Dinner with Friends

I've been trying to coordinate with some good friends of ours for a while now to get together for dinner, but everyone works shift work so it's hard to find a time when we're all free! Fortunately this past Monday night we were able to make it work.

Homemade mac and cheese has long been on my list of things to make so I thought what better night to try it then when ample people were coming over to help me eat it all ;)

For the main dish I chose to make baked BBQ chicken and for a green side dish garlic parmesan zucchini.

The mac and cheese was pretty easy; on my own 5 star difficulty rating I would give it a 3, only because at some point you have to make a roux (a thickening agent of butter and flour). These have always been challenging for me.

To start, cook your elbow noodles (4 cups worth) until they are al dente. Don't overcook them because they will be baked later and no one wants crunchy noodles.

Next, preheat your oven to 350, then heat a large pot over medium low heat on the stovetop. Very important to use medium LOW! This is essential for making your roux. If the pot is too hot you will clump your flour while stirring it into the butter and you will destroy your roux. Not to be intimidating or anything.

Start by melting 4 tablespoons of butter (mac and cheese is not healthy people! But ahmazing.). Then SLOWLY add in your flour, 4 tablespoons, and continuously stir. The idea is to sprinkle the flour while stirring so it all gets incorporated without getting clumpy. Then you should end up with a nice frothy mixture. I don't have any pictures of this part because to take one would be to destroy the roux. Even without taking pictures I set my spoon down for about 30 seconds and it was already getting clumpy.

Once you have established your roux, add in 2 cups of milk and 2 teaspoons of pepper. Stir to mix and then let it sit for a few minutes to get thick. It should look something like this:

Time for the cheese! This recipe called for 6 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, and you bet it doesn't stop there! Again while continuously stirring, mix in the cheese a handful at a time. This prevents it from getting too clumpy as well. I could've done this part on my own but when you have an extra hand take full advantage! Here's an action shot:

After the cheese mixture gets all melty and yummy, add in all of your noodles and coat well.

Now, grab your baking dish and pour in a layer of the cheddar noodles. Then take 1 cup's worth of cubed Colby Jack cheese and dot it over the cheddar layer. You should be drowning in cheese. Continue layering until you run out, but be sure that the last layer is cheddar noodles.

Top with Italian breadcrumbs and bake for 45-55 minutes until the cheese is golden brown on top!

Sooooooooo gooooooooood!!

The main course of BBQ chicken is one of the easiest things you will ever make. Preheat your oven to 375, then grab a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, a 1/4 cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, 2 teaspoons of garlic salt, 1 teaspoon of Lawry's seasoning salt, and 1 teaspoon of onion salt and mix it all together.

Place your chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, etc into a greased baking dish and pour the mixture on top. Mine easily covered 5 large breasts and there was a ton leftover. Don't leave any in your bowl, dump the whole thing into the baking dish.

Bake for 45-60 minutes and voila! Easy peasy yummy  and moist BBQ chicken:

The zucchini is just as easy as the chicken. Simply slice 3 zucchini into even rounds, then heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, saute the zucchini in olive oil for 3 minutes, then add in 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese and a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Toss to coat and saute for another 3 minutes until the zucchini are tender.

This meal was a hit with everyone and one that will definitely be going into rotation! It's a perfect comfort food summer meal.