Homemade Mac&Cheese

Oh my delicious pork chop… you were not the focus of this meal.  Despite being extra delicious because I did something different this time, you were not the reason for the pictures. 

The homemade mac&cheese was. 

First, the pork chop; I bought a different cut this time because it was much cheaper and because it had a bone (I want bones to make stock) in each chop.  These were meaty and nicely sized, so I think I’ll be going with this cut more often – I think they were harder to dry out, which is a good thing. 

The night before, I’d gone late night to Pommes Frites and split a regular with a friend, both of us getting our own “pesto mayo” sauce.  The pesto mayo was good- not too much pesto and not too much mayo- but somehow I managed to still have a decent amount leftover (I’m a sauce hog, so I was very surprised).  So when I went to bread my pork chops, I decided to use a milk wash instead of egg, and to mix the pesto mayo in (it wound up being very thin, since there was maybe a tablespoon of the pesto mayo left).  Then I did the usual; milk bath, bread crumbs, but I skipped the second layer of bread crumbs since I was baking them.  I tossed them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until they were done (I forget how long that took…). 

For the mac&cheese, a delicious mistake… I’ve been wanting to make this recipe since watching Alton Brown make it on Good Eats – it looks so easy!  It looks so yummy!  I wound up actually modifying the recipe; omitting the hot sauce and mustard for one thing… and as I was making the pasta portion, I realized I’d used all of the milk for the pork chops- whoops (I didn’t have that much to begin with, actually).  Being resourceful and well, hating to waste, I decided to use the milk, why not?  Though you can’t see any green in the picture, the macaroni smacked lightly of pesto flavor, which went deliciously with the pesto-y pork chops, oh so good. 

I will definitely be revisiting this mac&cheese recipe.  Much healthier than the boxed stuff (which BF loves) and so much gooier (it looks wrong, but according to Dictionary.com, that’s what it is), as you wish.  I also used less than sharp cheddar, because I was aiming for a mild complement to my pork chops, but not too overwhelming.  Perfection. 

Enjoy and as always, happy eating!!!