Macaroni Lorraine

12:30 PM, Thursday May 25th

Overall the experiment was a success! I did get some dirty looks, some grunts, some embittered mumblings and  some under-the-breath complaints from my brother - but nothing the sound of running water couldn't muffle! On a scale from 1 to 5. this recipe was a 2 on the complaining family scale. 

So what did I make? Well, I'm going to call it "Macaroni Lorraine". According to Wikipedia, it would be more accurate to call it "Macaroni Alsacienne", but that's too hard to say:

The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon or lardons. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine[3]. The addition of Gruyère cheese makes a quiche au gruyère or a quiche vosgienne. The 'quiche alsacienne' is similar to the 'quiche Lorraine', though onions are added to the recipe. 
- "Quiche", Wikipedia

Ingredients:

1 Box Organic Macaroni and Cheese Mix (the Giant had Anne's brand)
1/2 cup milk for Cheese Sauce
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 White Onion, diced
2 Slices Black Forest Ham, diced
Canola Oil, 1-2 Tbsp
Vine Ripened Tomato, sliced (optional garnish)

Directions:

1. Dice the vegetables and begin to saute them in the canola oil; boil pasta water
2. Cook macaroni and cheese according to directions (I omitted the butter) 
3. Add in sauteed peppers and onions and diced ham to macaroni mix and stir
4. Pour into casserole dish and garnish with tomato slices
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes

I definitely want to perfect this recipe more. If I did it again, I would dice the peppers and onions more finely, I would skip the tomato so I could stir the casserole in the middle of baking and I might use a little less milk in the cheese sauce. Also, I totally forgot about spices - pepper and garlic powder would definitely add some flavor and some herbs might help too.

Next time I cook at home, lunch will not be made from a box or a powder - promise!

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