White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

This recipe makes 12 servings, so I cut everything in half!

1 lb farfalle pasta (I just used whatever pasta I had on hand)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb white ceddar cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)... I used regular cheddar cheese because white cheddar is a bit pricier

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed

1/2 lb diced smoked ham

-Heat oven to 350. Coat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pasta in lightly salted water following package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain.

-While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium size, heavy bottomed sauce pan (not nonstick) over medium heat. Stir in flour until well blended; cook 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup milk and cook, whisking continuously, until smooth. Whisk in remaning 1 cup milk and continue to cook, whisking until thickened and smooth, about 5 min. Remove from heat; stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk in 2 cups of the cheese until smooth.

-In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, cheese sauce and 1 cup of the remaining cheese. Stir in the peas and ham. Pour into prepared baking dish. Scatter remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over the top.

-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven; allow to cool 10 min. May be served warm or at room temperature.

Black & White Brownies

I burned my finger making these bad boys, so you all better love them! :)

Brownies:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cheescake batter:

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons milk

-Heat oven to 350. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil; set aside

-BROWNIE: In a medium bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt.

-In a large glass bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Microwave on HIGH for 1 min; stir until smooth. If necessary, continue to microwave in 15-second intervals to melt chocolate. (I had to mic mine for an extra minute!)

-Add SUGAR (I forgot the sugar so I had to go back and add it after I already put it in the pan, urgh) to chocolate mixture; stire to combine. Add eggs and vanilla; stir until smooth. Stire in flour mixture. Spoon into prepared pan; spread evenly.

-CHEESECAKE BATTER: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. On low speed (or by hand like I did) beat in flour, sugar and vanilla. Add milk; beat until smooth.

-With a spoon, make an indent in top of brownie batter. Fill indent with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture. Continue to make and fill indents over the top in uneven patter. Don't worry about the neatness!

-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch and set. (I left mine in for an extra 7 minutes because it was still mushie.) Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Using foil, lift brownie from pan directly to the rack. Cool 2 hours before cutting. (I only let mine cool for an hour and a half and it fell apart a little.) Store airtight up to one week.