Recipe: Hot Dog Mac and Cheese

I know Hot Dog Mac and Cheese is not the most glamorous meal I could cook… but you know… it really hits the spot on a cold winter’s night… we like comfort food in the winter… living in the south… we’re lucky.. we don’t have terribly cold nights… but when it does get cold… we like hearty foods.. and this one fits the bill quite nicely.

This is definitely a kid-friendly meal that adults will love also.

TIPS

You can be flexible on quantities here… I used 6 hot dogs… I wouldn’t use less than 4… and next time I will use 8 since my taste tester said it could use more…. so you decide how meaty you want it.

I used whole milk, if you use non-fat or 1% milk… start making the sauce with 2 cups… and add more until you get the sauce to the thickness you prefer.

I used cheddar cheese… you can use shredded Colby Jack cheese instead.

Use the salt sparingly when you’re making the sauce… don’t forget the hot dogs will add salt to the dish.

This makes about 6 good sized servings.

I served a small salad with it and it was perfect.

Keep warm this winter with delicious comfort foods everyone will love.






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Recipe: Hot Dog Mac and Cheese

All you need:

3 cups dry elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ cup flour
2 ½ cups whole milk
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
6-8 hot dogs, sliced
Salt and white pepper to taste
Cooking oil spray (butter flavor preferred)

All you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the elbow macaroni in a large pot of boiling water for about 8 minutes or until cooked but still chewy… they will cook more when the casserole bakes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook for about 2 minutes to cook off the flour taste… make sure the butter doesn’t scorch…whisk constantly… if needed turn the heat down.

Add the milk slowly while whisking… whisk until smooth and sauce begins to thicken.

Add the shredded cheese and whisk until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated.

Add a little more milk if sauce is too thick, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat.

Dump the cooked macaroni back into the pot you cooked it in and add the sliced hot dogs, mix completely.

Add the sauce and mix completely.

Lightly spray a 7 x 11 or 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking oil spray.

Pour the macaroni mixture into the dish and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the top is begins to brown.