Single Serving Baked Mac and Cheese

Wow. November. How has it been a month and a half since I posted? Amazing how life can catch up to you!

Single serving recipes. They are a gift from the culinary world! It's so much fun to be able to cook for just yourself in those rare moments you have alone. You can cook what you want, when you want, and however much you want.

I found this wonderful recipe for Baked Mac and Cheese. SINGLE SERVING. That excites me beyond belief. It is not baked in a microwave. It is baked in a real oven. And oh my gosh, is it good.

Baked Mac and Cheese For One

Servings: 1 


Ingredients: 
3 TB Cooked Macaroni
1 TB Butter
1 TB all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper (to taste)
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp ground mustard
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Panko bread crumbs (you can use regular bread crumbs, but I much prefer the crispiness of Panko to regular crumbs)
1 TB shredded cheddar cheese


Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an oven proof ramekin. (My ramekins are 6 oz. and that worked fine. I would not go smaller because of filling leakage issues. 8 oz would work well.)
2. Fill a small saucepan with water, bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain well, reserve.
3. In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and milk; whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and whisk in 1/3 cup cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir in the cooked macaroni. Spoon the macaroni and cheese into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon cheddar cheese.
4. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the macaroni is heated through, about 10 minutes. NOTE: I placed my ramekin on a cookie sheet covered with foil because I had a feeling that the butter would leak and make a mess on my oven. Sure enough, it leaked a little and I was so grateful for the cookie sheet protection! This does not change the cooking time.

This recipe is absolutely delicious and is super easy to multiply so you can make it for a crowd. Have fun with this recipe! 

What are you craving this week?

Individual Mini Pizzas

Hi guys! So, I was looking for an easy dinner that didn't take a lot of time, but was still delicious. I came up with a family favorite called "Pizza Burgers". These are individual mini pizzas made on toasted hamburger buns. What's even better is how easy they are!

 

This is the finished product. Yum!

 

They're easily customizable and super simple.

  

 

Ham and green pepper......

 

I made a strawberry and banana fruit salad to go with. Halfway through cutting my strawberries, I realized that I had arranged my strawberries in a heart! Photo op, anyone?

Pizza Burgers Recipe:

Ingredients:

Hamburger buns (however many you need. One half of a bun=one pizza burger)

Mozzarella cheese

Pizza sauce

Toppings! (I used pepperoni, green pepper, and ham, but you can do whatever you want! Sausage, hamburger, it's your choice.)

Directions: 

1. Arrange buns on a foil covered cookie sheet. Set on top rack under broiler in oven. Broil until the buns are slightly toasted/lightly browned.

2. Lightly sauce burger buns. Don't over-sauce or they will be too soggy. Place meat of choice/toppings on and sprinkle cheese on top.

3. Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake just until the cheese on top is melted. (5-10 minutes, roughly. Go by the meltiness of the cheese)

There you have it! What are you craving this week? Email us at myculinarycraving@gmail.com if you have questions, comments, recipes, etc.!

All-American Chocolate Chip Cookies

What is that one dessert that is perfectly all-American? You guessed it...chocolate chip cookies! These wonderful little delights are sweet, buttery, flaky, and absolutely perfect.

 

I've been down with a bad cold the past week, and in serious need of some dessert. So, I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies. I have tasted many a chocolate chip cookie, but this recipe is my all-time favorite. It was my mother's and my grandmother's recipe and it is absolutely delicious.

  I like to use margarine for this recipe because it  flattens out a lot less. That's the only time I ever cook with margarine.

 

This dough pulls together really nicely. It becomes velvety and soft.

 

Chocolate chips. YUM!

 

I always like to set aside a few chips to snack on while the cookies are baking...

 

These cookies flattened out a little more than they should have, what with using the margarine. I think maybe it's because I didn't chill the dough as much as I should have. 

Ready for the recipe? This recipe is simple and absolutely wonderful. I made a double batch in the pictures, and that barely fit in my standard size Kitchen Aid. If you do make a double batch, be forewarned that there will be spillage and some mishaps. The advantage to a double batch is having a bunch of dough left over to freeze.

