Spriggles and Giggles

Upon watching The View today, the heavens opened and there stood... The Pioneer Woman! Who? Yeah, I had never heard of her either. She is a woman who grew up in LA, married a cowboy and now lives on a ranch in the middle of no where where she home-schools her four children. That's a change, huh? But I left out the best part. She had to learn to cook for her cowboy... and so a blog was born! What's my point. Here's the thing. Have you ever been in the middle of a recipe when you find yourself thinking, "Is it supposed to look like this?" Well, she takes tons of pictures of every step of the recipe!

I made her mac and cheese the other day and it was magical!!! I would definitely recommend it! Sean was actually not all the impressed with it for some reason. It's probably because it's not as predominantly cheesy as many other mac and cheese recipes. But it's a really great southwestern meal! Even if you're not interested in this recipe you should definitely check out her website and other recipes: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Spicy Macaroni & Cheese

4 cups cooked macaroni or cavatappi
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 finely diced red onion
Equal amount diced red bell pepper
1 finely diced jalapeno
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup cream
1 generous cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Pepper

Boil pasta until al dente. In a large skillet, add olive oil and saute garlic and vegetables over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add in canned chilies and stir around, then turn off heat. Drain pasta and add it to skillet. Pour on cream, add cheese, then add salt and pepper to taste and stir gently. At the end, add 2 tablespoons butter and stir again. Check seasonings and serve.

Serve with juicy steak, with grilled shrimp, chicken, or on its own. It’ll change your life for the better.