There are times when life gets in the way.
I had about a week like that recently. Sometimes, we get so busy with “little stuff” we can’t do the things we think are important. It’s at inconvenient times like these that I become creative, especially where meals are concerned.
One recent evening, when I was planning to go to the supermarket to see what we might be having for dinner, Mother Nature decided to present us with a heavy cold rain. So, I checked my pantry and fridge to see what I could come up with: mac and cheese. But we usually consider that a side. I felt I could make it a main dish by adding chorizo and onions.
Chorizo is a Mexican/Spanish sausage. I buy it only in links and freeze it so it’s easy to cook when I’m in a hurry. Most cooks have their own mac and cheese recipe. Mine is one cup uncooked elbows, one cup grated sharp cheese, and one cup milk. While the pasta was cooking, I boiled the chorizo for about five minutes, just long enough to start it thawing. While it was cooking, I minced about a quarter of a cup of onions. I sliced the sausage in half lengthwise and then cut it into small pieces.
I next sautéed the meat and onions together until the sausage was fully cooked. At this point, the elbows were ready. I buttered a one-quart baking dish, put in a third of the pasta, a third of the cheese, a third of the sausage/onion mix, and a third of the milk. I repeated this and added the third layer, topping that with seasoned Italian bread crumbs and paprika. After about 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven, we had a very tasty dinner.
This dish moved my mac and cheese up to another level!
Enjoy and be safe!
If you have suggestions or questions for this column, please contact me, directly at guthrielarason@verizon.net.
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