Jamies Journey to Culinary Freedom: Lights Out, No Good!

Well, I made my Monday night dinner last night, Saturday. We enjoyed our time in Florida. We got home too late on Monday to make anything in the crockpot. And either I worked too late or Walt worked too late for it to be made any other day this past week. I was determined to do it though so I made it yesterday.

I made crockpot Mac n Cheese and Cheddar Beer Bread. I started both in time to be done when Walt got home from his long day at work.

They were both simple recipes that could have been AMAZING! The bread I have made before(a note was written in on the page by me about the bread being too doughy before, so I wanted to try and make it even better this time).

Bread Recipe:
8 oz beer(I used Sam Adam's Summer Ale)
3/4 c shredded cheese(I used 1/2 c organic raw milk mild cheddar and 1/4 c monteray jack,also orgaanic)
3 1/2 c Bread Flour (if you don't have bread flour you can use AP Flour with 1 tbs of vital wheat gluten)
1/4 sugar
1 tbs salt
1 packet of yeast

I have a bread machine so I set it to white bread, medium darkness, and let it go. It went for 3 hours and turned out PERFECTLY!(not too doughy this time) more to come on the bread at the end.

Mac n Cheese Recipe:
1/2 lb noodles( I used organic fusilli)
2 c shredded cheese(I used part cheddar part monteray jack)
2 c milk
1 egg
s&p to taste
and 1 tsp mustard powder
Pam to spray pot

Spray the crockpot with Pam to keep from sticking
Whip egg and millk together then add to crockpot, add noodles and cheese(STIR WELL), then add spices.
Our crockpot is a super crockpot and I have to adjust the timeframe of any recipe I have ever use. So yours may not follow this timeline. I cooked it on LOW for 1-3 hours. And yes I say 1-3 hours. Yours may need to be set at high for 1-3 hours to work. Just watch your dish closely. I checked mine ever 1/2-1 hour. This is not a simple put in the crockpot in the am before work and come home to a delicious meal. You should be home to keep your eyes on it.

I will say this is the first week that I have not truly LOVED my meal. The bread was incredible. I do not know how it turned out as great as did it though. Most of you know that I love rain and thunderstorms, even if the power goes out I think they are great. However, last night, the power went out while both things were cooking. This was not good. It turned my what could have been amazing mac n cheese to mush. It was almost perfect and then the power went out. To reheat and remelt some of the cheese I turned the crockpot back on after the power came back and it ruined it. The bread for some reason worked out great. It didn't burn, it didn't sink. It rose and baked perfectly. Fortunately the bread turned out or I would have been super sad last night.
We will be having bread this week as leftovers but definitely not the mac n cheese. It was not inedible but it was not what was before the power outage.

I guess from now on I will stick with my mommas wonderful mac n cheese baked in the oven recipe. All the reviews said that the crockpot would make it taste like it was baked in the oven but man it was nothing like what I LOVE!