Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese with a side of ME!

I feel that I owe all my readers an apology. I have missed the kitchen in the past week, so I figured it was about time to fill everyone in on where I've been. As you all know I live in Houston, but what you don't know is that I work as a contractor for NASA at the Johnson Space Center. I am a flight controller for the International Space Station and am currently a lead for the upcoming Space Shuttle flight.

Photo Property of NASA

If you follow NASA's Space Shuttle program, you know the last flight of Space Shuttle Discovery was supposed to launch this past Monday, well 5 days later I am still praying for a launch today. So cross your fingers and if you can turn on the NASA channel or go to NASA.gov and tune in around 3pm Eastern to watch the 133rd launch of the Space Shuttle. This mission will have Discovery and it's crew delivering some hardware and the final module of the Space Station as well as performing some EVAs, so stay tuned!


Needless to say I have been extremely busy at work and the hubbie has been in charge of everything. One thing I did get to make was some comfort food, of course, Mac'n'Cheese. Actually any kind of pasta is comfort food to me, but I had a little bit of pumpkin left and tons of cheese, so here goes...

Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

1 cup pumpkin puree

12 ounces macaroni 

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp ground mustard

2 cups whole milk

1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2 slices bread, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x9 pan or individual ramekins, set aside. Prepare pasta according to box. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter then add in flour and mustard. Whisk continually for 1 minute until thick. Slowly add in milk while continuing to whisk. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat, add in cheeses and pumpkin puree, then gently mix in cooked pasta. Spoon mixture into prepared pan/s and top with bread crumbles. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top has browned and cheese is melted. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.

Concerning the pasta cooking, I always make mine Al Dente as they will soften while baking. I do this by cooking ~1 minute less than directed or until pasta is slightly firm but not hard. For bread crumbs, I used this method which gives the topping a lighter, but still crunchy texture.

Hope you enjoy and Happy Baking!