This was the toughest winter since I moved to my small town, up here on the hill two miles from the ocean. It was freezing, windy, anything but comfortable. Over a four week period, we got more than 10 feet of snow. Every day, I’d bundle up, head outdoors and shovel for 2-3 hours. Good exercise, but it got old, let me tell you!
Once I finished shoveling for the day, usually well after the sun set, I’d come in from the dark and cold and think about dinner. What could I do to thaw myself out? What could I eat that would make me feel warm and comfy that wouldn’t take forever to prepare?
I don’t know about you, but mac & cheese is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods. If I want to warm up fast, satisfy my hunger, and most important, feel cozy and comforted, I choose mac & cheese. From time to time, I’ll make it from scratch. But truth be told, that takes more than an hour! If I’m freezing from hours of work outdoors, I want the taste and goodness of homemade without the effort of homemade. Enter Stouffer’s. I keep Stouffer’s entrees and sides on hand for those times.
Stouffer’s recently introduced two new flavors to their mac & cheese singles lineup:
- Garlic Parmesan
- White Cheddar
and two more are on their way:
- Buffalo Blue Cheese
- Pepperoni Pizza.
I found the two that are out now – Garlic Parmesan and White Cheddar – in my local supermarket. They were in the Stouffer’s freezer section, and I scooped them right up! Dying to try all the new flavors.
Although it snowed just the other day (in April, can you believe it?), the snow is definitely on its way out, thank goodness!
So now that spring is officially here, am I done with comfort food? No way! Now I’m out in the chilly damp weather doing clean up to prepare for gardening!
Stouffer’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
After a few hours of raking the winter debris off the lawn, I came in and tried Stouffer’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese. I am a serious fan of white cheddar cheese, so I was so excited to see this new one in the freezer case.
Sometimes I like to have a little crunch on my mac & cheese. So I grabbed the panko, melted a little butter in a pan (you can also do it in the microwave) and then added the panko so it gets a buttery, toasty, crunchy flavor.
When my White Cheddar Mac & Cheese came out of the MW, I couldn’t wait. I had to try some of it plain to get the real white cheddar, cheesy, gooey goodness!
Then, I added the panko to the top of the rest. CRUNCH! It was a major creamy YUM without it, and absolute heaven with it! After working up an appetite, I ate my Stouffer’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese as a side dish along with a small chicken, artichoke & olive sausage and sautéed onions. Indescribably delicious. Just the thing to get me into my comfort zone!
Stoufffer’s Garlic Parmesan Mac & Cheese
A couple of days later, I went for the Garlic Parmesan Mac & Cheese. Garlic + Parmesan + Creamy pasta = LOVE.
The Garlic Parmesan has just the right amount of garlic, enough for some zing, not so much that I had garlic breath. Perfect. The parmesan made for a light cheesy, creamy sauce. Plus parmesan was also added to the breadcrumbs along with herbs for a flavorful topping.
This time, I paired the Garlic Parmesan Mac & Cheese with a salad with olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar for an easy but satisfying Italian-style meal. Mmmmm.
I love Stouffer’s mac & cheese. It’s natural, made with great real ingredients, and it doesn’t have preservatives. I like knowing that. And now with yummy new varieties, woo hoo!
Have you seen the new Stouffer’s mac & cheese varieties in your supermarket freezer case yet? Have you tried ’em yet? You can check out more info about them here on the Stouffer’s website: http://bit.ly/1BUHCsM. Let me know which one is calling you!
* I am participating in a Vibrant Influencer network campaign for Stouffer’s. I am receiving a fee for posting; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. But Stouffer’s is a brand that I buy myself on a regular basis. I am in no way affiliated with Stouffer’s and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.
I did not realize that you lived 2 miles from the ocean. Makes it nice for the summer. Oh and your meals look appealing!
Thank you, Laura! And yes, I live close to the ocean. But the beach that is at the end of the road is only for residents of that town so I go to the beach about 12 miles away. Still convenient!
