Our very own Head Chef, Jess AKA Bubby’s Best, is bringing you her latest camp food creation – Mac & Cheese bites! Say whaaaat?! We’ve invited her to give you all a peek into her kitchen, so listen up, bring your fork and knife (or hands), and dig in!
Camp and Mac & Cheese go together like PB & J, Salt & Pepper, MK & A… you get the picture. Essentially, it’s a “camp thing.”
With only a few more weeks until the summer camp season kicks off, strong pangs of FOMO (fear of missing out) are starting to set in. I will be working away in the city while staff and campers around the world are immersed in their own little camp-worlds. I think it’s the little things I miss the most, and some big things too (never mind being sentimental atm), like the first day of camp when everyone looks so nice, you know what I mean, you too are guilty of straightening your hair only to do your swim test. I’ll miss the spirited sounds of a full dining hall, evening programs, and oddly enough, there will be days when I miss the food.
Although it probably won’t taste the same without the accompaniment of sugary bug juice and my best friends sitting around my table elbow to elbow, the food is one of those “camp things” that can be replicated at home (maybe with a grown up twist and some nicer dishes).
The first on my camp-food list is Mac & Cheese – duh! These mac & cheese bites take this ooey, gooey, cheesy classic to a whole new level. Hope you enjoy my camp food recipes!
xoxo
Chef Jess
Junior Mac & Cheese Bites
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups (or 1 sleeve) Ritz crackers, crushed
2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated and divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 and 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces uncooked)
One 5.2-ounce container of Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 8 cups of a muffin pan using cooking spray, oil or butter.
3. In a large bowl, combine the crushed Ritz crackers, 1 cup of the shredded white cheddar cheese, and the melted butter, mixing well until the mixture comes together and looks like coarse sand.
4. Divide the mixture among the 8 muffin cups and, using your fingers or the back of a spoon, firmly press the crust into the bottoms and up the sides of each muffin cup.
5. In another large bowl, combine the cooked (and still hot!) macaroni with 1/2 cup of the shredded white cheddar, the Boursin cheese, and the butter, mixing well.
6. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sour cream & salt, , mixing well.
7. Add the egg/milk mixture to the cooked macaroni, mixing until all the ingredients are melted and smooth.
8. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the macaroni mixture into each muffin cup
9. Top each muffin cup with the remaining white cheddar.
10. Bake the mac and cheese cups until lightly golden on top, about 20-25 minutes.
11. Let cool slightly before removing from the muffin pan, garnish with parsley, and devour!!
