As it just so happen, I LOVE to cook! In fact, when I can afford to make the career shift I want to go to culinary school, open my own restaurant, and... well, maybe not strike it rich, but perhaps enjoy what I do

My boyfriend and I actually run a livejournal recipe community (http://community.livejournal.com/mean_cuisine/), and here is one of my recipes from there.

This one is always a hit at potlucks and such. It ends up being a conversation starter often enough, when people ask 'what's that?' and you explain to them what Macaroni and Cheesecake is


Macaroni and Cheesecake
This recipe is more like a casserole than a dessert, but I call it cheesecake since it's baked in a springform pan and has a cheesecake-like crust, albeit made of ritz instead of graham cracker (or whatever you use for your cheesecake crusts).

Filling:

1 lb. elbow macaroni (weight after cooking, cooked al dente)
24 oz. cream cheese
2 cups grated monterey jack
2 cups grated cheddar
1 cup grated asiago
1.5 cups half and half
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs (2 of them yolks only)
2 oz butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
.5 tbsp salt
1 lemon's juice

Crust:

2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4 lb butter, melted
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter (cold, for lining springform pan)
1 tsp sugar

Making Crust:

In a mixing bowl, combine crushed Ritz crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Work mixture with a fork until butter is evenly distributed throughout crackers. Line a springform pan with butter, bottom and sides, to prevent sticking. Add flour and shake pan to cover the sides and bottom. Turn pan upside-down and tap bottom to free any excess flour. Press a thin layer of cracker mixture across bottom of pan and halfway up sides. Refrigerate pan while preparing filling.

Making Filling:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese, half-and-half, sour cream, eggs, butter, flour, black pepper, kosher salt and lemon juice. Fold in cheddar, monterey jack, asiago and macaroni. Add filling to prepared pan, leaving 1/2 inch space from top of the pan, as it may rise slightly while baking. Cover with aluminum foil.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place in center of oven. Bake for 45 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until it sets and is golden brown on top. When you touch the center of it, it should be soft but not liquid, a bit like gelatin.

If you feel like adding a little something to it, top with crumbled bacon and crushed black pepper before serving