I absolutely love Mac and Cheese, and both of those look delectable! So glad to see your snow melting, Allison– what a relief for you!
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Me too, Helen, on both accounts! Love me some mac ‘n cheese & now the snow is ALL GONE!
I usually have a couple of Stouffer’s dinners in the freezer. The new flavors look great. I’ll be looking for them when I go to the market (today).
The new flavors are yummy! I know you’ll love ’em 🙂
Your house is beautiful! And now this prego is craving mac and cheese… om nom nom nom yummmmm!!!!
BeautyJudy recently posted…Zoya Delight Collection for Spring 2015
Thank you, Judy. And I am laughing, yes mac & cheese is great pregnancy food 😉 Try the new varieties!
Mac and cheese is a weakness of mine. These look amazingly delicious and I need to try them!
Kat Dinges recently posted…Erin Condren Life Planner – Work, Life, Baby
A weakness of mine too, Kat. The 2 new flavors I’ve tried so far are delicious. They’d be so warming on a raw, cold, rainy day like today in Boston!
It’s nice living by the beach! My house is maybe 200ft away from the shore, but I never go there, except to photograph products sometimes.
How interesting, Anastasia, that you are not a beach girl. Well, you skin will thank you for that!
Ahh I remember your shoveling posts. My shero! LOL you are much better than me. Stouffers mac n cheese is pretty decent and quick.
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Haha, yes I’ve been shoveling for months. There’s one small patch of snow left at the end of the driveway. Be gone, snow! It’s raw, cold and raining hard here today, I wish I hadn’t eaten all the Stouffer’s mac & cheese. It’d warm me up!
Mmmm… this is comfort food at its finest! You have such a lovely house! <3
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Thank you, Shipra! I could use some of the Stouffer’s mac & cheese today. It’s freezing and raining hard here 🙁
Don’t you love living so close to the beach? I live about 10-15 minutes away from it myself. My favorite place to be 🙂
Leigh recently posted…What I bought with my VIB Discount: Sephora Favorites Summer Obsessions Set
Me, too, Leigh. I can hardly wait till the temperature warms up. It’s 43 degrees and raining here today. Perfect mac & cheese weather.
I LOVE mac and cheese, it’s definitely one of my favourite comfort foods! I rarely eat it but these single meals sound amazing x
They’re treats for me, too, Albertine. I sometimes makes these single meals last 2 days, but sometimes I just can’t! Do you have Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese in the UK? I think so??!!
A friend of mine is absolutely obsessed with Stouffers mac and cheese. fun post!
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It’s easy to be obsessed with it, Tess! Tell her about the new flavors 🙂 They are yummy!
You need to cook for me (I don’t even nuke well) and also I love your house so I’m going to need that also 😉
Brooke @ Blushing Noir recently posted…3 Ways to Use Everyday Life to Teach Kids About Earth Month
Just come on over, Brooke, and bring your girls for a mac & cheese party! But maybe wait till the weather gets better 🙂
This looks delicious! Especially with the sides you chose! And I love the idea of topping it off with some panko. The flavors sound incredible & I’ll definitely have to give them a try! Great post & photos!
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Thank you so much! I like to have some yummy frozen foods on hand for those nights when I don’t want to cook, and then I personalize them and make them into a little meal 🙂
What a good idea!. I love that you added panko to the mac and cheese. I never would have thought of that! I love it on chicken cutlets, and now I’ll have to try it on other stuff!
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I love panko on chicken cutlets too, Sammi, (with honey and mustard too), so I thought why not add some crunch to the mac & cheese. Hope you’ll try using it more too. On baked potatoes? Definitely on fish 🙂
Mac n’ Cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods.
Phyrra recently posted…Ask Christian from iStyleXG – Answers
Mine too. And these new flavors were delish
omggg I want to eat alllll the mac & cheese – definitely my favorite comfort food!
Jess Scull recently posted…NEW! SinfulColors BloomBlast Glitters, Citrus Twist & Opalescent Toppers | Swatches & Review
mine too, Jess! These quickies were yumm-o!
