Mini Mac and Cheese Pies with an Italian Twist

Lately, I have been thinking about the word respect. Its meaning, how important it is and how it affects our relationships. I was brought up making sure that respect is deeply sewn in my mind and heart because it is fundamental in everything that we do. I am making two children grow making sure that they understand all facets of the word respect. With them, my lessons are not confined to relationships with other people but also with insects, animals, plants, toys and space. Because if not, they would start stepping on every grasshopper they see, suffocate all the butterflies they catch, rip apart the leaves of my plants, break every toy they have or go through all the drawers that they see. Imagine that.

In one of the towns we visited the other day, we watched a little episode of an adult trying to teach how to respect to a young boy who shouted at him with obscenities after being asked to play somewhere else because he and his friends were making a mess at the entrance of a residential building. A kid with no sense of respect and a foul mouth made quite a stir to the adults within hearing shot. My kids witnessed it and when I turned to my son, he immediately told me, "I know." Those two words mattered the world to me. He understood what I had been meaning all this time. And when he and his sister touch insects with tenderness, I see more than what is in front of me. I see two adults that I dream of seeing in the future. 

Now that I am done with the word respect for this time, let me move to a recipe that connotes familiarity to everyone, especially the Americans. Mac and cheese probably rates as one of the most popular food in the U.S. In this recipe, I mixed them with a cheesy sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) and some pancetta (similar to bacon) to give it an Italian kick. Then all these went inside mono-portion pies. They are best eaten when they just came out of the oven. Just don't burn your tongue!

For the recipe, you will have to scoot over to She Knows to get it by clicking on this link. I create recipes there and with this other link, you will see the other recipes that I have created for them. Thanks and I hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebration!