I remember my sister-in-law's homemade macaroni and cheese! It was delicious. She prepared it for one of our many family get-togethers in Nashville several years ago. I had never eaten any but the kind you make from a box. Now I'm not saying that the boxed version is not good ~ the kids won't eat anything BUT ~ but after tasting the "real deal" I never wanted anything but her Macaroni and Cheese.
I didn't get her recipe, but she would have given it to me. The other night when I decided to give it a try I didn't take the time to call. So mine didn't taste exactly like I remembered it, but it was good. At least the adults thought so. The kids at my table on this particular evening only picked at it.
I first went to the computer (as usual) and googled baked Macaroni and Cheese. Several versions popped up. I chose FoodNetwork.com and a recipe courtesy of Alton Brown. I altered it to fit the ingredients in my pantry and hoped for the best.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 large egg
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 ounces colby cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
TOPPING:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the macaroni until almost done.
While the macaroni is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and pepper and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk and onion. Simmer for ten minutes.
Quickly whisk the egg into the hot liquid. Stir in 3/4 of the cheeses. Season with salt and black pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a buttered 9 x 14 oblong glass casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt butter in a sauce pan and toss the Ritz cracker crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the cracker crumbs. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for at least five minutes before serving.
Mr. Brown suggests you save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese! Now I've never tried that!
Graphic by June at Art Freebies
6 comments:
Hi Judy!
I couldn't help but comment on this post! One of the things I make that my girls have always loved and still do is my home made mac n cheese! Mine is very simple. Cook the macaroni as you would, place rinsed macaroni in a Pam sprayed pyrex dish. Covered the top layer with sliced sharp cheddar cheese. Pour two cans of Aunt Penny's white sauce over top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake @ 350 45 minutes covered. Stir and cook uncovered abt 10 minutes. Stir and serve! I like it too!
Sounds great, Msteri! I've never heard of Aunt Penny's white sauce. Where do you find it? Do you mind if I add your recipe to my blog? I'm thinking no one will see this stuck away in the comments section.
Thanks,
Judy
Judy this sounds yummy! I'm sitting here starving just thinking about it! Msteri's version sounds yummy too! I really need to get to the kitchen!
Can I steal that image of the woman with this post? I think she'd make a great ATC card. It's really hard not to go taking everyone's family photos from their sites when you make ATCs I've seen some really great images on the genea blogs. Wouldn't want anyone to happen across my craft blog and see great grandma as a child with butterfly wings and a crown attached :-)
have a good one! Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for enjoying my Mac & Cheese Recipe. Yes, we'll have to try Msteri's version, too.
The girl on the swing is from June at Art Freebies: Female Images. I'm sure she'd love to have you use it on your ATCs.
Judy, your post about mac and cheese hit home with me. Like your children, mine would eat nothing but the boxed version and would turn their noses up at the real thing at church and family gatherings. And like you, it wasn't until recently that I attempted to make homemade macaroni and cheese -- and the now-adult kids loved it.
Aren't grown-up kids fickle?? ;>)
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