Smoked Ham and Mac n Cheese (GF)

Taken from: www.beyondceliac.org/gluten-free-recipes/smoked-ham-and-macaroni-cheese/

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp rice flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
• 2 slices boneless smoked ham 1/4" thick slices, diced small
• 4 cups gluten-free elbow macaroni
• 3/4 cups green peas

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• melt butter on low in a saucepan, then add flour and salt
• add milk, stirring constantly until sauce thickens, then add shredded cheeses
• combine cooked macaroni from another saucepan, sauce, peas, and ham in a 9x13 cooking dish
• bake for 20 minutes or till light browning

Weekly technique:
This week was a wildcard, so I decided to cook what I thought looked like a tasty gluten-free dish. In addition, there were a little bit of dicing involved in this dish.

Reflection:
I love mac and cheese so I may have done some variation of this before. However, I liked the idea of adding peas to this dish. I switched out the ham for turkey since we (mostly my partner) don't eat much pork. Also, I thought adding some Panko flakes (GF) to this dish would add some extra value and crisp to it. It's fun learning how to turn regular dishes into gluten-free dishes that my partner can also enjoy. I think the Panko was a good addition, added a little substance to it. It could have done with a few other spices though. Ideas for next time. Still, mmm delicious!