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Hostess with the Mostest: Macaroni and Cheese Bar

June 13, 2020 By Autumn Rose Reo 32 Comments

What’s better than macaroni and cheese? NOTHING. Well except macaroni and cheese with stuff in it. Make your small gathering the easiest and cheesiest with a macaroni and cheese bar.

Want to get people all excited? Ask them about what makes the perfect mac and cheese.

Is it multiple cheeses? Is it just processed cheese? On the stove or in the oven? There are so many ways and so many opinions.

A few years ago the mashed potato bar became the big trend for weddings and fancy parties. First because who doesn’t love mashed potatoes, but more so because it allowed everyone to personalize their meal just the way they wanted. I like to call this “Starbucking” phenomenon and for the most part, it always works! Plus – it’s really easy to lay out options and let guests do the work.

Now just like cupcakes went to donuts, mashed potatoes has gone to macaroni and cheese. Other than a few basics, there’s not one way to do it – just let their creativity take over. I love this option and so will they! Here’s how we did this on Good Morning Texas.

How to Make a Mac and Cheese Bar

The Base

First off you’ll need a great, basic macaroni and cheese recipe. To keep the noodles warm, I suggest making a macaroni and cheese recipe in the slowcooker. Based on this recipe, I’ve added a few touches to make it noodleriffic (see below.)

The Toppings

Once you have this down, the fun begins. What sounds good to you? I’ve put together a few common elements of toppings that are popular, but don’t let it end there. Taking a little inspiration from your favorite menus, add ingredients that together make a whole new dish. For instance, one favorite is Buffalo Mac and Cheese. So don’t forget buffalo sauce and chicken as toppings. And because sometimes people want recommendations, add a few suggested menu ideas just in case!

Topping Suggestions

Buffalo
Grilled Chicken
Lobster
Spinach / Artichoke
Bacon
Weenies
More Cheese
Pico de Gallo
Jalapenos, chopped/sliced/diced
Broccoli
Breadcrumbs
Black Beans/Corn
Chili / BBQ

Best Macaroni & Cheese for a Macaroni & Cheese Bar

Author: Autumn Reo of mamachallenge.com

Print Recipe

Description

The best kind of macaroni and cheese is the one that you make! Make any party fun with a mac n cheese bar!

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter (1/4 cup) cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (I prefer Greek yogurt)
One can condensed Cheddar cheese soup, (10 3/4-ounce can)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain.
In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.
In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add sour cream, soup, salt, milk, nutmeg, mustard and pepper and stir well.
Add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Notes

Now add any toppings you want! We share tips and recommendations for the Best Macaroni & Cheese Bar on mamachallenge.com

What makes your favorite macaroni and cheese?

Celebrate in 8: Quick Game Day Ideas

February 3, 2018 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

Want to celebrate the big game, but don’t have any time outs to put it together? Here are quick game day ideas you can do to celebrate that take less than 8 minutes to do!

Even if you aren’t a big football fan, there’s just something about getting together on Sunday night for the BIG GAME for food and fun together. Even if you don’t have a team to root for and you don’t have much time to put anything together, make it worth celebrating with these Quick Game Day Ideas. If you have 8 minutes (and especially if you have kids), you can still pull off a touchdown.

Just remember, the name of the game is TEAM! So do it together. Put the kids to work and to help you as part of the fun. Not only is it smart, but the “set up” is sometimes more fun than the real deal.

1. Snack Stadium

Bust out the chips and dip and you’re done! There’s no shame in your game with this quick “snack stadium” that can make your dips and chips (and whatever else look like a winning presentation with no work. Order it here or you can pick up at your nearby Party City.

2. Chocolate Chip Dip Football

Nicknamed “crack dip” by my friends, this recipe is a girlfriend’s favorite go to and she finally gave me the recipe! I made it shaped like a football and now who’s winning? This is the easiest recipe in the world and again – the kids can make it!

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips (1 for the recipe, 1 for decorating)

Graham crackers, Teddy Grahams, etc.

Directions

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until blended. Add the sugars and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Shape like a football. Cover in chocolate chips. Place in the fridge for 1 hour (optional) and serve with graham crackers.

3. Game Time Bingo

Don’t just put the kids in another room, make them part of the fun! This football bingo can bring them into the game (and for those of us that don’t know football this is really a great way to learn!) Print it off and use the GoGo squeeZ tops (putting those babies to use for your markers) and play throughout the game! Of course have a great little something for the MVP that wins!

