Spicy Mac & Cheesy

So for those who know, i cook. I love to cook!! And I'm a pretty damn good cook at that! If i do say so myself, usually it's what everyone else says though. ;) I've worked hard at becoming a decent cook. It's one of the most simple pleasures for me. It's where i can let go of my stress and enjoy the moment!

I cook for the most part by taste. I don't like to follow recipes much. I typically use them as a base and add what i want based on my likes, or omit stuff based on my dislikes. My spicy mac is no different. However, to be fare, i never had a recipe to go from. It was really trial and error until i had something pretty great.  I've made it for Brooks a couple months ago and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

I love homemade mac and cheese! And in the south it's practically a staple! If you can make a good mac and cheese, you are good people! BUT...too many people make it and it's very bland. Not my cup of tea. I like flavor in my food. Mac and cheese is no different. The things i cook are full of flavor and most of it is all fairly simple.

So...I've made this a million times and been asked what i do to my mac to make it spicy. Well it's not hard, and it's actually a recipe that I'm willing to share.

Here it is:

1-2 cups of dried macaroni (dependent on how many people you want to feed)
1 large or 2 small poblano peppers (also called an Anaheim pepper) chopped into small pieces inluding some of the seeds
1-2 tomatoes (again, based on how large of a pan you want)
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1/2 sweet yellow onion chopped in medium chunks
1 1/2 cups of mexican style grated cheese
1 1/2 cups of pepper jack cheese
3 Tablespoons sour cream
2-5 tablespoons of Sriracha (that awesome hot sauce that people put on everything!)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1-2 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Boil macaroni until desired done-ness. Drain. Put back in pot and add 1 cup of each of the cheeses, sour cream and hot sauce. Stir until everything is well blended. Next, add the onions, garlic and poblano pepper. Mix to combine. Pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese. Add another dash of salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees 45-55 minutes until bubbly and veggies are tender. Serve while hot. Enjoy!!

Hope everyone likes this!! The spiciness is really dependent on your own taste, so add the Sriracha a little at a time and taste as you go. Or omit the hot sauce. It's still a damn tasty recipe!!

Brooks doesn't like tomatoes, so i'm careful to mix
them only on one half of the mac