All American Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 Cup Margarine, Softened

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsps Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

1 12 oz. Package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 F. Into large bowl, measure all ingredients except chocolate chips. (use an electric mixer because of the butter). Beat on medium speed until well blended. I like to cream the butter and sugars first, and then add everything else, but it truly doesn't matter. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Cool slightly before removing from pan or they will fall apart. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

Do y'all have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe? What are you craving this week? Write to me at myculinarycraving@gmail.com with questions, comments, or new recipes for me to feature on here!

Recipes To Make

Hi guys! So, I'm formulating a new recipe for a mug cake, and I'll post it here soon. For now, how about my top 10 list of "want-to-try" recipes? Thanks to Pinterest, I have many of these. I'll have a top 10 for dessert and a top 10 for savory food.


10. S'mores Bars.

 
Yum! Don't these look fabulous?

9. Cookie Dough Brownies.


My goodness. Delicious brownies topped with cookie dough frosting? Count me in.

8. Mini Fruit Pizzas.

 
Um, yes please. These look wonderful.

7. Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars.


My my, these look delicious.

6. Vanilla Bean Doughnuts. 


Oh, these look delish.

5. Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Pizza.



4. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip.

  

3. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies.

 
Not only are these adorable, they also have an alliterative name.

2. Midnight Fudge Cake.


My gosh. This looks scrumptious.

1. Nutella "Faux"-nut.



A Nutella Cronut sounds heavenly to me!

Now for my top 10 savory dishes that I want to experiment with.

10. Cheesy Pull-Apart Rolls.






































9. Baked Zucchini Parmesan Crisps.

 

8. Bacon-Wrapped Chicken.


7. Lime Cilantro Chicken.



6. Crispy Smashed Potatoes.



5. Stuffed Crust Pizza Snacks.

 

4. Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread.



3. Cheese Bombs.



2. Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese.



1. Baked Spaghetti.



Those are my top 20 recipes that I want to experiment with. When I make them, I'll post pictures and recipes!

What are you craving this week?

My Culinary Craving

Hello, world! Welcome to Culinary Cravings. Here, you'll find new recipes, recipes from around the blog world, food photography, and much more.

To start off, I want to let you know what my culinary craving has been this week. Chocolate. That wonderfully creamy and beautiful substance. If you do not like the taste of chocolate, then this is not the blog for you! Chocolate is a major part of my life.

There are many mug cake recipes on food blogs, but mug cakes don't have the same taste as a real oven-baked cake. I was looking for a single-serving dessert that had the same quality taste as a cake made in the oven.

And....................................I found it over at Cake For One. That website is wonderful. I highly suggest you go and visit them.

Anyway, this cake was super simple, oven-baked, and absolutely delicious. It was moist, fudgy, and had a perfect crust on top, which mug cakes are often missing.

I, being absent-minded, did not take pictures of mine. However, Cake For One has pictures and mine looked just like this. (minus the lovely and fancy fork cocoa dusting)



After that mouthwatering photo, are you ready for the recipe? Here we go.

Serving Size: 1 (unless you're generous and want to share)

Ingredients:
2 TBSP Brown Sugar
                             
2 TBSP Butter
                             
2 TBSP Chocolate Chips
                             
1 Small Egg
                             
4 TBSP All-Purpose White Flour
                             
2 TBSP Cocoa
                             
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 360 F.
2. Butter and flour one ramekin; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until soft. (if you don't want to use a mixer you can either use a pastry cutter, or soften the butter slightly in the microwave and stir with a spoon)
4. Add your egg and whisk until lightly fluffy.
5. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave (unless you want to use a double boiler). Let cool a bit and mix with other ingredients.
6. Sift flour, cocoa, and baking powder in your bowl; stir until smooth.
7. Spoon batter into ramekin and bake for 18 minutes. (start checking for doneness about 16)
8. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness. The center will be fudgy, so check the sides of the cake.

Variations:
Top with whipped cream and berries to add some refreshment.
Split open the center of the cake and spread peanut butter or Nutella for an extra flavor experience.
Come up with your own ideas: add your favorite frosting, melt white chocolate and drizzle on top. The possibilities are endless!

What are your culinary cravings?