Ultimate Mac & Cheese and A New Kind of Grateful

This week on the DishItGirl podcast, Dina is serving up comfort — both in the kitchen and in the heart. With back-to-back holidays and endless gatherings, it can feel like the foodie Olympics, but she reminds us that showing up matters more than showing off. Whether you’re bringing mac and cheese, popcorn, or just your helping hands, what counts is connection.

Dina also opens up about learning to “sort through the garbage” — shifting her focus from what’s missing to what God has already done. Through stories of faith, healing, and perspective, she shares how gratitude isn’t about ignoring the hard things,but about seeing God’s goodness even in them. Posing the question, what if we change the way we think about “gratefulness”? Is it possible that the key is shifting towards being grateful for who God is, rather than focusing on the tangible blessings all the time?

Tune in for cozy recipes like her creamy mac and cheese, butternut squash soup, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies — and leave with a full belly and a grateful heart.

This Week in The Kitchen:

1. Butternut Squash Soup

2. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies

Feature Recipe:

The Ultimate Mac and Cheese: https://www.dishitgirl.com/recipes/hot-honey-macaroni-cheese

Ingredients

8 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)

1/2 cup flour

5 cups whole milk

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup hot honey

2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups gruyere cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni cooked until al dente (about 7-8 min)

½ cup panko

2 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley

1 tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary

1 tbsp coarsely chopped thyme

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Butter a large casserole dish, set aside. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
4. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in Dutch oven or a large pot. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Stir the flour for one minute.
5. Slowly pour the hot milk into the flour mixture, whisking constantly until it becomes thick.
6. Turn off the heat. Whisk in the honey, salt, and pepper until incorporated.
7. Then add in the cheddar and Parmesan, stirring until smooth.
8. Add in the pasta to the cheese sauce, gently stirring until well coated.
9. Add mixture to the greased baking dish. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, add the breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, and pepper to a bowl and stir together until well combined.
11. After twenty minutes, uncover, distribute the breadcrumb mixture evenly over top. Then drizzle over remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Place back in the oven to bake for another 8-10 minutes until starts to bubble and become brown.

Resources:

Dina’s Cookbook

Prefer video? This episode is on YouTube!

DishItGirl is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org