Okay, so I gotta tell you about this mac and cheese adventure I went on. You know California Pizza Kitchen, right? That place with the killer pizzas. Well, my daughter Caroline, she’s absolutely nuts about their mac and cheese. Every time we go, it’s mac and cheese this, mac and cheese that. So I thought, why not try to make it at home? Challenge accepted!
First off, I grabbed a box of macaroni, the elbow kind, because that’s what they use. Then, the usual suspects for a cheese sauce: butter and flour. I knew I’d need some extra butter for later, too, so I made sure to have enough on hand. And of course, milk – gotta have that creamy goodness. I went with whole milk because, let’s be real, more fat equals more flavor.
Now, I wanted to kick things up a notch, so I dug into my spice cabinet. Salt and pepper are a must, obviously. But then I got a little crazy and added some garlic powder, onion powder, and because I love a little smokiness, some smoked paprika. You could totally play around with other spices, like regular paprika or even a pinch of cayenne if you like a little heat.
So, I cooked the macaroni according to the box directions. While that was going, I started on the sauce. Melted the butter in a pot, whisked in the flour to make a roux, then slowly poured in the milk while whisking like a madman to avoid lumps. Once it was all smooth and bubbly, I tossed in all those spices.
Then came the best part: the cheese! I used a mix of cheddar and some other melty cheeses I had in the fridge. I kept stirring until it was all gooey and perfect. Poured the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce, gave it a good mix, and transferred it all to a baking dish. And remember that extra butter? I melted that and drizzled it on top for that extra golden-brown deliciousness.
Baked it in the oven until it was all bubbly and the top was nice and crispy. Let me tell you, the smell was incredible. Caroline was practically bouncing off the walls waiting for it to be done.
Finally, it was time to dig in. And you know what? It was pretty darn close to the CPK version! Caroline gave it two thumbs up, which, coming from her, is the highest praise. We all loved it, and I gotta say, I was pretty proud of myself.
- Elbow macaroni
- Butter (for the sauce and topping)
- Flour
- Whole milk
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Cheddar cheese (and other melty cheeses)
Here’s a quick rundown of what I used:
It was a fun little cooking experiment, and now I have a killer mac and cheese recipe in my arsenal. So, if you’re a fan of CPK’s mac and cheese, give this a try. You might just surprise yourself!
