Macaroni and Cheese Bites

My parents had a date night last night, so I was in charge of making dinner for my younger siblings and myself.  We had some leftover macaroni and cheese (the Publix version of Kraft Deluxe, 'cause it tastes the same and it's cheaper) from the day before when my brother had a friend over (Apparently, picky 10-year-old boys only eat chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese from a box.  Not that I'm complaining; I happen to love boxed macaroni and cheese.  But I'm not really fond of chopped-and-formed chicken nuggets that all have identically irregular shapes.  I mean, really, why bother trying to make them look lumpy if they all have the exact same bump and dent on one side?).  My mom mentioned that she had seen mini macaroni and cheese bites on Pinterest and she thought we might like to have those for dinner.  Of course, all three of us were super excited, pasta-and-cheese-loving people that we are.  But when Mommy pulled up the recipe for me to follow, it required making macaroni and cheese from scratch, which defeated the point of re-purposing our leftovers.  So...I winged it.  (Wang it?  Wung it?  I have yet to figure out what the past tense of "wing it" is.)  As a result, the following recipe will not have any precise measurements, only estimates.  If you would like to make macaroni and cheese bites, feel free to use this as a guideline or a jumping-off point and adapt everything to suit your preferences.  The inspiration for this recipe can be found here.

Macaroni and Cheese Bites
Juniper's Table Original, inspired by Macaroni and Cheesecake

Ingredients (all measurements are approximations):
4 cups of leftover prepared macaroni and cheese (I warmed it in the microwave for a little bit just to make it easier to stir.)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg
A healthy splash (3 or 4 tablespoons, maybe?) of half-and-half (heavy cream would work, too, or even just milk)
Garlic powder, paprika, and dry mustard powder to taste (I just sprinkled until it looked right--I learned from my Mommy!)
For Topping:
Dry seasoned breadcrumbs
Melted butter

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425° F.  Grease a non-stick mini muffin tin with cooking spray (or butter, if, like me, you're feeling rebellious) and set aside.

Place the macaroni and cheese and shredded cheddar in a large mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, beat the egg with the half-and-half.  Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni and cheese and stir to combine.  Sprinkle in the garlic powder, paprika, and dry mustard powder until you reach your preferred level of deliciousness, then stir again to thoroughly mix all ingredients.

Spoon the macaroni and cheese mixture into the mini muffin tin, distributing it evenly and gently packing it down into the cups.  Mix some seasoned breadcrumbs with a little melted butter and evenly sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese.

Bake the macaroni and cheese bites until they are set and become golden brown on top, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the bites cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and devouring.

Yield: 24 mini macaroni and cheese bites