4. LEGO Goal Post

Did I make this? NOPE! But my son who doesn’t care too much about football LOVED being able to add to the fun by building his own details to the party. What’s fun about this LEGO Goal Post is that it also doubles as a fun one to fold up some paper footballs for a little game within the big game. But don’t just stop there! Think about the fun stuff your kids can do and just let them! That’s the real touchdown in this parenting game – make them feel like you’re a team. (Cheesy rant over.)

5. Football Favor Boxes

Want to make sure the kids don’t go crazy on snacks or perhaps you do have them in another room watching their favorite movie? Then put together these premade Football favor boxes using snacks from your pantry to ensure they get a balance of healthy snacks. Plus it’s the fun it in cute sack or box that kids and just using the snacks you already have!

6. Commercial Showdown

You know the commercials are your favorite part! So make it the feature of the party with a true showdown. Use cardstock to make your “official judging cards” and use them throughout the game to see which one really makes the cut! You can these cute ones or use this field template to download to write in your own!

7. Two-Step Mini Corndogs

I love these because they are exactly two things you need to make these mini corndogs: cornbread mix and a package of cocktail sausages. (Can’t go wrong with cocktail weenies, right?) Put them together and bam – you’re done. Grab the supporting team (ketchup and mustard) and you’re an all-star. If you want to make these from scratch, then go talk to her. Personally, I’m all about the easy eight minutes (ok, these take time to bake but it took me only 2 minutes to put them together.)

8. Buffalo Chicken Dip

By far this dip recipe will ALWAYS get the team rooting for you. With just a few ingredients, you mix it together, bake it and it’s game time. Add veggies, bread, your fingers (WHATEVER) for this must-have Buffalo Chicken Dip.

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar mix is great)

2 cup cooked chopped chicken, (<<<<<Rotisserie chicken for the win)

1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (I like this one!)

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 Bleu cheese crumbles

Instructions

Mix it all up (except reserve a little cheddar and bleu cheese for the top.) Bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Done.

Real Deal Mexican Nachos with Homemade Tortilla Chips

April 30, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 228 Comments

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo everyday with this simple, but classic recipe for Real Deal Mexican Nachos with Homemade Tortilla Chips. When you have quality ingredients you don’t need all the extras!

[Thanks to The Women Bloggers, LLC, led by Kendal King Group for this fun #SoapboxInfluence project to share the best way to enjoy your #CocinaLatinaBeans.]

One of the first times I went to Mexico, I ordered chips.

What came out wasn’t the normal chips and queso I was accustomed to at home in Texas (home of TexMex cuisine.)

My chips were delivered to the table standing up in a plate of beans sprinkled with some white crumbly cheese.

While it took a moment to take it in, I quickly figured out, after that first bite, that this little shack in a tree (like really, the place was upstairs and proposed around a tree), had the secret to how to enjoy your chips – it was in a mess of really good refried beans.

From then on, I ordered the “nachos” (actually I think we just asked for frijoles) everywhere we went. There was something about the hard crunch of the chip, the smooth, rich taste of the beans, and the sharp twang of the cheese that was “muy bueno.”

Years later, I still remember the plate of “nachos” and how good they were paired with a cold drink. For me, that is what Mexican food is really supposed to taste like – not because it’s covered in cheese or a complex combination of sauces. Just simple, good ingredients, that when paired together, are the ideal marriage of flavors.

With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner (and hopefully a vacation southbound as well), it was time to relive that memory of Mexico. And it took all of 20 minutes to do it – from start to finish thanks to a “shortcut” from BUSH’S COCINA LATINA^®. With seven flavors available at Walmart, the line gives legendary flavor to your favorite Latin American and Southwestern dishes.

By using the Bush’s Cocina Latina beans, I didn’t have to worry about slaving over a batch of beans. I opened the can and it was done. So really the only thing I had to do to recreate our “Real Deal Mexican Nachos” was chips.

The Chips:

But we aren’t talking about a bag of chips. Don’t get me wrong, those are good when you need to dip a little salsa. But the first time you make your own corn tortilla chips, you’ll wonder what have you been doing wrong your whole life. Besides, how could it be bad? It’s corn tortillas fried in grease. And that’s it. It doesn’t even warrant a recipe.

Corn tortillas (You’re going to get 4-5 chips per tortilla, so use what you need depending on quantity needed)

Use a pizza cutter to make it easy to slice your tortilla into chips

Fry in hot grease until nice and brown

Move to a plate with a paper towel to absorb the grease.

Sprinkle with seasoning salt and serve.

