Stove Top Mac N Cheese - meh

Friday is soccer night for us.  Somehow, Blockette got put on a team that holds practice right when we would normally be eating dinner.  That leaves me with two choices: 1.) eat a snack before we leave, and then eat dinner when we get home.  2.) eat dinner before we leave and a snack when we get home.

Option one isn't very viable because I sit through the practice with a grumbly tummy, then I am too hungry and crabby to make or wait for dinner.  Or on occasion, Blockette is too tired to eat from her workout.

So that leaves option two, eating an early dinner.

I thought this Stovetop mac and cheese from Evil Shenanigans would be a good option for us.

It was quick, and full of carbs for energy!

When I went to make the recipe I discovered didn't have any dried mustard.  I did a search online and read that you could swap 1 t dried mustard for 1 T prepared mustard.  I found loads of sites that said this.

I don't know if it was my mustard substitution, but I thought the dish tasted very mustardy, and not much like anything else.  I also used sharp cheddar, which I thought would give off a strong flavor. The macaroni still tasted only like mustard.

When I finished preparing the mac, I didn't like the lack of sauce.  (I'm from the super creamy mac n cheese school of thought.)  I added 1/4 c sour cream in hopes of fixing this issue.  It did help some.

Blockette absolutely loved this dish.  I can't figure out why.  Maybe because it was bland?  Or because she was hungry?

There were lots of leftovers.  Instead of nuking them in the microwave to reheat, I put them in a saucepan on low heat.  The sauce got very grainy and ugly.  I kept adding milk to the pan in hopes of smoothing things over.  This helped, and also made the macaroni not taste like mustard anymore. Oh yes.  It definately did not taste like mustard.  It tasted like nothing at all.  Just the texture of cooked noodles.
UGH.

Luckily, the second time around we had the macaroni as a side dish with grilled pork chops.  The pork chops were so good that they overshadowed the blandness of the noodles.

At this time, there was one serving left.  I was not ready to give up on this dish yet.  I stuck the leftovers in a microwave safe dish with a tiny splash of water. Nuked it and then added a small handful of shredded Mexican blend cheese.  I nuked the dish again to melt the cheese.  Next, I added a dash of Bavarian seasoning, and shook on a layer of bread crumbs.

Success!

I wish I'd thought of those additions sooner!

Below is the original recipe for the Mac.  Feel free to add extra cheese, Bavarian Seasoning and bread crumbs to your liking!

Stove top Macraroni from Evil Shenanigins
8oz macaroni, or any smallish tube shaped pasta
1 tablespoon butter
6 oz evaporated milk
6 oz freshly grated cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper

Boil the pasta according to package directions, but reduce the cooking time by one minute. Drain and pour back into the cooking pot. Over medium-low heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Mix the egg, milk, and spices and pour over the pasta. Stir until it begins to thicken, about three to five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat then add the cheese in four installments, making sure the first is melted completely before adding the next.