Curiosity Hasn't Killed This Kitty: Cooking with the Hubs

Two of my most anticipated recipes have just been sitting on my boards on Pinterest for just way too long. Today had to be the day. Tonight was a pseudo-date night for my husband and I and I thought it would just be peachy to spend it watching a movie, cooking together, and eating. Of course, I would have to make my most anticipated recipes tonight... These recipes were highly anticipated for three reasons: mac and cheese, avocado, and cinnamon toast crunch. Yum.

The first recipe I found on Pinterest, of course. The pin originated from twopeasandtheirpod.com. When I saw the picture, my mouth started watering. Tonight was the night. After months of waiting and wondering, tonight was the night.

I started off by making my husband do all the things I dislike doing, shredding the cheese, juicing the lime, paying for the groceries... Putting the avocado mix together was pretty much just making guacamole, but with fresh garlic. This was the main mistake. I trusted in the fresh garlic. Don't repeat my mistake. The recipe calls for two minced garlic cloves. This is going to be a bit strong. Next time I will do it just like I make my guacamole, to taste. The following is my modified recipe.

10 ounces dry pasta (I used rotini because the ridges absorb the sauce nicely)
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh tomato wedges, for garnish

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in pasta. Stir and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and garlic powder into a food processor or blender. (The trick the garlic powder is to add a little at a time and taste it after mixing it all in - go easy. It's better to have to add more and blend again than to have too much.) Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside. (Or leave it a little chunky if you want a chunkier sauce in the end.)

3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in Pepper Jack cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.

4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh tomato wedges, if desired.

Delicious.

The next recipe was simple, to the point, and my childhood dreams fulfilled. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes. Yes, I'm serious. I would rename them Little Pieces of Heaven Cupcakes or maybe even Magical Crack Cupcakes because of their addictive quality. I found this recipe in a dream, or a vision, whichever. This dream happened when I was exploring a favorite blog called Baked from a Box. To get to the point...

Vanilla cake mix and it's required ingredients (eggs, oil, water...)
2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
Buttercream Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend Cinnamon Toast Crunch with cinnamon in blender until it is like dust, but still has some chunks in it.
In a large bowl, beat the cake mix and necessary ingredients together according to the directions on the box.
Line cupcake pan with cupcake paper cups. Fill cups one third full. Sprinkle some of the cereal dust on top of the batter. Add more batter until cups are two thirds full. Sprinkle more dust on top and mix each one gently with a fork.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let them cool completely before frosting. After putting the frosting on, sprinkle lightly with more of the cereal dust on top and garnish with a whole Cinnamon Toast Crunch square.

Tips: If you have a cupcake batter dispenser (mine is the Tovolo Cupcake Batter Pen Dispenser) it makes life so much easier (except when you have to clean it), but if you don't, fill a baggie with the batter and cut a corner off to keep things cleaner and help make filling the cups a lot easier. When you are ready to frost the cupcakes, put the frosting in a bowl and whip it with an electric beater to aerate it. This will make it fluffier and easier to spread. Then (if you don't have a frosting tube) put it into a baggie, cut off a corner and apply it that way. It is cleaner, easier, and more attractive than spreading it on with a butter knife.