Oh So Tasty Mac and Cheese Balls

 

I heart Trader Joe's. I really do. When I lived in Hawaii, I would come back to Cali to visit family and friends and would always go grocery shopping at TJ's before returning. You heard me. I would literally pack a bunch of TJ's food in my luggage for a tasty indulgence while on the rock.

TJ's rarely fails me. This is simply another example. As I am sure you can imagine, much to my savory delight, I stumbled across TJ's version of fried mac and cheese balls.  As we have already established, I love fried food and also love mac - if you are doubting my loyalty to the mac, you really haven't read enough of this blog.

Sorry, I don't have a pic of the box. Hubbs thought it would be a brilliant idea to delete half of my photos... So busted.

After a failed attempt to enjoy the balls at Fred62 (remember that blog entry?), I have to admit my standards were not very high when hubbs decided to make this treat. 

Four words sum up this experience:

THESE

LOVE that there are really macaronis stuffed inside the fried goodness. No false advertising here.

BALLS

My mouth is watering. Seriously.

ARE

Obviously we added some hot sauce to spice it up. Try a nice Louisiana style hot sauce. Yum.

DELIGHTFUL.

Baby Mac is the Perfect Treat

Let's be honest, anything bite sized just tastes better. Bite sized cheesecake, cookies, donuts, cupcakes, appetizers, sliders, crab cakes, candy, and mochi ice cream all taste better when they are bite sized.

I was asked to bring some m&c to my cousin Dave's birthday party.  Knowing that he enjoys the finer things in life, I thought that bite sized m&c would be the perfect choice.  I found this recipe on Food&Wine's website.  It is really simple to make, calls for ingredients that you probably already have and is classic enough that it will earn everyone's approval.

First, cook the noodles until almost tender, but not quite. Nobody likes overcooked noodles.

After heating up the butter, add flour, milk, cheddar and American cheeses, egg yolk, and paprika (for a tasty kick)...

Ingredients. Kitty cat salt and pepper shakers courtesy of my dear pal Zoe

Looks tasty already

Mix in the cooked noodles ...

Stir well ...

Can you taste it already??

And spoon into baby muffin cups prepared with butter and parmigiano-reggiano cheese mix.

before ....

After!

Sprinkle with some freshly grated Parm/Reg cheese...

Bake at 425 degrees and voila, you have a masterpiece!

My fav thing about this recipe is the use of American cheese. I haven't eaten this stuff in years. In fact, when I was a kid I would have to sneak it because my mom wouldn't let me eat it. It has been so long that I wasn't even sure where to buy it. But, rest assured, your local Trader Joe's carries it.  Do you have any fond memories of American cheese?

Lite Up Your Life

Ney and I are working on a joint post on our FAVE frozen macaroni and cheese. Even though I've had the delicious dish a million times, I decided I should purchase another box for writing inspiration. Much to my dismay, when I went to the frozen section of Trader Joe's, the macaroni and cheese was nowhere to be found. Sad face.

After throwing a tantrum and yelling at the manager (kidding) I reluctantly decided to try the 'less guilt' version of Trader Joe's macaroni and cheese.

Now, I am SO not into reduced calorie things. I'd rather just skip it entirely, or have a smaller portion of the full calorie version. However, I was so pleasantly surprised with this frozen macaroni and cheese! If I had not known it was reduced guilt, I would never have known it had less calories than the original.

Don't worry, we will not be replacing our fatty fatty boom boom macaroni and cheese recipes with lower calorie/fat versions, but it is nice to know there is a decent option for when you're feeling like a fat ass but still want some cheesy goodness.