The Enabling Cook

Dinner at The Enabling Cook’s

by Ida Walker, under Uncategorized

Dinner. A two-syllable word that can create panic in otherwise calm, cool, and collected people. While I can’t say I was panicked about what I was going to have for dinner (it is just me, after all), I certainly was the picture of indecision. Because of necessity-induced frugality and the desire to make room in my freezer, I’ve been trying to eat what I have on hand. I’ve found I have a little of this and a little of that. I found a package of hamburger, so I decided I’d have a cheeseburger.

Or so I thought.

I’ve been wanting macaroni and cheese. But there was hamburger thawing. What to do; what to do.

You know where this is going, don’t you? Yep, I decided to make macaroni and cheese using the things I’d want on a good cheeseburger. Let’s see, that would include ground beef, onion, cheese, sweet pickle relish, Sriracha sauce, and yellow mustard. Yes, you read that right. I added relish, Sriracha sauce, and mustard to my macaroni and cheese. These 3 things help cut the richness of the cheese. And while my macaroni and cheese is made on the stovetop, dry mustard is often used in baked macaroni and cheese. I know it’s not the same thing as using yellow mustard, but it’s mustard.

I would usually use elbow macaroni, but I didn’t have any. So I used shells. Actually, almost any shaped pasta will work. Use what you like, and make sure it will hold onto the sauce. After all, it’s all about the sauce.

Now for the cheese. When I want to make a more traditional mac and cheese, I tend to go toward cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, fontina, and Gruyere. But they didn’t seem quite right for what I was trying to go for tonight. So it was Velveeta and cheddar. There, I said it. I used Velveeta. Do. Not. Judge. Me. It’s a throwback to my childhood, when Velveeta was considered a “better” cheese and a staple in our house. I don’t use it often, but there are times when it just seems the right thing.

So here’s tonight’s dinner.

It is very good. Because I like relish (my homemade/home canned sweet pickle relish), I added more than what I call for in the recipe. That’s what’s great about this recipe. If there is something you really like on your cheeseburger but I haven’t included, feel free to add it. And if you don’t like something I include, leave it out. Like more of something? Add more. Like less? Add less. It’s your cheeseburger macaroni and cheese.

And if you absolutely can’t stand Velveeta or find it too expensive—and it can be—well, you can, of course, use another cheese. I won’t tell.

As I mentioned earlier, I cooked my mac and cheese on the stove. I like baked mac and cheese, but I don’t often prepare it that way.  This version can be finished in the oven or under the broiler if you like. Add some bread crumbs to mimic the bun/roll.

You can find my Cheeseburger Macaroni and Cheese here.

© Copyright 2013 Ida Walker, All rights Reserved. Written For: The Enabling Cook Tag: