My latest trial and error: Mac N Cheese.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups dried elbow macaroni
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 oz American cheese, cut into half inch cubes
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package. Drain and return to pan. Add milk, butter, pepper, and salt. Stir in all the cheeses till melty. Transfer to a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes; stir gently. Bake for another 5 minutes or until it's heated through (don't overheat or mixture will curdle (barf.)). Let stand for 10 minutes.
NOTES:
-I used black pepper because I didn't want to spend money on white pepper and never use it again.
-I also used Kraft American singles because I didn't want to spend $6 on a block of American cheese when I already had slices at home. I used 7 slices and ripped them up into pieces before adding to the mixture.
-AND, I also topped my mac with some Italian bread crumbs before putting it in the oven. I like my mac crunchy. (It didn't get crunchy.) (But it was still good.)
-I served it up right away (instead of waiting 10 minutes). I liked it that way.
IMPORTANT: While I would still make this recipe again because it was easy and tasty, this is not a smooth, creamy, gooey Mac N Cheese. It's more like a lumpy, ricotta type, homestyle Mac N Cheese. It also reheats fine the next day.
Eat it with a hot dog.Boner'Ppetite.
12 comments:
I've never made mac and cheese from scratch (shock and awe, I know.) However, I LOVE Amy's Organic Mac and Cheese and stir mushrooms, broccoli, etc. in the last 10 minutes of oven time. So, so good, and something you could easily add in to this recipe.
P.S. I love that you used "cheese" slices.
Homemade mac and cheese is one of the best foods ever! What is white pepper, anyway, I never heard of it?
Breadcrumbs are a must, I like the Progresso "Italian" bread crumbs. Man, I should make some homemade mac this weekend!
This sounds totally tasty to me! Mac n' Cheese could be the easiest thing ever...though my homemade recipe consists of Velveeta cheese, a flour based roux and lots of milk and butter. NOT low cal...but it's for my kids,,,right!??
I make a roux with milk and flour, also. But no processed cheese, for me- I like to use a combination of whatever I have, like white cheddar, colby, even gouda or havarti. Throwing in a pinch or tarragon is also real yum :) And screw waiting 10 minutes- gotta serve that shit up hot!
You need to look for a good store with a bulk aisle for spices. Sometimes this is actually the hippy organic store--I know it sounds expensive, but buy two tablespoons of that thing you'll never buy a box of for $.24 and tell me how you feel then.
We have a large supermarket WinCo with a bulk aisle for staples, pasta, and spices. I save A LOT of money, and I'm never scared to try a new spice. A spice you pay $3.50 for in a bottle is about $.85 for a bag of equal weight...give it a try!
Also, that looks damn good.
I wish we still had our old-school typewriter from when I was a kid. Love those things. Yes, I used to type on a typewriter. Shut up.
Also, white pepper is good in stir-fried rice, among other things. You'd use it again. It's great for when you want a lighter pepper flavor in something.
That looks really good. Chef B keeps trying to teach me how to make this and I consistently eff it up. Somehow I can't keep it from getting grainy-- and before you try to tell me what I'm doing wrong-- save your breath. Chef B has just about given up on me.
It's ok. He still has to eat the garbage food I create.
Wow. That went farther off into random-crap-ville than I had ever intended.
Uh. Nice Mac&Cheese.
Aloha :D
It's sad but Kraft Macaroni & Cheese has been my favorite food for well over 20 years. It's retarded but if I was on death row and got one last meal I'd probably request a prison guard head down to Vons and get a box of Kraft Mac&Cheese. I like homemade kinds too....but man I'm a fiend for the stuff in that blue box.
This looks way better than the regular old Kraft Dinner ; )
I love Mac N Cheese. I actually wish that is what I was having for dinner right now!!
ABBY - i've never tried the organic stuff... maybe i should check it out. do you add raw mushrooms or do you saute them first?
TSARITSA - those are the ones i used, progresso italian. you could definitely taste the difference, but i thought it was good.
NIKO - i'd love to see what your recipe is like. also, i'm still dying for your beef stroganoff recipe!!
SWEETEST - i agree on the waiting thing. and it's not like meat, where it needs time for the juices to soak in. so why on earth would anyone want to wait, instead of eating it straight from the oven...?
M. HICKS - i've never heard of any stores around here where you can buy spices in bulk. the only thing i've seen is bottled spices that are usually around $5 a pop. although, sometimes you can get certain ones in a prepackaged plastic bag when you look in the Mexican food aisle, but those options are usually limited.
WOMBAT - this is the only recipe i've come across that required white pepper. and actually, the black pepper didn't seem to change the taste bc i didn't notice it at all. lucky for me.
MAMA - yes! mine was grainy too! that's what i was trying to explain when i said it was more "ricotta-like". this was my first time attempting mac n cheese so i have no idea what needs to be altered. oh- and thanks for stopping by!
MRANTHROPE - oh, i like the good old blue box stuff too. in fact, i'm pretty much an equal opportunity mac n cheese lover. growing up, i used to eat Kraft M&C with cut up fried Spam in it. don't knock it till you've tried it. (then you can knock it all you want.)
MARIE - thanks! homemade always seems so much more legit than boxed stuff, even if it does come out only marginally better. :)
DEIDRE - you should give it a shot. the recipe was really easy and you probably have all the ingredients already in your kitchen!
Okay, I swear to you I have made this before but I think this recipe was posted online somewhere. I too used Kraft singles. Homemade mac comes out soooo freakin' good, yo and the bread crumbs... mmmm!
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