"So what are you making for dinner?": Search results for mac and cheese balls

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Saturday, February 6, 2021

You Can Make This Any Time!

As I was typing the title of this blog it sounded like we do not eat healthy foods. But we really do. The Air Fryer Mac and Cheese Balls are not an everyday occasion. Yet...

This recipe came with the Air Fryer. It puzzled me at first. It calls for 1 cup of leftover mac and cheese. Isn't that like leftover wine? Who has leftover mac and cheese? Our go-to
Mac and Cheese brand is Annie's. The one with the bunny on the box.

Mac & Cheese Balls

Ingredients-
1 cup leftover mac and cheese, refrigerated
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup plain breadcrumbs

Method-
Combine the macaroni and cheese and the cheddar cheese in a bowl.

Put the flour in a second bowl.

Combine the eggs and milk in a third bowl.

Put the bread crumbs in a fourth bowl.

Form the mac and cheese and cheddar cheese into small ball shapes. This was not as easy as it seemed. It took a few tries but with a little effort, they came together.

Roll the balls in the flour, and then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.

I put the Mac and Cheese balls on a tray and put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm up.

Insert the Fry Tray into the basket. Insert the basket into the Fryer.

Set the cooking temp to 360˚ and the cooking time to 3 minutes. Let the air fryer preheat.

Place the mac and cheese balls in the basket.

Cook at 360˚ for 5 minutes. Rotate the mac and cheese balls and cook for another 5 minutes.

I served them with a little of Rao's Marinara Sauce.

Rave Reviews!! You can make this anytime. You can make it and freeze it!

And we did have a protein for dinner tonight too! I picked up a 1 1/2 pound spoon roast. I coated it with olive oil and a mixture of 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Into a 450˚ oven for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 255˚ for 45 minutes. The temp was between medium-rare and medium. Perfect for both of us.

Sunday, October 17, 2021

BBQ Ribs and Air Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

This is our usual Slow Cooker BBQ Rib Recipe.

I start with a rub of onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. I removed the membrane for the underside of the ribs. I pat the ribs with the rub and brush both sides of the ribs with BBQ Sauce. 8 hours in the slow cooker. I removed the ribs from the Slow Cooker and placed them on an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet (easy clean-up is so important). I brushed the ribs with more sauce. They go under the broiler set on low for almost 5 minutes. They are tender and the BBQ sauce is caramelized.

The Mac and Cheese Balls are always a winner.

Ingredients-
1 cup leftover mac and cheese, refrigerated
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup plain breadcrumbs

Method-
Combine the macaroni and cheese and the cheddar cheese in a bowl.

Put the flour in a second bowl.

Combine the eggs and milk in a third bowl.

Put the bread crumbs in a fourth bowl.

Form the mac and cheese and cheddar cheese into small ball shapes. This was not as easy as it seemed. It took a few tries but with a little effort, they came together.

Roll the balls in the flour, and then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.

I put the Mac and Cheese balls on a tray and put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm up.

Insert the Fry Tray into the basket. Insert the basket into the Fryer.

Set the cooking temp to 360˚ and the cooking time to 3 minutes. Let the air fryer preheat.

Place the mac and cheese balls in the basket.

Cook at 360˚ for 5 minutes. Rotate the mac and cheese balls and cook for another 5 minutes.

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Happy Valentine's Day!

A year ago tonight was the last time Chris and I ate in a restaurant. It was Rocco's and I wish we could have been there tonight.

For Valentine's Day, I did prep work. Lent starts on Wednesday and one of our go-to meals on Friday nights during Lent is Fettuccini Alfredo. And of course, we have to make it with homemade pasta.

I now have 2 packages of pasta in the freezer!

Next, I made Mac and Cheese Balls for the Air Fryer. I am ashamed to say that I have never made Mac and Cheese from scratch. You know like Krafts or Annies. What the hell is wrong with me. It is so freaking easy. All the years we have been eating processed mac and cheese. I will go stand in the corner.

Here is the recipe I used for the Mac and Cheese -

Ingredients-

1 (8 ounces) box elbow macaroni  

¼ cup butter  

¼ cup all-purpose flour  

½ teaspoon salt  

ground black pepper to taste 

2 cups milk  

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Method-
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour milk into butter-flour mixture while continuously stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Add Cheddar cheese to the milk mixture and stir until cheese is melted 2 to 4 minutes.

Fold the macaroni into cheese sauce until coated.

Now for the Mac and Cheese Balls, this is what I did -

I chilled the Mac and Cheese in the fridge.

After it was chilled I used a tablespoon and shaped each tablespoon into balls.

I mixed 3 eggs with 3 tbsps of milk in a bowl.

In another bowl, I mixed 1 cup of panko bread crumbs with a tsp of salt and a tsp of paprika.

Next, I placed each of the mac and cheese balls in the egg and milk mixture, coating the entire ball, then add to the panko mixture, then add to a lined parchment paper cookie sheet.

Place in the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.

When it is time to bake, or air fry I will do that by setting the Air Fryer at 360 degrees. I will place the mac and cheese balls into the air fryer basket in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch. Air fry for 8-10 minutes until light and golden on the outside. Remove, serve, and enjoy.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan and Mac and Cheese Balls

Tonight we have two returning Air Fryer recipes.

The Chicken Parmesan was actually Chicken Tenders that were finished off in the oven.

Ingredients-

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1 oz milk
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
6 chicken tenders
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Marinara Sauce

Mozzarella, shredded

Parmagiano

Method-
Preheat oven to 350˚.

Pour flour onto a pan.
Combine the egg and milk into a bowl and mix.
Pour the breadcrumb onto a separate pan.
Dip each chicken into the flour, then the egg, and then the breadcrumbs/

Insert the Fry tray into the Basket. Insert the basket into the air fryer.
Press the French Fry button (400˚F) and set the cooking time to 3 minutes. Let the air fryer preheat.

Place the chicken tenders onto the Basket. Insert the basket into the air fryer.

Press the French Fry button (400˚F) and set the cooking time to 10 minutes. Flip the chicken tenders halfway through the cooking time.

Remove tenders from the air fryer basket.

Put tenders on a baking pan. Cover with sauce and cheeses. Heat in oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

The Mac and Cheese Balls were in the freezer and were heated up while the chicken was in the oven. Click here for the recipe for the mac and cheese balls.

Insert the Fry Tray into the basket.

Set the cooking temp to 360˚ and the cooking time to 3 minutes. Let the air fryer preheat.

Place the mac and cheese balls in the basket.

Cook at 360˚ for 5 minutes. Rotate the mac and cheese balls and cook for another 5 minutes.

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs

Yeah, Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs is a real thing.

This was just a delicious dinner. And it was pretty easy to prepare and with cautious plating, it was easy to clean up. The ribs were on sale this week so it was also an economical dinner.

I found the rib recipe on All Recipes. I had to air fry the rack in two batches, but we only ate 1/2 a rack for dinner tonight. We will have the other 1/2 rack later this week.