Many years ago when we had moved to a new church, one of the deacons' wives brought a large pan of macaroni and cheese to the parsonage for our lunch while we unpacked boxes. It was such a sweet thing for her to do, and that mac and cheese was so good.
The next Sunday at church I thanked Mary, and asked for her recipe. She told me to "just mix your cheese sauce with the macaroni and bake it at...". I leaned close and quietly confessed that what I needed was more along the lines of "do I cook the macaroni first?" and "how do I make a cheese sauce?" The look on her face was priceless as she considered this pastor's wife who did not know how to cook!
She taught me how to make macaroni and cheese from scratch, then she taught me how to make noodles and several other dishes. She didn't give me her recipe for chicken'n'noodles though. The women in that church all guarded their chicken'n'noodles recipes very closely!
In the years since then I've continued to learn cooking skills and now I can cook with the best of 'em.
I've sized Mary's macaroni and cheese recipe down, because it made a huge amount that was certainly worthy of church suppers but is way too much for just hubby and me. I've also made a few small changes to fit our tastes over the years
Just in case any of you are cooking-impaired like I was at one time in my life, here is how you make macaroni and cheese from scratch. (Yes, you boil the macaroni first.)
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp butter, divided
2 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese, shredded, divided (*see note)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (2 cups before cooking)
Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a small saucepan, then add the breadcrumbs. Stir the breadcrumbs into the butter and let them toast for a minute while stirring. Remove from heat and set aside until later.
Click here to subscribe to The Acorn, Oak Hill Homestead's weekly-ish newsletter.
Remove from heat and stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper...
...then add the cheese and stir until it is melted. Set the pan with the cheese sauce aside while you cook the macaroni.
Pour the cooked macaroni back into the large saucepan and add the cheese sauce, mix well, then pour it into a buttered 8x12" casserole dish.
~~~~~
My hope is to inspire you, and to encourage your homesteading plans and your dreams
of a simple, self-reliant, God-dependent life. Join me here:
Facebook | Pinterest | Subscribe