Ultra Creamy Mac and Cheese (not baked)

3 cups (16 oz) macaroni noodles measured dry

5 tablespoon butter

4 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2.5 cups milk I use 2%

1.5 cups heavy cream or whipping cream

2.5 cups sharp cheddar shredded

1 cup monterey jack shredded

½ teaspoon mustard powder (Skip)

½ teaspoon garlic powder (1/4 tsp)

½ teaspoon onion powder (1/4 tsp)

pinch of smoked paprika (Skip)

salt and pepper, to taste (salt only)

1. Boil the macaroni noodles in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until it becomes a light golden color.
3. Gradually add the milk and heavy cream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue cooking the mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and comes to a simmer.
4. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the grated cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses, mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Add the cooked macaroni noodles to the cheese sauce and stir until the noodles are glossy and well-coated.
7. Enjoy your extra creamy and cheesy mac and cheese!

Light Fluffy FMF Biscuits

2 cups FMF + extra for rolling  (I use soft, white wheat milled on the pastry setting of my wonder mill)

6 TBSP of frozen grated butter unsalted

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp salt (reduce by half if using salted butter)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda (if using regular milk increase baking powder to 2 1/2 teaspoons and delete the baking soda)

Mix 1-1/2 cups of flour and 3/4 cup of buttermilk and refrigerate overnight.

Mix all the frozen grated butter and 1/2 cup of flour and freeze overnight.

Next morning, mix the salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the buttermilk mixture.

Then mix the frozen butter mixture into the buttermilk mixture. (Add more buttermilk, if needed to get the consistency of the dough that you want)

Knead the dough a few times and pat (roll) out to 1/2”-3/4”.

Bake 450 degrees 10-13 min.

Caramel Maple Popcorn

For a hardening caramel:

2 tbsp butter

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 batch of popcorn 

1/2 cup maple syrup

Line baking sheet with parchment and preheat oven to 250F. 

To make stove-top popcorn:

Coat a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil spray and place over medium-high heat. To the oiled pot, add 1/3 C popping corn and cover with a lid. Shake the pot every minute or so to rotate the kernels. Once they begin to pop, continue shaking the pot occasionally to prevent burning. Once most of the kernels have popped, remove pot from heat.

To make the caramel:

In another pot, place butter and 3/4 C of the maple syrup over medium-low. Simmer 8-10 minutes, until it reaches “soft ball” stage (it will stiffen when a drop of the syrup is added to a cup of cold water). 

Pour hot syrup over the popcorn and quickly stir to coat. Spread onto the parchment, removing any unpopped kernels, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 250F for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 C maple syrup in your pot, simmering for 5-8 minutes until it reaches “soft ball” stage. Pull popcorn from oven and pour hot maple syrup over top, stirring to coat.