Spicy Mac and Cheese

My daughter, Maggie, and I love to cook together. We stand side by side slicing, dicing, mixing, and stirring while gabbing about everything under the sun. I think this has been passed down through the generations in my family as I did so with my mother, and she with hers. My grandmother always said, "This is what Southern women do!"

This recipe starts our Blog off with a bang as it is not only one of the best comfort foods, it has a spicy kick, too! Add a vegetable, such as a salad, and you have a complete meal, and believe us, it will hold you for quite a while. Maggie and I agree, this is our all time favorite recipe, hands down!

Maggie says you'll need:

2 cups elbow pasta cooked and drained, almost al dente

16 oz Cheddar cheese, half cubed, half shredded

8 oz Monterey pepper jack cheese, cubed

2 tsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

4 tbls sour cream

1 large egg, beaten

1cup heavy cream

1 cup half and half

1/2 lb to 1 lb ground beef (to your preference)

2 quart baking dish

Angie says:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Brown your ground meat in a skillet, drain and set aside

In a bowl, toss together pasta with the cheese cubes and ground beef, pour into baking dish.

Mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg, sour cream, egg, and half and half. Pour over pasta and cover with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, and until top is slightly browned.

Maggie says: Tah dahh!! Awesome Mac and Cheese!

We both say: It's also fab when sausage is substituted for the ground beef!