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)
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, then shred extra for the top. And I'm going to confess that I often forget to add breadcrumbs on top, but it's just as good without them.


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!


This post was shared at some of my favorite blog hops.
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