Ah, macaroni and cheese, one of my favorite comfort foods. The item I’m usually asked to bring to family picnics. I gave the recipe to chef kittehs here, and they’re making it now, so if the smell of cheese doesn’t lure you in, I don’t know what will.
Linda asked me to post the recipe. I don’t know if I have it written down anywhere, as it’s really basic, but it’s tasty, if I may say so myself.
But first a little back story: I was without an oven for several years. The stovetop worked, but a critter chewed some wires and messed up the clock, which pretty much controls the oven. During those years I learned to cook (& bake too!) a lot by way of stovetop, microwave, toaster-oven, slow-cooker and grill. Thus, my mac & cheese was born.
Joan’s comfort mac & cheese:
Cook elbow noodles just a smidgen beyond al dente.
Drain and let ’em hang out in the strainer.
Combine 1 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons butter and nuke till warm
Cube a few pieces (about 1″ thick) of Velveeta and add to milk, and heat in the microwave. Keep adding cubes of Velveeta and heating till the mixture starts thickening.
Add a tablespoon of flour and whisk till smooth. Add another tablespoon and whisk some more.
I don’t use a lot of spices, so here’s where you can add the kind you like. For me, less is more. I just add some pepper. (Plus my neice doesn’t like “stuff” in her mac & cheese!)
Transfer the cooked elbow macaroni to a large casserole dish and add the cheese mixture. Stir and combine thoroughly.
Enjoy right away or refrigerate and heat when ready to serve. As I did for many moons, and I still do in the middle of summer, heat in the microwave until hot, stirring every minute.
I like to keep my recipes easy. My rule since leaving home has been “if it tastes like Mom’s, I did ok!” However, Mom didn’t make mac & cheese often, because before Velveeta, melting cheese was a royal pain!