Barbecue Mac and Cheese

I cannot believe there is no recipe out there for this. A few weeks ago, I first started adding barbecue sauce to mac and cheese. Now, I'm not sure I can live without it. So I thought, "why don't they just cook the barbecue sauce into the mac and cheese?" I don't know. So here, my friends, is the best vegetarian dish for a barbecue you've seen yet. I made it in the slow cooker, but I may do a baked version soon.
Ingredients:

• 1 lb macaroni
  
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 12oz can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk (can probably use skim as well)
• 1 egg
  
• Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 bottle barbecue sauce (I used whatever Mark bought me, use whatever type suits your fancy - I'm not sure how vinegar based sauce will come out though)
• salt and pepper
• breadcrumbs
  

Eqiupment:

• 6 qt slow cooker (for smaller, halve or quarter recipe)
• small bowl
• pot, colander, slotted spoon
• not-slotted spoon
• 2 dishtowels (clean!)
  

Procedure

1. Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain. Grease slow cooker. Pour macaroni into slow cooker.
   
2. In a separate bowl, mix evaporated milk, milk, and egg.
3. Pour milk mixture over macaroni, stir to distribute evenly. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add one cup of cheese.
   
4. Place 2 dishtowels over slow cooker, then put on lid (this absorbs condensation so the macaroni does not get all soggy.)
   
5. Allow to cook for 30-40 minutes, until most of the liquid has boiled off. Add another cup of cheese and half a bottle of barbecue sauce. Stir to combine.
   
6. Allow to cook for another 30-40 minutes. It should start looking pretty mac and cheesy at this point. Add the rest of the cheese, more barbecue sauce, and taste test. Do not stand over the crockpot eating out of it because its just too delicious.
   
7. Once the sauce is a flavor and consistency of your liking, add breadcrumbs to the top and spray with vegetable oil or dot with butter if you want them to really brown.
   
8. You now have two options - allow the slow cooker to cook for another hour to crisp up the breadcrumbs, or throw the whole thing under the broiler. I picked option 2 because people were here and dinner needed to be on the table. It's done when the breadcrumbs are brown.
   

I'll be working on a stovetop version soon, but I think the crockpot is best for slowly adding more barbecue sauce and I wanted to test this recipe out.
Enjoy!

Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers With Garlic and Cilantro Drizzle

I found this recipe in my Fitness Magazine and got so excited I almost fell off the elliptical.
Ingredients:

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1/2 pineapple, peeled, halved, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 24 pieces)
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and ribs removed, cut into 1-inch squares (about 24 pcs)
• 6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tbs minced fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Equipment:

• Grill (medium-hot fire)
  
• 8 skewers - if wood, soak in water for 15 minutes, then drain
• small bowl
• Baking sheet
  

Procedure:

1. Thread shrimp, pepper, and pineapple onto skewers. Lay on baking sheet.
   
2. Brush with olive oil (I'm going to try using spray).
   
3. Combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, sugar, and pepper, set aside.
   
4. Grill kebabs (the recipe suggests creating a foil strip and putting the skewers with the exposed end over the foil strip, to prevent them from lighting on fire), approx. 3 min on each side