Make Mine a Super Sized 'Mac n Cheese'

Initially, this blog sorta sprung into existence because of the impact Pinterest had on me.  The amazing array of DIY photo's, are almost impossible to 'just take a quick look at' and then move on to something else on the net.  From the beginning, not only did I want to attempt to recreate many of the pic's that I 'pinned', but I also wanted to share my thoughts about the projects I attempted.

However, I know I said this wasn't a 'foodie' blog, but I have seen so many mouth watering photo's of dishes displayed there... I just gotta try a few or maybe, try many.

My daughter is part of a local foodshed that delivers farm fresh produce every 2 weeks to our home.  This week she received some squash and a bunch of tomatoes, besides quite a few other items.  So, after seeing all of those luscious plates of food on Pinterest... I wanted something more than just plain squash [ ho-hum ] as a side dish .

So, I began a search which wasn't at all intense, within minutes I found a dish, whipped up by the Ranting Chef, that included 3 of the items that we received from the farm.  Now, I can do a fairly good 'mac n cheese', but a 'mac n cheese' with squash and tomatoes... well, it sounded like a yummy prospect.

Before I go any further, I gotta mention that I also have a family [as does the Ranting Chef ] of picky eaters and not only that but they are lactose intolerant, with a few other food sensitivities.  So, when preparing any dish... some substitutions are usually  necessary.

Now, this amazing dish as previously mentioned was discovered at the Ranting Chef's website and this picture is what caught my attention and lead to my very first attempt at a dish that I found on Pinterest.  If you want to try it also, his step by step instructions are easy to follow and many pictures are included as visual aids.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

As I mentioned earlier, substitutions were needed... I didn't use ricotta or mozzarella  cheese, in it's place I used goat cheese.  Also, in the past I have had a problem with my goat cheese not melting during the baking process.

However, the solution was included in his recipe and it was so simple.   All that was needed was a little prepping...  by merely mixing the cheese with milk before layering [which I never even considered prior to this 'mac n cheese' recipe] it on the pasta , produced a cheese texture that was both 'soft n smooth'.  So,  for the first time since I started using goat cheese, I had a smoother cheese component to combine with all the other ingredients [ Side note: unsweetened rice milk was substituted for milk ].

I was delighted with the results, the 'super sized mac n cheese' was a resounding success.  Gosh, I gotta find some more recipes, that are as uncomplicated as this one, yet delivers such an impactful  fare.

Thumbs up to the Ranting Chef.

✿