For Whom the Cheese Melts 2

The episode for this week is For Whom the Cheese Melts 2. I was looking for a good macaroni and cheese recipe and saw that the one from this set received high reviews. I apologize to all you out there who are having a proper summer and are turned off by the thought of using heat for your food prep, but we are cold and dreary out here by the beach. I needed some comfort food.

I'm a complete sucker for baked mac & cheese with a nice, crunchy topping. This one called for Panko bread crumbs and butter, which I really liked. I'd purchased a bag of the stuff from Costco a few months back and so I'm always looking for ways to use it.


I followed the recipe exactly, except that I decreased the salt (just trying to cut back, in general). I would not recommend doing that. Although it was flavorful with the onion and mustard, it was definitely more bland that I was expecting.

I'm glad I used this recipe, though, because I learned a new cooking skill: how to temper an egg. The excerpt from the episode gives a good explanation of how to do it. I'd never seen the show before, so it was kind of fun to see Alton Brown in action. The video showed him and a kid (his nephew?) concocting this dish together, so I decided to let my son help me out, too. Always a plus when he's happily occupied during dinner-making.

I did like the contrasting creamy and crunchy consistencies and taste overall but it was missing something. Not the amazing mac & cheese experience I was hoping for. It was easy and fast, aside from the baking time, so I will probably try it again but maybe tweak a few ingredients here and there.

Now I need to check out the other mac & cheese recipe to compare...

Melanie W.'s Creamy Shrimp Noodle Skillet

I made this tonight and it turned out better than expected! Maybe because I'm not a big shrimp eater, or maybe I thought the combination of ingredients sounded strange. But it was surprisingly yummy! And also super super easy to make, score! Like Cami had said (a super long time ago) she thought it would be too Velveeta-y, but it wasn't. It was just enought to add a nice flavor. I bet you could stir in some cheddar instead and it would be just as well.

Notes: I used less half and half - only 2 cups - because that was the size container I bought. I thought it was perfect and an easy way to cut out a little of the fat. Also, it calls for uncooked shrimp but I precooked the shrimp beforehand because I didn't think the 3 minutes given them to simmer in the sauce would cook them fully. I'm glad I precooked them first, it just made things come together easier in the end!