Spicy Mac and Cheese

I started craving homemade macaroni and cheese after watching “Cooking for Real” on the Cooking Channel.

Cayenne pepper and dry mustard looked like tasty additions to Sunny Anderson’s Spicy Macaroni and Cheese.
Cruotons for Mac and Cheese!
I also liked cutting up bread for a toasty topping of croutons.

I added some healthy twists thanks to viewer comments on the recipe. I cut out eight ounces of cheese. I used light sour cream and half-and-half. I also swapped out a cup of elbow macaroni for cauliflower.
Spicy Mac and Cheese
The results: a cheesy dinner with a smoky, spicy kick. My hubby liked it and was pleasantly surprised by the cauliflower. He liked how it soaked up the cheese and cream. He also thought I used too much cheese. So, I’ll probably cut out more, next time.

I liked this dish better the next day. I thought the pasta and cauliflower packed more flavor as leftovers.

What are your favorite leftovers?

Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Once again, inspired by Food Network for dinner. Giada’s pasta dish with spicy Italian sausages and sun-dried tomatoes looked really easy.

I couldn’t find frozen artichokes at Whole Foods. So I used frozen kale instead.


The meat and oil from the tomatoes packed so much flavor into this dish. I liked the smooth and savory components from the white wine and chicken stock. We also enjoyed the mozzarella chunks melting on the hot pasta.

Also – the pasta tastes great for leftovers.