Our lives are undergoing another shift soon.  My children will move up from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school.  I don’t know how this could be happening.  I swear they just entered pre-school yesterday.

Another shift is that my daughter, the one going into high school, has decided to try virtual school next year.  She is very independent and organized.  She doesn’t like the disruptions in class from the other students.  She finds most of them annoying and a waste of time.  She wants to dance and be able to pursue more music classes and hopes that this option will give her more time to do those things.  I hope this is everything she wants it to be.

But, with changes comes the need for more comfort food for all of us.  My daughter has been asking for macaroni and cheese so I found this recipe for Emeril’s Seafood Mac and Cheese  from Martha Stewart.com on Pinterest.  It sounded like a perfect meal on an unseasonably cool day.  Yes, it was only 49 degrees today.

Verdict:

This recipe was everything I hoped it would be.

It was easy, cheesy and flavorful.  Both of my kids ate two helpings of it.  I had enough leftover for 2 generous lunch servings the next day.

I served this with green beans and a side salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta
• 6 TBSP butter, divided
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups fat-free half and half
• 1 lb seafood (shrimp, lobster or crab – any combination) coarsely chopped
• 1 lb cheese, grated (your favorites – I used freshly grated Parmesan, sharp cheddar and colby jack)
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 13 x 9 pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large pot cook pasta to slightly less than al dente.   Drain pasta; rinse with cold water.
3. While pasta is cooking, melt 4 TBSP butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
4. Add the onion and the garlic to the saucepan and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the flour to the onion mixture.  Cook stirring continuously for 1 minute.
6. Add the milk to the onion flour mixture.   Whisk continually until smooth.
7. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Remove pan from heat.
10. Fold in seafood, macaroni, and cheese until well combined.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.
11. Melt remaining 2 TBSP butter in a bowl in the microwave.
12. Remove melted butter from microwave and add breadcrumbs and Creole seasoning.
13. Toss until well blended and scatter over the top of the macaroni mixture.
14. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until topping is golden and sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.
15. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.