The Cheese:

The cheese is the last in the trifecta of the Real Deal Mexican Nachos with Homemade Tortilla Chips. There are actually a lot of Mexican cheese that get no love. There’s nothing like them in taste, texture, and even their level of meltability (I made that up.) But cojita (pronounced KOHITA) is a hard, but moist cheese that when cut, crumbles like feta and has a salty, sharp, pungent taste. And a little goes a long way.

To serve, all you need to do is layer!

Warm up your Bush’s Cocina Latina (I used the Bush’s Cocina Latina Frijoles Charros Machachados with Serrano peppers and bacon), stick your homemade tortilla chips point-side down, and sprinkle the cojita. Ole!

While that’s enough for a fiesta as far as I’m concerned, Bush’s really wants you to celebrate in grand fashion…

Enter to win a $75 gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Touchdown with Slow Cooker Shrimp Bisque

January 15, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 25 Comments

Be the MVP of your big game party with this easy recipe for Slow Cooker Shrimp Bisque. Give it the kick that will have them coming back for more with El Yucateco hot sauce!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #KingOfFlavor #CollectiveBias

The best part of any game, either if you’re tailgating or sitting front row in your living room, is the party! Whether you go all out or just keep it to the couch, you can really score with a recipe like this Slow Cooker Shrimp Bisque that lets your play with the team instead sit on the sidelines! What gives this Cajun favorite its really amazing flavor is El Yucateco.

Bisque has always been one of my favorites. Anytime I can find it on the menu, it’s a must have to order and in my time I’ve enjoyed different recipes made in several different ways (A LOT!) However, with the perfect mix of creamy and smooth with bits of shrimp and the full flavor delivered by El Yucateco, each spoonful of this bisque gives you just what you want and still leaves you wanting more.

With other hot sauces one of the main ingredients is vinegar, but with El Yucateco the pepper is definitely #1! It’s also really versatile for everything from meats to margaritas, especially when there are different levels of heat and pepper blends available at Walmart!

If you really like to give it some heat with a smokey flavor without the sweetness of chipotle, try the El Yucateco Black Label Reserve Hot Sauce!

Just like NOLA, there’s a party in every bite of this Slow Cooker Shrimp Bisque!

And since you aren’t spending time cooking for your big game party, you can actually add a little fun to your Mardi Gras party as easy as a few beads, masks and even just a little zydeco music will get everyone moving! If you are tailgating or hosting your shindig outdoors, El Yucateco has you covered with a whole line of fun gear in the El Yucateco Store where you’ll find some really cool gear from board shorts for the summer, hoodies for the winter and many shirts for your any kind of party you’re going to!

TOUCHDOWN!

So ready to see how easy it is to get your party started?

Slow Cooker Shrimp Bisque

Author: Autumn Reo of mamachallenge.com

Print Recipe

Description

Make this creole favorite made easy with the slow cooker!

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped chunky
4 c. seafood stock (you can make this fresh or pick up at the grocery already made)
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp El Yucateco hot sauce
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
⅓ cup tomato paste
1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
¼ cup dry sherry
1½ cups corn
2 tsp old bay seasoning
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. (My slow cooker lets you do all of this in the same pot.)
Add onions, garlic and saute until tender.
Add mixture mixture to the slow cooker.
Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, 2 tbsps of El Yucateco, sherry, seafood stock, corn, old bay, salt, and pepper combining together.
Then whisk in the cornstarch.
Cook on low for 3.5 hours or high for 1.5 hours.
Meanwhile add remaining El Yucateco to shrimp and allow to marinate.
At this point, either choose a smooth bisque or a chunkier version. To smooth, use an emulsifier. (I prefer a combination with a creamy version with a few chunks!
Next add heavy cream and shrimp to finish the bisque heating the shrimp until it is pink (don’t overcook.)
This should be approximately another 30 minutes in the slow cooker.
Finish with a little more El Yucateco and serve with a crusty bread!

Notes

Make sure to taste test the El Yucateco as you go to modify the heat level!

View on Flipagram

It’s that easy to get that flavor-packed bowl of Shrimp Bisque made in the slow cooker!

How do you add a little zip to your BIG GAME Party? Score with El Yucateco!

Game Day: Score Big with Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

January 21, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 23 Comments

Wanna score big at your Super Bowl Sunday party? Besides having the game on, make sure you have a good menu especially with these Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa!

Even if your favorite team isn’t playing or if guests aren’t really into football, you can still make a touchdown when your spread includes a little fun and a lot of flavor. However, that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. With just a few ingredients including Del Monte’s new Diced Mangos from Walmart, you will make your party a real fiesta!

