditional chocolate chip cookie, so this recipe is perfect. i used high altitude variations, so if you're in the mountains add 1/2 cup of flour to the basic recipe. i added the cadbury mini eggs and the white chocolate chips to a basic oatmeal cookie recipe. super easy!

recipe adapted from cdkitchen

ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups oats
1 cup Cadbury mini eggs
1 cup white chocolate chips

heat oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. add eggs and vanilla, beat well. add combined flour, salt and baking soda. mix well. add oats, mini eggs, and chocolate.

drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. cool 1 minute on cookie sheets, then transfer to wire cooling racks. cool completely and store tightly covered.

[mini] oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies

considering we are getting a puppy today that resembles an oreo (see a photo here!!), i thought i'd do an oreo-inclusive recipe for the week. this is a popular recipe from picky palate, so you might have seen it before. oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies! who would have thought, a cookie within a cookie. sheer genius, these clever bakers... i used mini oreos because i feared that the double-stuf oreo would be overwhelming, but i am regretting it. go big or go home... you can taste the oreo, but i think that it would have been better in the giant cookie to have a giant oreo. anyway, it is your choice what kind of oreo to use...i wonder how the golden ones would be?! AND i just saw the spring oreos at target...yum! tip: i stuck the cookies in the freezer between batches to keep the cookies tall. this way, the cookie didn't fall and expose the hidden oreo gem. enjoy!

oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies (from picky palate)
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips (i used 12 oz)
1 bag oreo cookies (i used the minis!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop (or ice cream scoop), take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of Oreo. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until the Oreo is enclosed in the dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Serve with tall glass of milk!

Makes 2 dozen very large cookies :)