Oh boy, let me tell you about my adventure trying to make that California Pizza Kitchen mac and cheese. You know, the one they serve at the restaurant? It’s like, the creamiest thing you’ll ever put in your mouth.
So, I started digging around online, trying to figure out the secret. I read somewhere that the key is the super creamy texture. Makes sense, right?
I found some tips online saying you gotta use cream cheese. They said to boil the pasta, drain it, and then mix in butter, milk, and that cheese powder. But here’s the kicker: they said to add a spoonful or two of cream cheese to the sauce. I was like, “Alright, I can do that.”
- First, I grabbed a box of mac and cheese.
- Then, I cooked the pasta like the box told me to.
- While that was going, I melted some butter in a pan.
Now, here’s where I started to experiment a bit. I read that some folks like to add smoked paprika, black pepper, and even celery salt to spice things up. I thought, “Why not?” So I sprinkled some of that in there too. Then for the heck of it, I decided to throw in some nutritional yeast flakes.
Once the pasta was done, I drained it and added it to the cheesy buttery goodness in the pan. Then, just like the internet suggested, I mixed in a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese. I also tossed in a raw egg, apparently, that makes it even smoother or something. Oh, and a bit of mustard powder, because I read somewhere that’s good too.
I stirred everything together until it was all nice and combined. I was getting pretty excited at this point, it was smelling pretty darn good. Finally, I took a bite, and let me tell you, it was like a party in my mouth! It was creamy, it was cheesy, it had that little kick from the spices, It was pretty close to the CPK stuff, I gotta say.
The Final Result
So, was it exactly like California Pizza Kitchen’s? Maybe not, but it was pretty darn close. And you know what? I had a blast making it. I felt like a mad scientist in the kitchen, mixing and matching flavors until I got something that tasted awesome. I might even try adding some tuna or breadcrumbs next time, just to see what happens. Cooking is all about experimenting, right? And sometimes, you end up with something even better than the original. And I will post it next time!
