Macaroni & Cheese

Source: The Pioneer Woman

This is my first attempt at homemade mac & cheese. Growing up we always had the stuff from the blue box. I've been eager to try my hand at homemade mac & cheese. I came across this recipe on Pioneer Woman, and knew it would be my first attempt. It certainly didn't disappoint.

I went to 2 stores looking for ground mustard and both were sold out. I know I want to try this recipe again when I can actually use the mustard.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• ¼ cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• ¼ cup All-purpose Flour
• 2-½ cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired (omitted)
  
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• ½ teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation

• Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
• In a small bowl, beat egg.
• In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
• Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
• Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
• Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
• Add in cheese and stir to melt.
• Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
• Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
  Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Next Time- This was excellent. I'll just try it with the ground mustard next time to see what that does to the flavor.

25 Weeks

What's changed in 3 weeks? Well, very early one morning I started to feel Baby Rebel kick! It was the day I turned 23 weeks! Very exciting. A week later H finally got to feel him kick. He said that it felt weird, but he's happy to feel him move. Baby Rebel is getting much more consistent in his kicking. His constant times are 1am and 3am. I haven't figured out other times during the day that he's always kicking, but I'm sure that will come. Also, so far his kicks haven't gotten painful. Nothing to my cervix or ribs, so that's nice. I also have yet to feel hiccups, I'm sure that will be an experience the first time!

Today I also went and had the 1 hour Glucose Tolerance Test done. If I fail, I'll have to take the 3 hour test. If I fail that test then I have gestational diabetes and I'll have to watch what I eat. There is also a concern of having a bigger baby. I should know by next Monday, my next doctor's appt, whether I've passed or failed the 1 hour test.

Women always talk about how awful the drink is that you have to drink for the glucose test. But for me it wasn't bad at all. It smelled and tasted like orange pop. I did have the option of lemon-lime, but I prefer orange stuff. So, just a note to any other pregnant ladies that have yet to take the test. The drink isn't that bad! :)

Now for the good stuff.

How far along? 24 weeks 6 days
Total weight gain: As of my appt In February I'm still down 2 lbs from pre-pregnancy
How big is baby? From 25-28 weeks, baby is the size of an eggplant. Let's just hope he doesn't come out purple! ;)



Maternity clothes: Still not needed! I'm OK with this!
Stretch marks: Don't think I have any new ones, but I did buy cocoa butter and have started use that to prevent more from appearing.
Sleep: I sleep a LOT! I swear I'd sleep for 12 hours if given the chance. But, I do wake up a lot during the night, so it could because I'm not sleeping well, so I need to sleep longer.
Movement: Yup! Started at 23 weeks, and has picked up since. I love feeling him move around. Especially when I can feel him from the outside.
Food cravings: Nothing really. Just hoping my sweet tooth isn't in jeopardy with the glucose test being done.
Food aversions: Nothing specific
Belly button: It's coming out a bit more. I'd love for it to pop out!
What I'm looking forward to: Passing the glucose test!
Weekly joy: Having H feel Baby Rebel kick more than once. I love sharing that with him!