Wisconsin Five-Cheese Bake

Sorry it's been a while! Things get hectic and unfortunately this blog isn't at the top of the priority list. Anyway, I thought I would add a recent recipe we tried. Boy 1 complained about the look and smell while I was putting it together. Then he complained about the smell while it was baking. Then he sat and pouted about having to eat it when we sat down to dinner, but he knows the rule of the house (just like many other families) and that is, YOU HAVE TO AT LEAST TRY IT. He finally gave in and tried a bite, chewed it up, swallowed and then graced us with a sheepish grin. "Okay. I admit it. It tastes pretty good."

Below is the link to the original recipe. Five-cheese bake, not KFC.

Wisconsin Five-Cheese Bake
by Kim B at allrecipes.com

1 16-ounce package elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (I didn't have sour cream so I used plain yogurt - it worked)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.

In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese and Provolone cheese. Remove about 1/2 cup for topping and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, sour cream and heavy cream. Season with parsley, Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

Pour the ricotta cheese mixture and drained macaroni into the bowl with the cheeses and toss lightly. Do not mix too thoroughly, it's better left messy. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, then turn the oven to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes to brown the top.

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I didn't measure anything. I usually just guesstimate at what I'm putting in, unless it's something that's really important to measure. This turned out really well, but in my personal opinion it needed a little more flavoring. I had to add some salt and pepper to what was on my plate and I hardly ever use extra salt on my food. Next time I will probably add more seasoning than what it calls for and add a little extra salt for good measure.