I feel like I start every post with, “This blog is not about _________.” Some days, it feels like I know more about what it’s not than what it is. :/
Today, even though this blog is not about cooking, ( 😉 ) I’m sharing one of the things my kids love for me to make. I’ve mentioned them before on our What Works For Us page, here.
Macaroni and Cheese
I use the recipe from the Mueller’s pasta box, or you can see it here. This is the recipe my mama uses, so you know it’s good. The first time I made it, I think it took me an hour to put together. There’s no way I can make this more than once a year if it takes that long.
So, I’ve managed to tweak it so that I can put it together in about 15 minutes, and the rest happens in the oven.
Here are some things I do…
You know how on cooking shows, they usually have everything measured out in pretty little glass bowls ahead of time? Well, this is the one recipe I can think of where I measure out everything before I start cooking.
So the streamlined process works like this…
- Spray the baking dish and turn on the oven.
- Measure out the milk so it can sit out while I’m doing the rest (it seems to do better if it starts off not so cold).
- Fill one smaller pot with water, about 2/3 of the way full. I go ahead and start it heating now, because our stove is sllllooooowwww.
- Measure out 1 1/2 cups of pasta.
- Put all the dry ingredients in a large stock pot.
- Measure out the butter.
- Shred 2+ cups of sharp cheddar cheese. {I know, buying the shredded saves time, but after reading about the pulp in it, I try to do it myself. And by “do it myself,” I mean the kids.}
- Get out a whisk, a colander, and a spatula.
- When everything is within arm’s reach (seriously), I slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly, and turn on the eye to medium high…OK, I usually put it on just one notch short of high. I’m super impatient when it comes to cooking.
- Add the butter, still whisking the whole time.
- Hopefully the water’s boiling by now; add the pasta. Cook it for 6 minutes, like the recipe says.
- Keep whisking the whole time (that’s why everything has to be ready before you start).
- When it boils for a minute, take it off the eye and whisk in the cheese until it’s well melted.
- Drain the pasta, pour it into the cheese/milk mixture, and stir.
- Dump all that into the baking dish, sprinkle some more cheese on top, and you’re good to go.
Whew! That looks like a lot, but trust me, if I can do it…..well, you know you can.
The key is not being tempted (speaking from experience) to not stir it the whole time….you don’t want a grainy texture so this is the key.
{Comfort food happiness}
Let me know how it turns out!
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