Tacos are always a crowd pleaser and when making food for a group of people creating options to customize it make it easier on you in the kitchen and more fun for your guests. This doesn’t mean just putting out tortillas, meat and cheese. You can still show your unique touch by preparing a couple of options with a little flair, like this two-minute mango salsa and an avocado sour cream with fish tacos, that take a normal dish from ordinary to extraordinary.

For our game day fish taco bar, we’ve fried up (or you can bake) a pre-made crusted tilapia, a three ingredient slaw (for extra crunch), our two-minute mango salsa, avocado sour cream, a few cheese options served with corn tortillas (perfect for your gluten free guests, too). The key to a good fish taco is the crunch so using the crusted fish, adding corn off the cob in the mango salsa and the cabbage in the slaw make each bite perfect and will keep your guests coming back for more.

Again, the best part for you? It took less than 30 minutes to create the entire taco bar! And using the left-over mango salsa, serve them with tortilla chips or even better, these tortilla cups for maximum presentation and convenience to keep the game going with no timeouts – for the game or you!

Two-Handed Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Print Recipe

Description

Make your game-day watching party a real fiesta with this fish taco recipe featuring Del Monte’s Mangos!

Ingredients

Scale

4–6 filets, Treasures from the Sea Encrusted Tilapia, frozen (I used parmesan)
10 corn tortillas, warmed

2-Minute Mango Salsa

1 can Del Monte Mangos, diced and drained
1 package pico de gallo (found at Walmart or you can make yourself)
1 cob of corn off the cob, fresh and uncooked

Avocado Sour Cream/Crema

1 cup sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)
2 avocados, smashed

Citrus Slaw

1 bag shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1–1.5 cups of feta or cojita cheese

Instructions

Combine all slaw ingredients into a bowl and place in fridge to marinate flavors.
Meanwhile, fry/bake the fish as directed on package. Once completed, slice into strips or bite-sized pieces.
Next, mix mangos, pico and corn into a bowl.
Then, mix mashed avocados and sour cream into a bowl.
For taco bar, place fish, slaw, salsa, cream and cheese into separate bowls for guests to create their perfect taco.
Enjoy!

Notes

My favorite way to layer the taco is: fish, slaw, salsa, cream and then cheese.

[Tweet “Try @DelMonte NEW Diced Mangos at select @Walmart stores sampling 1/22-1/25. #pmedia #makemangosalsa #ad “]

Don’t forget the ninos!

Share the fiesta fun with the kids while the grownups watch the game with the “Book of Life.” Available January 27 at Walmart, my kids are excited to bring this one home after seeing it in the theatre. Enjoy the Latin-themed legend of Monolo and his “epic quest through magical, mythical and wondrous worlds in order to rescue his one true love and defend his village.” Since my children are enrolled in Spanish immersion schooling, this movie was a great way to fuse the cultural aspect of Latin culture including Dia de los Muertos. However, even without the basic knowledge, you and the kids can still enjoy the story, its humor, and its teachings, as well as the vivid animation.

Photo credit: Walmart

Enjoy the big games and this delicious fish taco bar including mango salsa featuring Del Monte’s new mango and you’ll be named the MVP!

What’s better than macaroni and cheese? NOTHING. Well except macaroni and cheese with stuff in it. Make your small gathering the easiest and cheesiest with a macaroni and cheese bar.

How to Make a Mac and Cheese Bar

The Base

The Toppings

Topping Suggestions

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Want to celebrate the big game, but don’t have any time outs to put it together? Here are quick game day ideas you can do to celebrate that take less than 8 minutes to do!

1. Snack Stadium

2. Chocolate Chip Dip Football

Ingredients

Directions

3. Game Time Bingo

4. LEGO Goal Post

5. Football Favor Boxes

6. Commercial Showdown

7. Two-Step Mini Corndogs

8. Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

Instructions

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo everyday with this simple, but classic recipe for Real Deal Mexican Nachos with Homemade Tortilla Chips. When you have quality ingredients you don’t need all the extras!

Be the MVP of your big game party with this easy recipe for Slow Cooker Shrimp Bisque. Give it the kick that will have them coming back for more with El Yucateco hot sauce!

Just like NOLA, there’s a party in every bite of this Slow Cooker Shrimp Bisque!

TOUCHDOWN!

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Wanna score big at your Super Bowl Sunday party? Besides having the game on, make sure you have a good menu especially with these Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa!

Description

Ingredients

2-Minute Mango Salsa

Avocado Sour Cream/Crema

Citrus Slaw

Instructions

Notes

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