Omg I am a huge Mac n Cheese fan! I usually make my own but these sound really yummy! Those flavors sound really good and you can’t beat the easy cook time.
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I do too, Kristina. But I must say, I was happy to have these around for those occasions when I just didn’t have the time. And adding the panko to the yummy white cheddar, I felt almost like I was cooking it (lol) but it took only 5 minutes!
Mac and Cheese is my fave. I made some of the Pioneer Woman’s fancy mac with caramelized onions and bacon, and it was delish.. but most of the time, I prefer something I can just stick in the microwave! I love white cheddar and parm and garlic, so I’m looking forward to finding those at my grocery!
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That sound delicious, Nidia! I haven’t tried adding caramelized onions and bacon to mine, but I will try it some day. I actually love to make mac & cheese from scratch but the trouble is I will eat the entire pan at one sitting! Stouffer’s has good stuff in it, no preservatives or chemicals, and I can only eat what’s in the box.
This looks like such good comfort food!!!
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it is yummy 🙂
Garlic Parmesan sounds so good! My mom used to make mac ‘n cheese from scratch and she used 4 different kinds of cheeses. I can still remember her grating them into a big bowl.
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I love your memory of your mom making her own mac & cheese! I love to do it when I have time, but when I make a big pan, it’s easy to eat the whole thing at once. These make me observe portion control, lol. The garlic parmesan is really good!
My freezer usually has at least half a dozen boxes of Stouffers Mac & Cheese since that’s my little guy’s favorite meal. Next time I’ll look for the white cheddar. Great idea about the panko crumbs on top.
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I really like the new flavors, Marcia, and I bet your son would too. They also come in smaller snack cup sizes in the new flavors which I think is a brilliant idea.
YUM!! Mac and cheese is a comfort food 🙂
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Yes it is 🙂
Ooh, the new flavours sound great! I don’t do much frozen meal type foods, but Stouffer’s mac and cheese is an exception- it’s soo good!
Bailey recently posted…Day & Night Duo | Vichy Liftactiv Supreme & Avon Anew Clinical Overnight Hydration Mask
Same with me, Bailey. Stouffer’s frozen mac & cheese (and I also love their meatloaf!) is so good and is a great alternative when you need some comfort food but don’t have the time or ingredients on hand to make it yourself. The new flavors are great!
I love your house, I couldn’t stand snow ‘tho. Hub likes frozen dinner like this
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Thank you, Kathryne. I can’t stand the snow either 😉 These frozen entrees are good to have on hand for those nights when you can’t cook. In fact, I have a bad cold or the flu now, and I wish I had some in the freezer coz I don’t feel well enough to cook or drive to the store 🙁
Wait… Garlic and parmigiana? Hello!
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It is yummy!
love stoffer’s. Always a good choice.
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The new mac & cheese flavors are delish
I love Stouffer’s frozen entrees. They are consistently far far better than other frozen brands. Now I know to cook them in the over, not the microwave, for even better flavor.
I agree, Sue. I think the lasagnas taste more authentic if cooked in the oven, but the mac & cheese was really good right out of the microwave, and I usually hate the microwave.
Well, it *sounds* nice enough. But still, I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of microwave or ready-made meals. Too artificial.
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I usually cook from scratch, too, Melissa. In fact, I make my own bread, jam and pickles from scratch. And I make terrific macaroni and cheese from scratch, but it takes about 2 hours to do it. Some nights, that’s not possible. What I love about Stouffer’s for those times when I can’t cook from scratch is that it doesn’t have any preservatives or weird chemicals, it’s kind of like frozen vegetables, prepared food that was frozen frozen.
I felt so badly for you all winter! I’m glad the snow is (finally) melting. And I’m glad you were still able to eat when you were trapped at home!
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me, too, Jamie! The last bit of snow melted last night. I can finally get to the backyard from the driveway, and I haven’t been able to do that since January. Keeping Stouffer’s in the freezer really helped when I couldn’t get out to shop and didn’t have the time to cook from scratch.
