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 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 macaroni and cheese. I believe it was originally from Martha Stewart. I've sized it down, because it made a huge amount that would have been worthy of church suppers but is too much for just hubby and me, and I made a few small changes to fit our tastes.
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 for the clueless cook. (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.
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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.
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Thanks, Kathi! This is something I have never made. And with all of the cheddar I made this summer, it would be a great treat to learn how. Thanks again. You may have just given me the motivation I need to try it!
ReplyDeleteFern
You're welcome, Fern. I have never made cheddar and hope to do that when I have goat milk again, so I'd love to read a tutorial on how to do that!
ReplyDeleteI usually use all cheddar in my recipe too.
ReplyDeleteGlad you learned how to make a cheese sauce, it comes in handy!
Continued blessings...
Thanks for joining the Maple Hill Hop today!
Thanks, Daisy!
ReplyDeleteVery nice tutorial. It is always good to see how others do the same thing you might already do. Thanks for sharing this yummy Mac and cheese.
ReplyDeleteThat is making me drool! :-) That looks so warm and gooey and cheesy... Thanks for the great pics and recipe!
ReplyDeleteComfort food at its finest. :-) Thank you for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteKathi, your mac and cheese sounds wonderful. I love that it uses a roux, and the seasonings sound like they would be exactly what my family would enjoy. I loved your story about not knowing how to cook! :)
ReplyDeleteVisiting from Creative Home and Garden Hop!
Love, Joy
Thank you, Joy. I hope your family enjoys it.
DeleteLove Macaroni and Cheese - great recipe! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
ReplyDeleteKathy
Looks delicous, Kathi! I enjoyed your story...pretty funny. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! It's kind of ironic that I was baking bread and making yogurt at that time and yet wasn't much of a from-scratch cook.
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