Mom found this recipe in some magazine a few years ago. It’s a little expensive to make with 4 different kinds of cheeses, but I’ve made it many different ways, with 2 cheeses, 3, etc. and always turns out fine. You can alter the spiciness by removing any jalapeno seeds or just cutting back the jalapenos altogether. This is baked but I’m going to attempt to make it in a crockpot for a work potluck, I’ll report back with my findings.

My version is vegetarian, the original recipe uses a chicken velouté. It also makes a ridiculous amount so my version below cuts it in half.

Velouté:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 c. flour
• 4 cups water, with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in it
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Mac & Cheese:

• 1 box (1 lb) penne pasta, cooked al dente
• 2 cups of the velouté (freeze the rest)
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 c. brine from the jalapenos
• 1/4 c. jalapenos, diced finely
• 1/2 c. grated mozzarella
• 1/2 c. grated white cheddar
• 1/2 c. grated swiss
• 1/2 c. grated parmesan
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• bread crumbs for topping

To make the velouté: In a large heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour a little bit at a time while stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon. Make sure the vegetable stock mixture is at room temperature and slowly add to the pot while stirring. Bring to a slow simmer and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Your velouté is done!

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place 2 c. of the velouté in a saucepan and add the cream and jalapeno brine. Bring to a simmer and stir in the diced jalapenos and grated cheeses. Whisk until melted and smooth. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine, season with salt & pepper.
3. Pour into a casserole dish, top with bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes until bubbly.

I’m sorry to the 2 people who read this blog for being MIA (Hi, Mom!). I’ve been very busy, it turns out a 3 year old needs just as much attention as a 2 year old. Along with that, I’ve been working very hard to save money for a vacation this fall, and trying to keep up with the weeds that seem to grow anywhere and everywhere in my yard/mulch/rocks/concrete/porch.

I’m not sure why (maybe because of all this talk about an ‘Internet Kill Switch’) but I’ve been thinking lately about all the things I’ve researched and learned on the internet since I discovered hourly-charged AOL on my Mom’s work computer. Well, back then I learned how to type away in chatrooms all night long… But in the past few years, there’s been a lot of projects I’ve taken on thanks to help from the vast amount of knowledge online.

Here’s my ever growing list of things I wouldn’t have been able to do (at least quite as easily) without my dear friend, the internet…

• Install a glass tile backsplash in my kitchen (for less than $80 I might add!)
• Sew a useable diaper bag having not seen a sewing machine since I was in 8th grade
• Create a mold and pour myself some silicone Leeloo suspenders (Fifth Element, come on!) for Halloween
• Buy a house!
• Pollinate my zucchini plants
• Cut my child’s hair into a super adorable pixie cut
• Get cheap airfare, maps, restaurant reviews, to places I’ve never been
• Learn everything there was to know about pregnancy
• Purchase LOADS of things I’ll probably never use, like 3 exactly alike AeroGardens
• Well, I wouldn’t have the degree or job I have now
• Propagate a clipping from my Crown of Thorns plants
• Install our own water line and consequently save at least $1,000
• Find the BEST sales for Christmas shopping (I love you, slickdeals.net)
• Write this pretty pointless blog post
• Earn extra money from home in my spare time for any reason, whenever I want (I love you too, oDesk.com)
• Learn that I have Raynaud’s Disease, ie. poor circulation and that the cure is to wear mittens
• Install a pellet stove and that if there’s smoke in the house, it’s not a good thing
• Grow plants without killing them

The list goes on and on. It’s hard to say where I’d be without the internet, but I know it’d be vastly different from where I am now… How did we even manage without this? [hugs computer]