Some pairings just work. Peanut butter and jelly. Ketchup and mustard. Even salt and pepper. Human beings have slowly accepted that these unlike things go together.

Quiet down, mustard haters. You understand what I mean. At some point in history, someone combined these ingredients and they became a staple of life, even if at first, they seem like they would have totally different effects on a dish.

Outside of food, some of the best things in our lives come from unexpected perfect pairings. An introvert becomes friends with an extrovert, and suddenly, both of their worlds open up with new interests. An artist has a conversation with an athlete, and they appreciate each others’ passion. An Ole Miss graduate marries a Mississippi State boy, and things only get tense on game days and always in the silliest ways.

Still, humans tend to close themselves off from experiences – and people – that frighten them. Instead of exploring the unique ways we can interact within our differences, we often gravitate toward people who are like us. Especially people who think like us. And I’m afraid we end up living much duller lives because of it.

I’m generally a homebody who loves food, reading and writing. I also love playing video games with my husband. But I’m also someone who eventually grows restless if I do the same things too often without any interruption. For me to feel content, I have to find a sweet spot, where I combine routine with trying new things.

You can blame my parents for that. They took me on one too many international trips when I was a teenager, and my world opened up a little too wide, and my dad went to India four times without me, and now I try crazy recipes I see on the internet sometimes to feel something. And earlier this month, I tried this recipe from @stealth_health_life on Instagram for Butter Chicken Mac and Cheese.

Once again, I have to ask the haters to simmer down for a second. Hear me out. I know it sounds like a wild combination.

I also know there are plenty of Indian cooks out there who are shaking their heads at me. I’ve never claimed to be good at cooking traditional Indian recipes. I’ve never even claimed to be the best at making mac and cheese. I’m just a girl who spends a little too much time scrolling through recipes on Instagram and TikTok and who knows a good meal when she tastes it.

This Butter Chicken Mac and Cheese is an iconic flavor combination for me. I really can’t believe I had never made it before a few weeks ago, because it combines everything I love about butter chicken with everything I love about mac and cheese. It’s warm, satisfying and flavorful like butter chicken, but it comes with the extra creaminess and comfort food feeling of mac and cheese. It’s divine.

I’m planning to make this recipe again this fall, once it cools down a little more and my husband and I are in the mood for it again. I think it will be the perfect meal for the end of a gray or windy day. But while it was still on my mind, I thought I would share it with you, to not deprive you of this combination any longer.

Try this recipe. You will not regret it. And if you don’t want to try this specific recipe this week, I’d encourage you to file it away and enjoy another unexpected combination in the next seven days. Maybe get a different coffee order. Maybe talk to someone you wouldn’t normally.

I hope you enjoy trying the unexpected.

BUTTER CHICKEN MAC AND CHEESE

(Adapted from Stealth Health Life)
Makes 10 servings

Ingredients
900 grams (32 ounces) chicken breast, diced
2 onions, sauteed until browned (I used one large onion.)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons garlic paste
1 Tablespoon ginger paste
2 Tablespoons butter
1 can (14 ounces) fire roasted tomatoes
1 Tablespoon sugar or zero calorie sweetener

Spice blend:
2 Tablespoons paprika
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon curry powder (I used regular, but you can also use spicy curry powder.)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 Tablespoon salt
Dash of black pepper

Shell pasta (or your favorite pasta variety for mac and cheese. I used Barilla protein rotini.)
400 grams (about 1/3 of large container) fat free Greek yogurt
120 grams (a little more than half a block) 1/3 fat cream cheese
Chopped cilantro
Chopped green onions
227 grams (1 small bag) shredded extra sharp cheddar
80 grams (about 1/3 small bag) shredded reduced fat mozzarella
1 teaspoon garam masala

Directions
■ Add chicken, onions, tomato paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, butter, fire roasted tomatoes and sweetener to slow cooker. Add the spice blend as well. Mix well.
■ Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 3-4 hours, until chicken is cooked through. (Chicken should reach internal temperature of 165 degrees.)
■ Cook pasta for 50% of recommended time on package. Drain, setting aside 1 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta and the pasta water to the slow cooker.
■ Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Allow to cook on low for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!