Katie's Kitchen: Mac and Cheese

This is one of my favorite meals because it is so comforting and tasty. 

Plus it is easy to make with only a few ingredients and dishes!

I have adapted this recipe from a country cookbook my mom had for years. 

I simplified it to about half of the ingredients in the original recipe and it is finally perfect. 

I like to make this for get-togethers or just when I am craving comfort foods.
This recipe is great because you can feed about 8 people, or have it for dinner and lunch the next day and feed 4 people, twice! I love it even more when it is reheated for lunch.
So make it when you have guests or just for yourself.

See recipe below:

Mac and Cheese

1 Box of Elbow Noodles
4 Tablespoons of Butter
3 Tablespoons of Flour
2 Cups of Milk
4 Cups of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, separated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil water and then add elbow noodles, turn down heat slightly and cook. Drain noodles and rinse. Set noodles aside. In a pot at medium heat, melt butter. Mix in flour until incorporated. Slowly add milk, then bring to bowl stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low and gradually add and melt 3 cups of cheese. Add in noodles and mix until noodles are coated. Pour into a casserole dish and spread 1 cup of cheese over the top of the mac and cheese. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 mins. Cheese on top should be melted and slightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 mins before serving.

Makes 8 large servings or 12 small servings

This is delicious right out of the oven, but even better reheated! YUM.

Katie's Kitchen: Apple Cider Donuts

When I was a young child I use to spend hours running my restaurant in my parent's basement. 

I called it Katie's Kitchen and I was known house-wide for the tasty toy food dishes I cooked up in my pretend oven. I still enjoy playing in the kitchen, but now I actually cook some things you hopefully will find edible. Hence the title of a new blog series. 

We visited my brother and sister-in-law this weekend on our way to Clover Markets, which is fabulous and I totally recommend! Since we were spending the night I offered to make breakfast for everyone before we hit the road. I recently was on Pinterest and pinned every apple cider/pumpkin recipe I could find. I immediately knew I wanted to test out my brand new donut pan and make these delicious baked apple cider donuts. 

They look daunting, but I promise you they are easy to make and bonus, you can mix everything in one bowl! I used a heart-shaped donut pan I bought at Joann's when it went on clearance after Valentine's day. I am sure you can use any regular-ole donut pan, but I personally think heart-shaped anything tastes way better!
Happy Baking! 

Love, Katie

This recipe is from the blog: The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie. 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ tsp apple pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup apple cider
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a doughnut pan.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt. Stir in cider, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Beat together until well blended.

Fill each doughnut cup 3/4 full. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until doughnuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.

In a shallow bowl mix together white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Brush each doughnut with melted butter then toss in cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated.