Leftover Makeover: Mac & Cheese

Happy Friday!  Living in a house of two sometimes we end up with leftovers, I mean it happens to everyone right?!  There's some foods that are better the next day (chili, soups, sauces, etc.) others not so much.  As a guilty pleasure every once in awhile I buy Velveeta shells and cheese to make for lunch.  It's yummy that day but as leftover its mostly repulsive (strong wording?  sorry about it).  So I decided to give it a little makeover so it would be just as enjoyable the second time around!

I had seen a recipes for stovetop mac and cheese on different blogs and Pinterest and they looked delicious!  However I didn't really want to put as much effort into it (making the sauce from scratch, etc).  So I took the leftover Velveeta and changed its life.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
(This made a pretty big serving that I didn't end up finishing, I'd split it in two next time)

Ingredients:

- leftover mac & cheese, about two servings worth/half the box

- cooked chicken, sliced (this was leftover too)

- about 1 Tbsp. buffalo wing sauce (to taste)

- 1 Tbsp. blue cheese crumbles plus some for garnish

- 2 to 4 Tbsp. milk

- 2 Tbsp. shredded cheddar

Instructions:

- In a microwave safe dish, put leftover mac plus 1 to 2 Tbsp. milk, cover and zap for about 1 minute.

- In a separate microwave safe dish add chicken and some buffalo sauce to coat it, heat until heated through.

- Once the mac starts to heat up and the milk loosens it up, add cheddar and another 1 to 2 Tbsp. milk, cover and heat again for 30 seconds to a 1 minute until cheddar is melted and milk is absorbed.

- Add chicken and stir.  Sprinkle in blue cheese, cover and zap until just barely melted (30 seconds or so).  Use your judgement on if there should be more milk added or not, its up to you.

- Drizzle buffalo sauce on top and top with blue cheese crumbles if desired.  

- Enjoy!

You could also chop up some green onions to put on top but I didn't have them on hand at the time.  This was really yummy and I couldn't even tell it was leftover!  Super creamy with some spice and tang from the buffalo sauce and blue cheese.  Plus it had some protein to it with the chicken.  Definitely a good lunch but I was ready for a nap afterwards!  I think it'd be perfect in a smaller portion with a side salad.

This weekend is another "free" weekend for us so we are hoping to enjoy what's left of the summer sun!  Up next I've got two Local Foodie Moments to share!

Cheers!

Steph