May 14, 2014

The One I Grew up With

When we stayed with my sister over Christmas,
she and I took turns being in charge of cooking dinner.  
We made a master plan to go off at the beginning of
our time together ~ and we shopped!  Did we ever shop.
But, once that was done, we were able to relax and enjoy.

What a wonderful thing it was to have that master plan!
It removed the guesswork out of meal time.
It made things run more smoothly.  Stress-free.  Mostly.

One of my sister's meals included homemade mac and cheese.
The recipe was the one I grew up with.  She did too.  Of course.  ;-)
I didn't remember it being so yummy.  But, it was.
Even Howie, who isn't normally a fan, had seconds.
He also was heard commenting on its many merits.

So, of course, I copied out the recipe.
And, now, I am going to share with you.
You are excited about this, right?  Of course you are.


 ~ The Ingredients List ~

3 Tbsp Butter

3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper, freshly ground
3 cups Milk (I use whole, raw)
2 cups Medium Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (don't omit...secret ingredient)
1/2 tsp Prepared Mustard (don't omit...another secret ingredient)
2 1/2 cup Macaroni noodles, uncooked
(My sister likes to use the Barilla Brand of
gluten free noodles for this recipe ~ so yummy)
Bread or Cracker Crumbs (for topping)
More grated Cheddar (for topping)

~ The Way to Put it All Together ~

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and set a large pot of water to boil.

Once water is boiling, add the macaroni noodles and cook till just done.
Drain and rinse the noodles.  Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan.

While the noodles are cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.

Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot.
Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper and finally, the milk.
Whisk constantly on medium heat until bubbling and thickened.

Remove from heat and whisk in the Worcestershire sauce,

mustard and grated cheddar cheese.
Stir together until the cheese is melted.  Mix thoroughly.
Pour sauce over the macaroni and stir together lightly
so that all the yummy sauce covers all the noodles.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs and extra cheddar (1/2 cup or so of each) 

over the macaroni.  This will make a nice, crunchy topping.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes until bubbling and browning on the edges.
Serve with a green salad or veggies on the side.

Enjoy! 

Many Blessings, Camille

7 comments:

Pam said...

It looks just delicious; I think homemade macaroni and cheese is one of my all time favorites. The true definition of comfort food. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Pam

Camille said...

Dear Pam ~ It is just so yummy. I agree...the best of comfort foods it is! Hugs, Camille

Ann at eightacresofeden said...

The twins' favourite ...tell Emma! Forgive my ignorance but what do you mean by prepared mustard? Just smooth mustard from a jar? I will definitely give this recipe a go or maybe the girls will... they have gone crazy for cooking and beg me to let them bake something every day. I'm teaching them their dad's favourites first. Somehow they are turning out better than when I make them!

Camille said...

Dear Ann ~ I will tell Emma. :) Yippee for little girls who want to learn to cook. That's one of the wonderful things of life! Hugs to you all! Love, Camille

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

I make a mac and cheese casserole like this, now that I have been using The Pioneer Women Cooks cookbook. I've never thought about baking it, but it does taste yummy.I don't use bread crumbs. We do add meat once in awhile. Thanks for sharing!

Lisa said...

Mmmm, bookmarking this one too :) Looks so yummy!

Camille said...

Dear Becky ~ Mmmm...nothing like a baked mac and cheese, if you ask me! Don't overdo the bread crumbs...you just want a sprinkling. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Dear Lisa ~ Maybe when y'all are visiting I will whip up a batch. Hugs to you! :)

With Love,
Camille