Mac & Cheese with Extra Flavor
Mac & Cheese is our kids fave food to eat, that's all they ask for when lunch time hits and its quick and easy to make when I'm in a hurry. Dinner time comes and they want it as a side dish. There are many ways to make Mac & Cheese fun but today we are going to shake things up a bit by adding spices and bacon bits. When using bacon bits, I suggest cooking the bacon and and crumbling it up. The imitation bacon bits are too hard and, to me, doesn't really taste like bacon.
Spicy Mac & Cheese
1 box of Kraft Mac & Cheese
1 tbs of McCormick's Chipotle Chile Pepper
Make mac & cheese as directed on box then add 1 tbs McCormick's and stir.
When I want spicy mac & cheese, I add more of McCormick's Chipotle Chile Pepper. I only put 1 tbs on here because some people are like our kids who don't really like foods too spicy. Add more McCormick's to taste.
Bold Mac & Cheese
1 box of Kraft Mac & Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Emeril's Original Essence
Make mac & cheese as directed on box then add the 2 tbs of Emeril's Original Essence (add more to fit your taste) and stir.
Emeril's Original Essence brings a bold flavor to almost any food but tastes great in Mac & Cheese. Our kids love this recipe and ask for it often.
Bacon Mac & Cheese
1 box of mac & cheese of your choice
4-5 slices of thick cut bacon
A plate with 2 paper towels on top
Baking sheet lined with foil
Sandwich bag
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place bacon on baking sheet a few inches apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes then turn over and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the bacon is a rich brown color. After you turn the bacon, make the mac & cheese as directed on the box. (If you use Velveeta Shells & Cheese, place the crumbled bacon in before adding the cheese packet. When using powdered cheese, add bacon last and mix.) When bacon is finished, place on the plate with paper towels and let drain. Place bacon in sandwich bag and squeeze to crumble. Add bacon to Mac & Cheese and serve.
I like to cook bacon in the oven because it's not messy and you don't have to worry about being splattered with hot grease.