Danielle's Mac N Cheese

We wanted to make baked macaroni and cheese, but based on the reviews of Alton's baked mac & cheese (here and online), we decided to switch things up a bit. So we made a hybrid of AB's stove top and baked mac & cheese. We basically followed the stove top recipe, added ham, stuck it in a pan, and topped it with the panko crumbs.

Our hybrid version turned out great! It was delicious, and tasted just about as good the next day as leftovers (reheated in the oven) -- although the leftovers were a bit dry. Oh, one other change we made was that we used a mix of smoked cheddar and sharp cheddar. I loved the smokey flavor, especially with the ham.

Growing up, I never had baked macaroni and cheese. In fact, it's possible that the first time I ever had it was in the last year or so. So I'd never had mac & cheese with bread crumbs on top, but I love the crunchiness added to it! I'm a big fan of baked mac & cheese now. I think we will definitely make this again (the hybrid version) -- although not often for the sake of our arteries. :)

Cami's Macaroni and Cheese

I LOVE a good macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately this isn't one of the best. I think it has potential though. The texture is perfect. I love the Japanese bread crumbs.

It needs more flavor. I added the full amount of salt after Jeannie suggested doing so, but it needs something else. I would start by adding more onion and maybe some meat. Ham? Bacon? Kielbasa sausage? I might also add garlic when cooking the onion.

I look forward to seeing what everyone else does with this. I'm going to buy some ham tomorrow to add to the leftovers. We'll see how it goes.

Catch Up -- Danielle's Cheesy Squash Pasta

I'm trying to stock up on meals I can save in the freezer for after the baby comes. I thought this one would work nicely. I stretched the recipe so that I'd have enough to eat tonight and eat for lunch tomorrow, plus enough for a dinner later. It worked out perfectly.

So here's what I did --

I added a lot more than 1 c. of squash puree (possibly more than doubled it), and I used a lot more than the 1/2 c. of milk called for -- that's mainly how I stretched the sauce. I would've actually added more milk because I thought the sauce was too thick, but I didn't want to dilute the flavors any more.

I also added onion and spinach, and I cooked the onions and red pepper before adding them to the sauce. Then I used pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar. I liked the flavor and spicy kick the pepper jack added. Oh, and as you can see from the picture, I used rotini (whole wheat) instead of bow tie pasta because I couldn't find whole wheat bow tie pasta.

I agree with Elise that the butternut squash flavor in this dish is very good. It went really well with the other flavors. I also really liked the flavor of the cream cheese in it, especially combined with the pepper jack.

I don't make pasta very frequently, but I can see myself making this again.

Melanie W.'s Lemon Pasta

I hadn't made a creamy pasta dish is a long time, so this was a treat! I do love pasta, and this was good. I'm not one who loves lemon things, so I don't think I would make this very often, but it was a nice springtime dish. The lemon garlic chicken was yummy! I only marinated the chicken for a few hours, but I cut smaller pieces so I think it worked ok. I also found I needed to add more half and half than called for. This could be because I used the full 16oz pasta, but I probably would still have added more even if I used less pasta. Guess I like my pasta more saucy. I originally planned on putting the asparagus in with the pasta but then chose to eat it on the side.

Cami's Lemon Pasta

Sorry, no picture. My camera batteries are charging as I type.

I am definitely a saucy pasta girl and I loved this recipe. It is so fast and easy. There wasn't a lot of chopping or prep. I didn't marinade the chicken last night so I just threw all the ingredients in the pan. It worked but I will try marinating next time. I think this would taste just as good without chicken or with tofu.

I used whole wheat pasta and added the whole box. I think it was 13oz or so. It was perfect.

My husband is not generally a pasta fan but he really liked this. I will be making this again for sure!

Danielle's Lemon Pasta

We had kind of a late night last night, so no pictures.

We both thought this recipe tasted good, but it wasn't a favorite for either of us. I think mainly it's because we're not really big on Italian-style pasta dishes. But it was easy to make, and I can see this being a go-to recipe for people who like creamy pasta dishes.

I just cut my chicken up into cubes and sauteed it. I also liked the idea of having it with asparagus, so I cut some up into bite-sized pieces and sauteed it too. I combined the chicken and asparagus with the sauce and then topped the pasta with it. I liked it all combined, but I didn't make enough sauce to cover the pasta, chicken, and asparagus and still be saucy. I should have added more half and half to make the sauce go farther. It was definitely flavorful enough to stand up to some extra liquid.

One caveat, though -- I had the sauce on low on the stove for awhile while I waited for for Max to get home. So I ended up reducing the sauce longer than I intended to, and that probably factored into the sauce not going far enough.

Cami's Butternut Squash Pasta

I too had trouble getting a good picture of this dish. I don't know if it was the color or lighting or what. It doesn't matter though because it was really good. I love all the hearty squash recipes we've done! Squash is something I normally shy away from and now I don't know why.

This is a nice fall casserole type dish. I loved the mix of flavors. My 1 year old really loved it too. We called it squashy pasta and he ate most of the casserole. Like Deanna said, the ricotta cheese made it seem like a treat instead of diet food. I will certainly make this again.

