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Chaplain’s Corner: Changes
September 13, 2024
We’re just one week away from the big day of cooking! Have you decided on your menu? Will you be making the turkey with all your famous sides or just bringing an appetizer to appease the family? Today, we want to share with you a few crowd pleasing dishes to add to your menu: our delicious Creamy Homemade Mac n’ Cheese and our Classic Sweet Potato Pie!
Creamy Homemade Macaroni & Cheese
- Ingredients:
1lb dried elbow pasta - ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 ½ cups half and half
- 4 cups grated medium sharp cheddar cheese (divided after grading)
- 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (divided after grating)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 3qt baking dish (9×13). Set aside, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once water is boiling add dried pasta cook 1 minute less than package direction for al dente pasta. Drain and drizzle a little bit of Olive Oil to keep from sticking together. While pasta is cooking grate cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into 3 piles. Approximately 3 cups for sauce, 1 ½ cups for the inner layer, and 1 ½ cups for the topping. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Mixture will look like very wet sand. Cook for about 1 minute, whisking often. Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth. Continue to heat over medium heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency. It should almost be the consistency of a semi thinned out condensed soup. Remove from the heat and stir in spices and 1 ½ cups of the cheeses. Stirring to melt and combine. Stir in 1 ½ cups of cheese, stir until completely melted and smooth. In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully. Pour half of the pasta mixture into prepared baking dish, top with cheese and repeat with next layer topping with remaining cheeses. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Sweet Potato Pie
- Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 Roasted, peeled and pureed sweet potatoes
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- Pinch salt
- 1-unbaked 9-inch pie shell, homemade or store bought
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Using an electric mixer beat until well blended and smooth. Pour mixture into pie shell. Allow pie to stand 15 minutes before baking. Bake until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool before serving.
