Recipes

Today all I have been thinking about is duck and macaroni and cheese.  I just like to cook.  I love to cook. But I haven't made that perfect macaroni and cheese or that perfect birthday cake soft cake yet.  I have tried, but here are a couple of recipes that are good enough for me.  The mac and cheese and the coconut cake are both fattening and should be only made for holidays but I love them both. 

Here is the recipe for my (heart attack inducing) macaroni and cheese that I made in Easter 2011.

16 oz package elbow macaroni
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup half and half cream
5 oz. can evaporated milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup flour
1 stick of butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 package President Brie cheese (without the rind)
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded pizza cheeses (shredded cheese pack made of cheddar, mozzarella, etc)
2 cups shredded Italian cheeses pack (shredded cheese pack made of mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, etc)
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack/Colby cheese pack
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cheddar cheese soup
Directions:
Preheat the oven for this recipe at 350 degrees.
Follow the directions for how to cook the macaroni and cheese. After the macaroni has cooked, drain and set aside for a few moments.
In a small bowl, mix the egg yolks and sour cream and set that aside. In a large part, make a roux; melt the butter and then add the flour. Stir until well mixed, making sure the roux does not brown. Then slowly add the 1 cup of milk.
Next, add the egg yolks-sour cream mixture and stir. Then add the salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard. Keep mixing and while mixing, add the 3 cups shredded cheese, shredded pizza cheeses, Jack/Colby cheeses, and the Brie, the shredded Italian cheeses. Keep stirring until melted. The mixture will be thick and gummy. Pour in the evaporated milk and stir. Then slowly pour in the half and half cream. If you wish, you can add a little bit more cream and milk to this as the mixture is thinner, but still gummy. Make sure while stirring that all of the cheeses are melted.
In a greased baking pan, pour in the macaroni and cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese (since each pack is equal to 2 cups of shredded cheese(s)) and the Parmesan cheese. Bake at a 350 degrees for 20-35 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and browned.

Here is one of my recipes for coconut cake that I also made during Easter in 2011.

2 cups white sugar
3 cups self rising flour
4 eggs
1/4 tsp butter extract
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 package instant coconut creme pudding
1 5-oz. can of evaporated milk
1/3 cup half and half cream
2 sticks butter or margarine
Directions: Set temperature to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix softened butter, sugar, eggs, and extracts. Make sure to slowly add eggs, one at a time until thoroughly mixed. The mixture should be “fluffy” and “creamy” in texture. Then mix in the flour, pudding, milk, and half and half cream until the batter is well mixed. Then in two 8” or 9” greased and floured pans, pour in the batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Insert a knife or toothpick; if the knife or toothpick come out of the cake clean, then it is ready. Let the cake cool for about half an hour at room temperature. After the cake is cool, then frost each cake layer and cover them with the sweetened (unsweetened) coconut.
To frost the cake, use use two cans of vanilla frosting, one can of cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate chips.
Melt the chocolate chips for several seconds, then mix in a small to medium bowl with the cream cheese frosting. All of this will be used to spread the top of the bottom layer. Then with the two cans of vanilla frosting, spread the rest of the cake. Finally, cover the cake with the sweetened (or unsweetened) coconut, making sure all of the cake is covered. Then serve.