Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

My son Marcus asks me to make macaroni and cheese almost daily.  There is no way I will EVER make that neon boxed macaroni and cheese.  So...many times I will boil noodles, drain them, add some butter, and grate fresh cheese over the top.  I realize this isn't the macaroni and cheese he was hoping for, but it works for him and holds him over. 

I decided it was time to give the boy what he was really wanting.  I found this recipe that is super easy and delicious from Everyday Food's Great Food Fast cookbook.  It is really a great cookbook with healthy, easy meals.  I love it and go to it often.

Once you make the macaroni and cheese you can put it into a large casserole dish or into ramekins for individual servings.  

Top with breadcrumb/cheese mixture and bake in the oven at 375. A casserole takes 30 minutes and my boys were hungry so I used ramekins and cut the time to 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!  This is a family favorite over here!

You can find the recipe at :  Macaroni and Cheese

 

Macaroni and Cheese

Since dad is out of town, I am letting the kids make the meal calls.  They picked a good one here.  I haven't made baked mac and cheese in forever!  Not that nasty box on the shelf at the store.  REAL mac and cheese with REAL cheese...not neon orange whatever that is.

Boil 1 pound of elbow macaroni and drain.

The recipe called for 1 1/4 cup of white cheddar and 1 1/4 cup of yellow cheddar.  Grate it with a box grater or whatever you have.

Chop one small onion and dice 8 ounces of ham into cubes.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan.

Saute the onions for 5 minutes.  Whisk in 1/4 cup of flour and then 4 cups of milk and salt & pepper.

Add the pasta, 2 cups of cheese and the ham.

Place into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheese and fresh bread crumbs.  To make the bread crumbs, simply put two slices of bread into your food processor and pulse.

Bake for 30 minutes.

For the complete recipe go to:  www.everydayfood.com.  That will take you directly to the link!
Enjoy!  Leftovers are amazing!!!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

We've all been there.  You forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner.  Now what?  Well, last night it was macaroni and cheese.  I went ahead and took everything out for dinner for the next few days so it can defrost and made pasta.  What kid can resist pasta? 

I could not remember where I got the last recipe I made...and it was delicious...so this was a hodgepodge of recipes and thrown into the oven.  The kids loved it, hubby loved it and I was fine with that!  Here is what I did:

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box.  (I use whole wheat noodles.)  Mix 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of heavy cream with 1 cup of fontina cheese (freshly grated) and 1 cup of parmesan cheese (freshly grated).  Add salt and pepper and about 2 teaspoons of flour.  When the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to the milk/cheese mixture.  Place into a glass dish and sprinkle with another cup of each cheese.  I also love freshly grated nutmeg in this, but didn't include it this time around.  Into the oven for 15 minutes and there you go.  Fast mac and cheese. 

I do need to find that other recipe, though.  Although this was great...the other was AMAZING!  :)