Chipotle Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

I really do like everything spicy, and mac and cheese is a classic, so this was a good combination for me. It turned out to be just the right amount of heat, it had a little bit of kick but it wasn't overpowering to the mac and cheese taste.

Recipe from OMFG So Good.

Ingredients: 

-16 oz elbow pasta

-3 tbsp unsalted butter

-3 tbsp flour

-2 chipotle peppers (seeds removed, super finely chopped)

-2 tsp adobo sauce (from the can of peppers)

-1 cup whole milk

-1 cup heavy cream

-2 cups shredded smoked gouda cheese

-1 cup panko bread crumbs

-1/4 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp paprika

-1/2 tsp cumin

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

-2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

Melt butter and mix in flour.
Wisk in the peppers and the sauce.
Stir in milk and cream and heat for 10 minutes.
Melt in the shredded gouda.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni. Combine the sauce and macaroni.

Mix the panko with the spices and some melted butter.

Pour the macaroni into ramekins or a casserole dish.
Spoon some panko on the macaroni.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

It should get crispy and a little brown on top.

The gouda didn't have too strong of a taste, and neither did the peppers, but both tasted good and went together well. This was a little spicy, but neither of us found it overwhelmingly spicy. It was a nice variation on traditional mac and cheese.

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Gouda, Caramelized Shallots and Tomatoes

I've mentioned before that J and I are back in our summer routine, which means that we make a lot of breakfast recipes together. This one was good because it didn't take too much work, you can caramelize the shallots the day before and then just heat them up to make the recipe go even faster. All you'll need to do is scramble some eggs and mix-in all of the ingredients while you brew yourself a cup of coffee.

Ingredients:
-4 eggs,
-2-3 shallots, caramelized
-1/2 a tomato diced
-1/2 cup of smoked gouda, grated
-Oil, for the skillet
--Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix the cheese with the eggs.
Add salt and pepper if desired.

Add the caramelized shallots and tomatoes. 

Cook over medium heat until the eggs are cooked through and then serve.

This recipe was very tasty and J really liked it. I'm glad I used shallots because they have a more subtle flavor than onions, the tomatoes added a nice pop of color. You may not need to add too much extra seasoning because the gouda and the shallots both have a decent amount of seasoning.