I like Stouffers on nights when my girls are busy with classes, and we’re running around. Hubby gets it going on my way home from work, I get kids and get home to an easy meal.
RoseMarie McCandless recently posted…Ouish Monthly Box Unboxing
Absolutely, RoseMarie. Stouffers is so helpful for busy families on those nights when you’ve got a lot going on.
Love your comments about Stouffers Mac & Cheese varities!! I love classic Mac & Cheese but I am interested in the White Cheddar version!! Nothing like comfort foods on a cold day!!
Thank you, Ursula! The new White Cheddar is delicious. I wish I had some last night when it was cold and rainy, and I’ve got a bad cold.
Ooh this looks lovely. I havent had mac and cheese often as it isnt very common in the UK but whenever Ive had it it has been delicious xxx
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That’s so interesting, Laura! I had no idea that mac & cheese isn’t a UK dish, but I guess that makes sense. I think Italian-Americans popularized it here with cheddar cheese. It is very yummy
This looks YUM 🙂 I love seeing the snow in your photos and then as Spring sets in/…. it all clears up. So beautiful though I know not beautiful to deal with 😉
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It was yum, and I wish I had some more in the freezer since I’ve got a bad cold. The last bit of snow disappeared last night, Honey. I am so relieved to see it go. It can be beautiful as it’s snowing, but dealing with the aftermath is expensive and depressing in reality.
Love how you paired your Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese! I just love both of these, especially the Garlic Parmesan!
Tina @ My Highest Self recently posted…Get in the Comfort Zone with Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese
I thought they were both delicious! I am going to try the Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese cups. They look great, and the smaller size makes them a good treat.
I’ve tried their original mac and cheese but ooh that garlic parmesan sounds delicious!
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The garlic parmesan is delicious, Mai! I also liked the white cheddar since I’m a big cheddar fan. Because they are natural, no preservatives, I feel good about having them from time to time when I can’t cook an entire meal from scratch
These look so yummy! I love the original one, so I will definitely need to try out the new flavors!
If you like the original Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese, I’m sure you’ll love these too. Plus there are two more “out there” flavors to come!
This seriously sounds SO yummy! I also like to make my mac n cheese from scratch, but it does take quite a while. I’ll have to keep these in mind for a rainy day, rainy since Florida doesn’t get snow lol 😉
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The Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese really is wonderful on a raw, rainy day when you don’t have time to make your own. It has no preservatives and no chemicals so I feel better about eating it. I’ve got a bad cold, and I wish I had some of the white cheddar mac & cheese left in the freezer!
I grew up on Stouffers (mom wasn’t much of a cook!) so this brings back memories
Lisa Heath recently posted…KBShimmer Full Summer 2015 Collection Swatches & Review
Oh, what a coincidence! Are you a cook, Lisa? Often, cooking skips a generation 😉
Nope.. not at all. I mean I can try it, doesn’t mean it’s edible. My boyfriend is the cook in the house and our deal is that he cooks and I do dishes.
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Sounds like a good deal!
Mac ‘n cheese is my idea of the perfect comfort food and it looks so tasty with the panko crumbs on top!
It really is. I’ve got a bad cold, and I don’t have the energy to cook or eat much. I think the white cheddar mac & cheese with panko is on the menu for tonight!
Mac and Cheese is such a comfort food and something I had not experienced until I moved the the USA. It’s a staple in our house now! http://www.yummomummo.blogspot.com
I hadn’t realized what an American institution mac & cheese is until I posted this blogpost and several women who live in the UK mentioned that they seldom had it. So interesting to learn that! I love it 🙂
Yum, yum, yum! I LOVE mac n cheese. Sadly, since I follow Weight Watchers, I don’t eat it nearly as often as I’d like, but this looks like an amazing comfort food day treat. Love the new varieties of flavors.
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Brianna E recently posted…Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2015
That’s great that you’re doing WW. It’s a winner. The new Stouffer’s flavors are delish, but they are a special treat for me too
My favorite mac n cheese brand!
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When I don’t make my own, it’s the only one I eat 🙂