Friday nights dinner was specially made with my hubby in mind. There are foods that he loves, which I hardly ever make for him because they take a bit of time, (or because I am not a fan of them). I know it sounds horrible to say, but there are certain things that I don't like all that much which I just leave off of the nightly meal rotation.
I think he and I both are a little tired of the same old food, so I decided to make a pork tenderloin, my homemade mac n' cheese, and a squash and zucchini sauté. He was so happy that not only was I making food that he LOVES, but it was a week night meal. I rushed home from work and got straight into the kitchen to get to work on this comfort food dinner for my love.
The first thing that I did was preheat the oven to 350. I wanted to make sure that everything finished at the same time (or about the same time) so I was happy that I had thought about a recipe in which everything cooked for approximately the same time in the same degree oven! How perfect!
The tenderloin was probably the easiest thing to make because I bought it already marinated with a peppercorn rub. I just let it sit out on a sheet pan and come up to room temp. while I made the mac n' cheese. The only thing that I added to the tenderloin was a little drizzle of hubby's favorite bbq sauce.
Mac N' Cheese
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 flour
- 2 cups warmed milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1/2 lb cavatappi pasta
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- bacon
- 1 small can of peas
- 1/2 onion, caramelized
- 1 small bag of potato chips, crushed
- salt and pepper
Cook pasta according to the instructions on the back.
In a large skillet, melt butter. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour, continually whisking for about 1 minute. This will create a rue to help thicken the milk. After all of the flour has cooked, whisk in the warmed milk. Whisk continually until the milk thickens. While the milk thickens, add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and nutmeg. Once the milk is a thick consistency add in the shredded cheese. Once the cheese has melted add in the pasta, caramelized onion, peas and chopped bacon, stirring until everything is combined. Then, pour mixture into a casserole dish and top with potato chips. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 35 mins.
