Macaroni and Cheese, Please

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 it 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, then she taught me how to make noodles from scratch. In the years since then I've continued to learn cooking skills and now I can cook with the best of 'em.

I lost Mary's recipe some years ago. One day my friend SueEllen and I were discussing ways to use the large amounts of goats' milk that we both had that spring, and she gave me her recipe for mac and cheese. I believe it was originally from Martha Stewart. I've sized it down - it makes four servings - and made a few small changes.

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.

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)

Preheat your oven to 375°. I find it easiest 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.

The original recipe says to reserve 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese and 1/8 cup of the Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top of the dish before baking.

*NOTE: Because we live in the boonies and the only Parmesan cheese I can find comes in a green-topped jar, I omit the Parmesan and use the entire amount of the cheddar cheese in the sauce, and shred extra for the top.

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 is melted, add the flour and mix very well so there are no lumps. Continue to stir and cook this roux for a minute.

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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...

...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 finished (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 had to omit the cheese on top this time, I only had enough for the sauce. It was still good though!)

I like to make this in the morning, then refrigerate it until it's time to make dinner. It refrigerates 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.

Enjoy!

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