Mel'z 20 Minute Parmesan Mac & Cheese

A few months ago after a family camping trip I got sick & was in a rush to get dinner done. 

Matt was almost home, the kids were grumpy, & I was physically & mentally drained. 

So i grabbed a few staples & decided to see what happened. 

20 min later dinner was served!

This happened & i think its quite good. 

So ill share with you all & you can tell me what you think. 

Yeah? 

Cool. 

Here we go.

Ingredients:

1 LB Fusilli Pasta

4 Tsp Garlic Powder

3 C. Parmesan

1 C. Cheddar

Broccoli Florets (to taste)

2 Tbs Italian Seasoning

1 Tsp Cayenne

1Tbs Butter or Margarine

3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream or 3 cups Half & Half for a lighter version

1 Cup Water 

Directions:

Boil pasta until its half way done & drain

Add Butter & all wet ingredients.

Turn to Medium Heat. 

Add Cayenne, Garlic Powder & Italian seasoning to pot

Once the liquid starts to boil again add 1/2 the cheese & stir frequently adding the rest of the cheese in slowly. Sauce will thicken pretty fast after this so stir diligently until pasta is done. 

Add broccoli on top pr mix in (as I did) 

Add Salt & Pepper to taste.

This is a pretty versatile recipe & i have added fresh garlic & chopped sauteed onions to it, green onions top it very well as well. 

Get creative! 

As always if you use this or any of my recipes please let me know how it came out. 

I love feedback!

Enjoy!

DIY Taco Seasoning

You know, Ive never considered myself a "Do It Yourself" er. 

I guess my idea of a DIY'er  were these picture perfect, Donna Reed, Artsy Fartsy, Super Moms. Well sometime between 2009 & today I discovered my inner culinary & beauty DIY'er side which brings me to this recipe. 
Last night was Taco Night! I love me some tacos man! 
So the hubby & I prepped everything & started the meat & as it would happen....no taco seasoning left in the cupboard. So i did a pinterest search & found some basic recipes for 1 lb of ground beef. I however needed a 2lb recipe & something that used less cumin because I just dont like cumin much. So in true form I used a more unique but equally as flavorful recipe for 2lbs of meat. The beauty of making your own seasoning is that you can make it to suit your own or your family's likes & dislikes. Try it! Youll like it! Literally takes about a minute to do which is so cool to me.

• INGREDIENTS:
• 1 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 tsp. sea salt

• 3 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 3 tsp. paprika
• 3 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Mix well in a small bowl or add ingredients to a ziplock bag & shake vigorously 

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