Whitney's Pasta E Fagioli Soup

Just wanted to give a shout out to Jess and say thanks for the yummy soup recipe. I didn't take a picture, but it was a great hearty meal and I did like it with the Italian Sausage. I made the whole batch and then froze half of it for later. p.s. Great suggestion to add the pasta to it as you eat, because you're right that it would make the leftovers less desirable (been there, done that).

Melanie W.'s Pasta E Fagioli Soup

This makes a ton of soup, and I'm glad because it is so good and with leftovers I get to enjoy it even longer! I loved the flavor of it. My little boy loved it and I was happy he willingly gobbled up beans and vegetables. I made mine with the Italian sausage, and this is definitely the way to go. With ground beef it would be a totally different soup. I also added more V-8 juice and could have even added more because I thought mine was a bit on the thick side. I didn't have all the seasonings so I just used Italian style diced tomatoes, and the soup had plenty of flavor. Thanks Jessica for a yummy recipe!

Cami's Shrimp Noodle Skillet

This was a big hit! It is definitely more creamy than cheesy, which I like. I've never used Velveeta before and was worried it would give it an artificial flavor, but I couldn't taste it at all. I think it just added to the texture, which was perfect. My husband is really picky about food and he like this. He requested I put this in the regular menu rotation.

The only modification I made was cutting back on the butter. I used 6 tablespoons. I didn't feel like it was missing anything. Chelsea was right, this makes a ton. Next time I make it I will have to have a large group. I would guess you could serve at least 8 people.

Melanie W.'s Cheesy Squash Pasta

Just playing a little catch-up here.

I had every intention of making this recipe the week it was posted, but for some reason I couldn't find a butternut squash in Ecuador that week.

I'm glad I tried it, because I liked it. I had never cooked with butternut squash before. The extent of my experience with it is making it for my baby. I like that it's a sneaky way to get more veggies into your diet. Like Cami mentioned, I also think it would be great with another vegetable. The only thing I would change is to add a little more pasta because I thought it was too saucy. I'll be keeping this in my recipe files!

Cheesy Squash Pasta

I thought this was okay. I ended up with really thick sauce, so I must have cooked it a little too long. I added more milk and it seemed to help, but that decreased the flavor.

I love the way it looks. The bell peppers are great. If I were to make this again I would add some zucchini. I add zucchini to everything. Salsa would be pretty tasty as well.

Cheesy Squash Pasta

(Sorry this post is late. I just got back from Utah today.)

This is my slightly modified version of a recipe from Deceptively Delicious. Not only is it a great way to sneak in some veggies for your kids, the butternut squash flavor is awesome.

2 cups Bow Tie pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup milk

1 cup butternut squash puree*

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. pepper

*Butternut squash puree: take a whole butternut squash, slice it in half, and bake it face down on a cookie sheet (juice is going to run out, so don't use a cookie sheet without sides). Bake at 350 for an hour or until tender. Scoop out flesh from squash and place in blender. Pulverize until smooth.

-Cook the pasta according to directions.
-While the pasta is cooking, coat a large suacepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned (1 - 2 minutes).
-Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken (3 - 4 minutes). Add the vegetable puree, the chopped pepper, cheddar, cream cheese, and seasonings. Stir until smooth.
-Stir in the pasta and serve warm.

Q: When did you start baking / cooking?
A: I've been baking & cooking since I was young, but my family had pretty limited variety in their meals. Plus, we always did everything the hard way--everything from scratch. Grind your own flour, make your own butter, grow your own food, milk your own milk, etc. Plus when you're cooking for 12+ people, things are never easy. Needless to say, cooking was always quite the endeavor. I didn't really enjoy it because it was such a chore. Now that I'm married and only cooking for 3, I like trying out new recipes and new foods. I pretty much don't ever use an actual cook book, just allrecipes.com. (But sometimes Deceptively Delicious, of course.)

Q: What is your favorite kitchen tool?
A: My Bosch and my garlic press. I also really like my ice cream scooper, but I don't think that counts.

Q: Do you have a favorite spice? If so, what is it?
A: Crushed red pepper. And fresh garlic.

Q: What is your favorite book?
A: Hmmm. I guess I'll say The Hobbit today.

Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
A: Right now I want to go to Greece. It looks so pretty in all the movies.

Q: If you had to change your first name right now, what would you change it to?
A: When I was young I always wanted to change it to Alyse instead of Elise, because that way people wouldn't always say "Elsie" when reading my name off something. (It made me wonder just how many people out there are dyslexic. Seriously.) Now I like Elise better because it is French, and therefore cooler :). I guess if I HAD to change, I would just change it to Lise, because that's what most my friends and all my family call me anyway.

Q: Where do you currently live?
A: Chicago

Q: Where are you from?
A: Born in Houston, then moved to Saudi Arabia for seven years, a couple short spurts in Washington and Idaho, and finally to Orem, UT.

Q: If you could eat one thing for every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A: Cafe Rio Chicken Salad.