Za Recipes

I know some food snobs will turn their nose up at a recipe using Velveeta cheese and thats OK, I dont use it very often either. However, Velveeta DOES make the creamiest macaroni and cheese, you have to admit it!!

A few days ago, Julie, over at Better than Burgers, posted a recipe she called KFC Mock Mac & Cheese. While Ive never tried KFC mac & cheese, the recipe looked great. I made a couple of very minor changes to her recipe (and renamed it, lol). 

 


My recipe "tweaks" are in BLUE

Boil 2 cups of elbow macaroni for about 7-10 minutes (see note)
8 ounces of Velveeta cheese (see note)
1 cup shredded cheddar (I used sharp)
1/2 cup milk (I used 3/4 cup milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt  (I left this out)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder  (my tweak)

Julies recipe called for making the sauce in a pan, but I did it this way:

When the macaroni is almost done, put the Velveeta (cubed)+ the shredded cheddar + the milk and mustard powder in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it on high for 1 minute, remove and stir.  Microwave it for one more minute and stir till smooth.

All microwaves are different, so watch yours for the final 30 seconds as to not over cook. The sauce will be very smooth.

Drain the cooked macaroni and stir into the sauce...thats all there is to it!! If you like "Velveeta Shells and Cheese" out of the box (the one with the foil pouch of cheese sauce) you will love this recipe.
NOTE: This recipe calls for 8 ounces of Velveeta cheese, fortunately, the Velveeta foil wrapper is marked in one ounce sections.
NOTE: Most elbow macaroni is boiled for about 7-8 minutes, but when I make macaroni and cheese, I like to boil the noodles an extra minute or so. Its just a personal preference.

Cheese Mirchi Bajji

Chilli stuffing Ingredients
Long green chillies / Anaheim peppers - 4 nos
Grated cheese - 1 and 1/2 cups
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Amchoor powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 tsp

Ingredients for batter
Gramflour / Chickpea flour - 3/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Asafetida - pinch
Cooking soda - few pinches
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water required to make thick batter

Other ingredients
Oil to deep fry bajjis

Chesse Stuffed Bajji

Method
1. Wash the chillies, pat dry, make a slit in them and remove the seeds( without cutting chilli into halfs).
2. Make a paste out of red chilli powder, turmeric powder, amchoor powder, salt and tsp of water, apply this paste inside each chilli through the slit.
3. Stuff the grated cheese generously inside each chilli and set side.
4. Prepare a lump free and thick bajji batter with the ingredients given under for the batter.
5. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, spead little maida flour on a plate, dust each chilli with this flour( by this method the bajji batter will hold on to chillies) and dip in prepared bajji batter.
6. Immediately drop the battered chillies into hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot cheese stuffed chilli bajji with chutney of your choice.

Mirchi Bajji Recipe

This recipe is a result of having no velveeta and yet being too lazy to go to the store.

2 cups macaroni
2 eggs
Milk, a little less than 1 cup
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced black olives (Jen wasnt home for dinner)
1 1/2 tbsp butter or 1/4 cup oil
1/2 bunch parsley or dill
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup or more grated cheese (cheddar, Swiss, etc.)

-Cook macaroni for 15-20 minutes and rinse
-Mix eggs and milk in a bowl and add feta, olives, oil, parsley, thyme, and pepper
-Add macaroni to this mix and put them in a casserole
-Put the grated cheese on top
-Bake macaroni in preheated oven (375°F) until top is crisp and golden, and cheese melts


I cannot believe Im saying this but its true: Its so much better than mac & cheese. Also Aaron thinks mushrooms would be great in this.