Creamy Mac and Cheese

I LOVE pasta and would eat it every meal if I could. I'm sure some of you know that from when you post pasta dishes and I rave over them. I have some recipes to make homemade pasta and look forward to trying them out soon. My mom just gave me a pasta machine not to long ago so I'm itching to use it.


Ok now to the mac and cheese. This recipe uses White American and Gruyere and at the price of $20 just on the 2 cheeses alone my husband warned this better be the best mac and cheese. I'm proud to say it was very tasty and lived up to they way I had it in my mind. I set aside some of the mixture right before you add the cheeses to try one other type of mac and cheese. I added brie and let me tell you no matter how full I was after dinner I licked the dish it was that good! I also added some honey panko on top for an added texture and it hit the spot. I made 1/2 of this recipe since there's 2 of us eating and we still had lots left over. Also skipped the hot dog part and stuck to the mac and cheese.

The Ditch Dog

(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 pound elbow pasta
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 pound white American cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temperature
1/2 pound Gruyere, grated, room temperature
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 hot dogs
8 potato hot dog buns


Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat; generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk and heavy cream over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until well combined, 5 to 6 minutes, taking care not to let the mixture brown.

Slowly add milk mixture, whisking until well combined. Bring to a simmer and let cook 15 minutes.

Whisk in cheese until melted and sauce has thickened; remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth; season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir in pasta until fully coated; set macaroni and cheese aside.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Grill hot dogs until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer hot dogs to buns, and top each with about 1/3 cup reserved macaroni and cheese. Serve immediately.