Many years ago, when we had just 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. It was such a blessing to us to be able to eat a hot meal without taking time away from our unpacking.
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 such a basic recipe!
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
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)
I've learned to measure everything and shred the cheese before I begin. It can get hectic trying to measure spices to add to the sauce at the right time.
Preheat your oven to 375°.
*...because we live in the boonies and the only Parmesan cheese I can find comes in a green-topped jar, I omit the Parmesan from this step and use cheddar cheese only for the topping. I can always shred more cheese if I need it, right?
And I'm going to confess that I often forget to add breadcrumbs on top, but it's just as good without them.
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.
Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it's melted, add the flour and mix very well so there are no lumps.
Continue to stir and cook this roux for a minute.
Add the milk a little at a time and whisk vigorously until it is as smooth as velvet. No lumps!
(This is much easier if you don't add the milk all at once. Pour in half a cup or so and whisk, then another half cup and whisk, etc. Work out any lumps before adding more milk.)
Cook and stir until the sauce bubbles and becomes thick.
Remove from heat and stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.
(Now aren't you glad you measured all the spices before you started?)
Then add the cheese and stir until it is melted.
Set the pan with the cheese sauce aside while you cook the macaroni.
Follow directions on the package to boil the macaroni in a large saucepan.
When the macaroni is ready (don't overcook it as it will continue to cook when it's in the oven), pour into a colander, rinse with cold water, then drain.
Bounce it around to remove all the water.
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.
Top with the buttered breadcrumbs and reserved cheese.
I like to make this in the morning, then refrigerate it until it's time to make dinner.
This macaroni and cheese recipe refrigerates very well, and you could make it a day ahead of time if you wish.
When you're ready to cook, just pop it in the oven and bake at 375° for approximately 30 minutes, until browned and bubbly on top.
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