Potato Chip Mac and Cheese is the recipe my friends have been requesting since before I even started my website. This is the one I turn to when I wanna overindulge.  It’s holiday table worthy and extraordinary for an ‘any-day’ food hug. This recipe has a way of making you feel like you just chatted with your oldest friend. I pull out of my hat when I’m feeling a need for pure comfort or a bowl of cheesy happiness that words just can’t pinpoint…..  I’d much rather let my potato chip mac and cheese say it for me, and it does.

Are you ready?  The count down for the big game is upon us and everyone is buzzing about it.  Who’s your team, Seattle or Denver?  Or are you like me…. Who cares?  What’s on the menu?!  For me it’s a reason to get together with friends, eat good food, watch a bunch of awesome commercials and wait for the show in the middle of the game.  I know my opinion isn’t the popular one in America but I bet there are a lot of closet, non-pigskin freaks that will be watching (unless we are talking about chicharrónes of course.) Let’s stay on the subject at hand.  I will be joining in on the fun with the rest of America on Feb.2nd.  My family has been invited to a friends house and I am in charge of bringing something savory that is cheer-worthy.  It didn’t take me long to decide on individual mac and cheese servings packed with bacon,  jalapeno, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and topped with potato chips.  Like always I was able to find all my ingredients at my favorite one stop shop…. Walmart.  (I got the cute football napkins there too. Extra point!)

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO CRUNCHY BACON JALAPENO MAC AND CHEESE!!!!!!!

Ingredients for crunchy bacon jalapeno mac and cheese:

• 4 – jalapenos (charred, peeled, and diced)
• 1 – pound bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• 2 – cups Barilla macaroni
• 3 – cup cheddar cheese (grated)
• 7 – stalks green onion (chopped)
• 2 – 8 ounce packages of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 – stick butter
• 1 – tablespoon of minced garlic
• 3 – cups half and half
• 1/2 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt
• 1/2 – teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 – bag of Lay’s potato chips (crushed down to crumbs)

Directions:

1. Place jalapenos on an open flame and char/ burn the skin. 
2. Place jalapenos in a ziplock for 30 minutes to steam.  Set to the side. 
3. In a large frying pan over a medium flame fry the bacon until it is fully cooked, then remove from oil and drain on a paper plate.  Crumble and set to the side.
4. Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil.  Add in macaroni and boil as directed on package.  Drain and place in a bowl.
5. Add bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onion to macaroni, and mix to combine. 
6. Cut 1 package of cream cheese into 1/2 inch cubes and add to macaroni mixture.
7. Peel and chop jalapenos into cubes (deseed and throw stems away).
8. Add jalapenos to macaroni mixture mix well. 
9. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
10. Butter 10 – ‘3 inch’ ramekins. 
11. Fill each ramekin with macaroni mixture.  Set to the side. 
12. In a large frying pan over a medium flame add butter and garlic.  Melt.
13. Add in 1 package of cream cheese, mix to melt into butter.  It will still be a bit chunky.
14. Add in half and half and continue stirring to melt in the cream cheese. 
15. Add in Lawry’s and mustard to cream cheese/butter mixture.  Mix to combine.
16. Slowly pour 1/3 cup of cream/butter mixture into each ramekin.  
17. Top with potato chip crumbs. 
18. Bake for 30 minutes.
19. EAT THIS NOW!  

I learned to listen to my heart long ago…. it’s just as powerful as the mind, and equally as wise.  Even if I refused to listen, it makes itself heard.  The heart wants what it wants….  it could be a MAD love affair or a kiss in the rain or simply a cup of mac and cheese.  I have a mad love and I may want to kiss in the rain if it’s not going to frizz my hair, but one thing is certain, I always want mac and cheese.  I recently had a little gathering and since valentine’s day is around the corner, I made heart shaped cups of my favorite mac and cheese.  Or maybe I made them for my demanding heart.  Which ever the case – AMOR conquers all!

Ingredients for Mac and Cheese Cups:

1 – pint cherry tomatoes (cut in half) (I saute them first in a tablespoon of olive oil)

1 – tablespoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1 – tablespoon black pepper

1/2 – pound macaroni (cooked according to package)

6 – sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 – cups chopped ham

1/4 – cup chopped green onion (white part only)

1/4 – cup torn pieces of fresh basil

2 – cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 – cups shredded jack cheese

1 – teaspoon chili flakes

24 – heart shaped baking cups

1 – stick butter

1 – tablespoon minced garlic

1 – can 12 ounces evaporated milk ( I use Nestle)

2 – cups half and half

1 – tablespoon spicy brown mustard

3/4 – cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 fahrenheit

In a big bowl combine cherry tomatoes, Lawry’s, black pepper, macaroni, mushrooms, ham, green onion, basil, cheddar cheese, jack cheese, and chili flakes. Mix well. Then fill each heart shaped baking cup with a few tablespoons of mixture.

Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil then place your heart shaped baking cups side by side.

In a big pan, over a medium flame, add butter and melt down.

Then add garlic to melted butter, along with evaporated milk, half and half, and spicy brown mustard. Mix well and make sure to really  mix the mustard in.

Bring butter/cream mixture to a slight boil. Then pull off flame and fill each cup with 1/8 of cup of cream mixture.

Then top each cup with a big pinch on panko crumbs.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve hot! 🙂

 Happy V-Day!

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez