Microwavable Mac 'n Cheese Pt. 2

Two weeks ago I took on the task of deciding the best way to microwave Mac 'n Cheese. I've already cooked a recipe using cheese, milk, and elbow noodles. Now, let's see which recipe is better, the last one, or the typical, box-style Mac 'n Cheese.

(A quick disclaimer: My phone has moved on from this world and I was unable to take actual pictures this week, but as it turns out, there was not much need.)

What you'll need for this recipe:

1. One box of Mac 'n Cheese of your choice (I used Kraft)
2. 4 Tablespoons of butter (measured on the package, if you weren't sure)
3. A little bit of milk
4. Water
5. A bowl

In case you weren't sure (image compliments of Kraft)

This recipe is very similar to both the instructions on the box and my microwavable pasta recipe. Start by boiling a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Once the water is close to boiling, add the pasta and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Get out your trusty winter gloves (so you don't burn yourself) and drain the pasta. This is honestly the worst part of this recipe (did I mention this last time I made pasta?) because I'm absolutely terrified of spilling boiling water on myself.

Once you have the cooked noodles in a bowl, add butter, milk, and cheese mix. This is exactly like making Mac 'n Cheese at home, so feel free to revert back to your old ways and personalize however you want. I added more milk and butter because I am a glutton and also didn't want to buy a whole box of butter just for a few tablespoons. Mix until its all combined (you might need to pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to help melt the butter in a timely manor) and there you have it! Microwaved box Mac 'n Cheese.

Now for what you all came here for: the review. I hate to be that guy, but, honestly, I'm lazy and have extremely specific Mac 'n Cheese tastes that almost entirely revolve around it being made from a box with no actual cheese involved. While I've recently garnered a taste for other Mac 'n Cheeses, like the one from McAllister's and that I made a few weeks ago, I still prefer this box method (although I'd rather make it on a stove).

What I learned from this experience? You can make Mac 'n Cheese in a microwave and, whether you use real cheese or powder mix, get decent, comparable-to-stove-top results. Advantages to making it from the box: you get as much noodles as you need and no more. Disadvantages include an entire box of butter that I'm now going to need to use sometime soon.

Approaching End of Semester Stress Relief

I am a terrible, terrible liar. I said in last week's post I would make another Mac 'n Cheese recipe to compare this week, and hopefully you weren't looking forward to it, because I really did not make Mac 'n Cheese this week. In fact, I didn't make something to eat at all. Instead I thought about how much money I'd have to spend on an entire box of butter just to use about 3 tablespoons and leave sit in my fridge. For the same price, I could get all the ingredients to make my current obsession:

Slime.

If you aren't already hooked on slime, let me convince you. It sticks to itself, but not your hands, its cool (both figuratively and temperature-wise), is easy to make, and is all over ASMR and DIY Youtube. Now most of the channels that post DIY slime videos market the slime for children, but I don't conform to normal cooking rules, so why should I conform to their idea of what's for children?

If you still aren't convinced, here's some awesome videos of slime (that I totally did not spend time watching instead of doing my homework):

And the video I loosely used to make my very own slime:

Now to make the slime you will need:

1. One bottle of glue
2. A little bit of contact solution
3. A little bit of baking soda
4. A little bit of water

(Amazing measurements Kylie)

This recipe is extremely simple and surprisingly not messy. Start by dumping the whole bottle of glue into a medium sized bowl. Add a "1/4 cup" of water (see picture below for approximation on bottle).

I actually used less than the recipe called for (about half of the picture shown), then mix the glue and water completely. Add about a spoonful of baking soda and, once again, mix thoroughly. Once you've combined the ingredients, slowly add contact solution and mix until it does not stick to the bowl, only itself. It should not stick to you hands at all either. My advice is to continue mixing with the spoon until you are completely sure it is not sticky, as it's not difficult to use a spoon and saves you from having to pic little balls of slime off your hands.

Once the slime doesn't stick to anything, you're ready to play! Yes, it's seriously that simple. I've heard some people say to leave sit in the refrigerator for several days to get rid of air bubbles, but I didn't want to wait, and I honestly like to hear the comical noise it makes when you pop the bubbles.

As silly as this week's recipe sounds, I'm honestly so glad I made it. This recipe only cost me $4.83 and makes just the right amount to hold in one hand or pull between both hands. If anybody is having a stressful week, treat yourself to a $5 stress reliever. I've honestly relaxed myself so many times in just the two days since I've made the slime by pulling it between my hands for a few minutes while working on homework.

I hope everyone has a good week, and I hope you get a chance to make yourself some slime! (I'm not going to make any promises, but I'll probably make that Mac 'n Cheese I mentioned last time)

Microwavable Mac 'n Cheese

The beauty of Mac 'n Cheese. Whether you prefer it made with milk or creamer, lots of butter or only a little, milky and creamy or thick and cheesy, Mac 'n Cheese is one of the best American comfort foods. I have successfully made Alfredo pasta in a microwave and ever since then, I haven't been able to stop wondering if I couldn't make Mac 'n Cheese in the same way.

