MAC 'n CHEESE

Here it is - the much requested Macaroni & Cheese recipe! Chelle has asked on & off blog... and gals in my playgroup, amazed at their children who normally don't eat cheese stuff, have asked for it (& they will be the THUNK you hear once they realize what all their kids have eaten since they try to keep their kids healthy / organic LOL!!!). Anyway, it started from a recipe my Mom got from a soul food place in Detroit way back when, and I've tweaked it with things I've seen on Martha & read in Rachel Ray's new magazine, along with our recent trip to "Sweetie Pie's", so here it is with all my comments LOL!!

First of all, I'm not always a traditional elbow macaroni type of gal. Barilla has these cool "mini" pastas out now & I've used the mini penne and mini farfalle before -- and what I like to do is with the leftovers, add a can of cream of mushroom soup, tuna & young peas, and voila! Tuna casserole LOL! I've also found that the whole wheat pastas hold up really well for this recipe!

My Mom was told that the soul food restaurant's secret" was that they made a cheese sauce. Mom always did hers in a double boiler pan; I am lazy and do it in the microwave. My tip? Spray the pyrex with Pam before you start for easier clean up!

And here's the start of my horrible "pinch of this & that" recipe...

Cut up a 1/2 loaf of Velveeta and 1/2 stick of REAL butter, then cover with (real) milk.

Put in microwave and start melting... If it seems too thick, go ahead & add in more milk. I normally nuke it on high for about 3 minutes at a time, stirring in between.

Now "Sweetie Pie's" in St. Louis, which was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Dives & Drive-Ins", also uses colby jack cheese. I was always taught by my Mom that this is the PERFECT time to throw in any & all spare cheese that you have in the crisper. I've used swiss, muenster, monterey jack, goat cheese and even some blue cheese before! Just remember your audience, though, because wee ones aren't big on adult flavors LOL!

Once it's all melted, you can throw in some salt, pepper & garlic powder, based on your individual tastes &/or preferences! My Mom uses some onion, too - but then again, she is an ONION-AHOLIC!!!

Once your pasta is cooked, I use the remaining 1/2 stick of butter to (a) cook the actual pasta with so that it doesn't stick... and then (b) the rest of it in with the pasta to keep it from sticking as it cools in the pan. You'll also see some glops in the pan above (oh, and don't forget to spray Pam on your 9x13 baking dish - you'll thank me at clean-up time for the reminder!!). Those glops are just big spoonfuls of sour cream (yup, the REAL stuff - this stuff is NOT heart healthy!). I heard about the sour cream from both Sweetie Pie's AND Rachel Ray, so I've been using it for a while. Another thing that is good and adds some "oomph" is to also drop in any spare bits & pieces of cream cheese.

Here's another "trick" I learned from Martha -- sprinkle some parmesan shreds on top of your finished mac & cheese. She also puts bread crumbs; every once in a while I'll do that, but if you like the milky cheese skim that gets browned on top of your mac & cheese, you really can't get it with the bread crumbs on there as nicely. And a tip to help you get that skim? Pour a few tablespoons of milk along the top before it goes into the oven!

Now see all that browned splatter along the sides? Remember how I kept emphasizing spraying the pans with Pam? That's why. LOL!

So put your mac & cheese into the oven... You can cover it and then remove the foil for the last 15 minutes or so, or if you're going for that browned top, just leave the cover off. Go for about an hour at 350, and it'll be nice and juicy and you'll be ready to clog up your arteries! I think I told you all the main ingredients, along with some options. Sorry I don't have 1/2 cup of that and 3 Tablespoons of this type of directions, but the best I can do is show you pictures!

ENJOY!!!