crock pot mac n cheese

I almost couldn't post this blog tonight.  I had it mostly written out already...just needed to take the picture after I finished cooking my dinner before I ate it, but then something weird happened.  I lost my appetite.  No worries, my pretties...I found it again.  It left me after an incredibly humid 3 mile run I did after work and it took an hour and a half of me cooling down and then showering for me to find it again.  I knew it wouldn't leave me for good - it's kinda like old faithful.  ;)

Lately it seems I've been blogging a lot more about food.  Can you tell "summer" is almost over?  That's not to say this heat wave is EVER gonna end in Houston land, but my busy season at work should be starting to slow down and that means more time in my kitchen.  Truth be told, I got kinda fed up with myself for all that eating out or quick grabs at the grocery store.  So, I guess you should be on the lookout for more food blogs from me.   For those of you who are not into running, you are probably just thankful I'm not writing about that all the time!  ha!  =P

Over Memorial Day weekend, my friends Greggy-D and Meliska invited lots o' peeps over to their home for a get-together.  Greggy-D served up some crock pot mac n cheese.  It looked amazing.  Though his was not South Beach friendly, I had a spoonful and cherished it.

That bite of deliciousness was on my mind for a couple of days, so I decided to do some research and make a couple of substitutions to make my own crock pot mac n cheese, a South Beach friendly version.

Ingredients:

1 box of whole wheat pasta
4 cups of 2% shredded cheese
1-12 oz can of fat free evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups of skim milk
1 egg
dry mustard seed
garlic powder
salt
white pepper

Directions:

Wisk the egg.  Add in the can of evaporated milk, wisking it all together.  Add in the skim milk, still wisking.  I never measure my seasonings (I also used Adobo in place of the garlic powder and the salt), so I just add what I think to be the appropriate amount knowing that I can add more to the finished product later, if necessary.  I then wisk some more.  Next, I spray some Pam on the bottom and sides of the interior of my crock pot, pour in the uncooked pasta, then add in the cheese, and then pour the egg and milk mixture on top.  Set the crock pot to low and let it bake for 2 1/2 hours. 

For different flavors, try using different blends of cheese.  I have used a Mexi-blend and an Italian blend on different occasions depending on what protein I was serving it as a side dish with.

Tonight, it's an Italian blend and I even added Italian seasoning.  I served it (to myself - haha) with Mediterranean herb and olive oil (pre-seasoned cuz I'm a shortcut taker at times) extra lean pork loin and a side of oven roasted asparagus seasoned with rock salt and garlic.