I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate those little individually-sized Easy Mac packages. The noodles come dusted in that mysterious white powder that no one actually knows what it is, but is required to "properly cook the noodles". Regardless of the white powder, the noodles come out mushy at best, with a subtle "freshly microwaved" after taste. You also get no creative freedom with the cheese sauce, which never thickens even after ten minutes, regardless if you prefer cheesy over creamy. I, myself, prefer creamy Mac 'n Cheese, but even for me Easy Mac leaves something to be desired. My macaroni tastes are rather specific, I'm not a big fan of baked Mac 'n Cheese, different flavored Mac 'n Cheese (like garlic and herb, etc.), and I absolutely refuse to eat it leftover.

So that brings me to this week's recipe:

1. One box of Elbow Noodles
2. One 8 oz. Bottle of Whole Milk (or 2% if you like it watered down)
3. One bag of shredded cheese of your choice (I chose Cheddar Mix)

I originally thought I would follow a similar procedure as my microwaved pasta, but I was able to find a recipe that uses a different procedure. Start by adding about 1/4 of the bottle of milk and macaroni to a microwave safe bowl. This only makes a single serving of Mac 'n Cheese, so measure the macaroni accordingly (about 1/4 of the box). Microwave this for one minute.  Stir thoroughly. Repeat microwave and stir 5-6 times, or until the noodles are fully cooked, adding milk if necessary (you should have to add milk about four times). There should be a little bit of milk left over even though the noodles are cooked; you need this to make the cheese creamy. Mix in about half of the cheese, until melted and smooth, microwaving for a few seconds if needed. The great thing about making the Mac 'n Cheese yourself: you can adjust the consistency to your tastes. I added a bit of milk to the cheese to make for a creamier sauce.

The finished product-- actually pretty appetizing, right?

After dutifully mixing for a few minutes, my macaroni is similar to that from McAllister's in consistency. The taste is very cheesy, as to be expected, which doesn't suit my tastes exactly, but turned out to be rather delicious. The consistency was just the way I like it, and I'd say ultimately this recipe was worth it. It took around 10-15 minutes to prepare, and was admittedly more difficult than making it at home on the stove, but if you have some extra time and are really craving some homemade Mac 'n Cheese, go for it! It's honestly quite similar to the Mac 'n Cheese I've made at home.

This is just one way of making Mac 'n Cheese. My pasta ambitions don't stop here, so tune in next week where I will attempt to make Mac 'n Cheese from a box and compare it to this weeks recipe.

(I Tried To Make) Oreo Chocolate Truffles

This weeks recipe (can it even be called that?) was inspired through one of my daily scrolls through Twitter, where I watched a 30 second video on how to make Oreo Truffles. I originally scrolled passed the video, until yesterday I thought, "You know, I've never made truffles before." Naturally, when I went back to find the video, it was nowhere to be found. Thinking "it can't be that hard to make" I decided to move forward with my plan.

Here's what I remember from the video:

1. Heavy Whipping Cream
2. White and Milk Chocolate
3. Oreos

Clearly this information is not enough to successfully make truffles. Regardless, here's what I did:

1. Heat up the cream (an entire pint) in the microwave for 45 seconds. Add white chocolate and heat in microwave in 30 second intervals until fully melted and combined.
2. Separate the cream from about half a package of Oreos. Crush the cookies in a plastic bag until you have fine crumbs.
3. Get really confused and microwave the cream/chocolate mixture a few more times because it isn't thick like you remember from the video.

Here's the point where my friend and I finally google (seriously, Kylie, you should have done this before you started) a recipe for Oreo Truffles. The recipe we chose was severely different from what we had already done, but we decided to call an audible in hopes of saving these truffles. Most of the other recipes we saw called for the cookie crumbs to be mixed with cream cheese to make the filling of the truffles, so we went ahead and did just that. I conveniently had almost a full container of (debatably expired) cream cheese in my fridge from when I made oatmeal.

I went ahead and added the milk chocolate to the cream mixture as well, in hopes to thicken it up and use as a dip for the truffles. Proceed to dip the cream cheese balls in the chocolate and set in the freezer for at least half an hour. I took the liberty of dipping the balls once again in the chocolate, as they were rather thinly coated and ugly.

"Meatballs and Gravy"

It's safe to say the second coat didn't help much in the aesthetics department. It also appears that the chocolate mixture is not planning on hardening like normal chocolate...

Honestly, I don't know if this is because of my lack of a kitchen, or just due to my lack of skills. My advice to you: don't make truffles in your dorm. It is entirely too messy and not worth it (at least mine). If you are feeling rather ambitious, at least use an actual recipe.

Learn from my mistakes everyone.