My boyfriend and I decided to cook something together on Valentine's Day (I normally do the cooking, he takes care of the dishes!) and we ended up making a very popular (but basic) dish from his native Finland. Makaroonilaatikko is very easy to make and only requires four ingredients (eggs, milk, macaroni, ground beef) if you follow the recipe, but since Finnish cooking isn't the most tasteful, we modified it a bit by adding a few things. Here's our improved recipe:

Recipe:

- 1 package whole wheat macaroni (400g or 14oz)
- 1 red onion, halved, then thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- meat of 2 Italian sausages
- 1 liter milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated, + more for serving

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook the macaroni accordingly to the instructions on the package. In the mean time, cook the onion, the beef and the sausage meat in a pan until everything is cooked through. Add the garlic. Reserve.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta and the meat and onion mix. Add the milk and stir well. Add the eggs and quickly mix everything. Make sure the eggs don't scramble. Add the parmesan cheese.

Transfer to a large baking dish. Bake in the oven for about an hour, or until it is golden brown and the liquid has all been absorbed.

I normally serve this macaroni casserole with beets and pickles, which are very common sides in Scandinavia. It is also very good the next day when reheated in the pan with a lot of butter and flooded with ketchup. My boyfriend also wanted me to tell you that this recipes feeds 6-8 people, or 2 Finnish men! Hope you enjoy!

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