Recipe: : Philly Cheesesteak Mac n' Cheese

There are very few things that taste better than a good Philly cheesesteak sandwich. You just can't beat the ooey gooey cheese, the sauteed peppers and onions and the meat....oh that glorious steak! I recently decided after seeing a pin for a Philly cheesesteak & Mac n' Cheese mashup that I would create my own version.

Ingredients

* Noodles (any kind of short noodle will work, I used callentani noodles)

* Steak-Umm sliced steaks (I used 7 slices)

* 4-6 mini sweet peppers, sliced thin

* 1 small red onion, sliced thin

* 4 Tbs. Butter

* 2 cups fresh grated Monterey jack cheese

* 2 cups fresh grated mild cheddar cheese

* Approx. 4 cups of milk (I used whole milk)

* Approx. 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

* 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs

* Salt & pepper to taste

To Make

1. Boil the noodles as directed, drain and set to the side

2. In a heavy bottomed soup pot (on that you can bake in is best), melt your butter

and then add your onions and peppers. Saute on a medium-high heat until soft and a little blackened.

3. Add your steak slices and with a spatula, chop up the steak pieces to your liking, cook thoroughly.

*now is the time to pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.*

4. Make a roux by sprinkling in the flour over top of the onion, pepper, steak mixture and stir. Let it cook down for a minute or two. 

5. (still on a medium-high heat setting) With a wisk, slowly stir in your milk, making sure it gets thick again before adding more milk.

6. Once you've added all your milk and it's slightly thick, add in 1 1/2 cups of each kind of cheese leaving the rest for the topping.

7. Once your cheeses are all melted, add in your noodles, and stir (don't forget to season with salt and pepper!) 

*If you must, now is the time to transfer your macaroni and cheese into an oven safe dish*

8. Sprinkle your panko bread crumbs on top of your mac n' cheese and then top off with the rest of your leftover cheese.

9. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes

10. Enjoy!

Recipe : : World's Best Snickerdoodle Cookies!

If you're on the hunt for the perfect snickerdoodle cookie, stop right here! 

These cookies turn out perfect every time. They are light, buttery, slightly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. They go perfect with a cup of coffee or tea and can be enjoyed any time of the day. I have slightly altered this recipe, but the original can be found HERE.

Ingredients

* 1 cup of soften butter

* 1 1/2 cups natural granulated cane sugar

* 2 eggs

* 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

* 2 tsp. cream of tartar

* 1 tsp. baking soda

* 1/2 tsp. real, all natural salt

* 2 3/4 cups of unbleached, all purpose flour

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* 1/2 cup natural granulated cane sugar

* 2 tsp. Cinnamon

To Make

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (or you can wait to do this step until after the dough has chilled)

2. In a large bowl, cream together your butter, eggs, sugar & vanilla until nice and "fluffy".

3. Next, mix in your cream of tartar, baking soda & salt until well incorporated

4. The last thing to mix in is your flour. Stir until there is no more flour visible and everything looks smooth.

5. Place the cookie dough in the freezer for 10-15 mintues to let everything rest and firm up a bit.

**While your dough is chilling, in a smaller bowl, mix together your 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.**

6. After your dough is done chilling, with a small cookie scoop, scoop out your dough and one at a time roll the entire ball in your cinnamon and sugar mixture.

7. Place your balls of cookie dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and ever so gently press down on your cookie dough balls (as pictured below)

8. Once your cookie sheet is filled up, place them in the oven for 8-10 mintues (I found that 8 1/2 minutes is the perfect time for me.)

9. Once done, let them cool and enjoy!