Recipes

Mom’s Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

6 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

5 cups milk, room temperature  (have another cup of milk available in case the mixture is too thick after you add the cheese)

4 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)

1 lb. Velveeta (cut into small cubes, small enough to melt easily)

2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)

1 cup smoky cheese (shredded)

1 16oz box of elbow macaroni (preferably the ones that are slightly textured on the outside)

1 can of French’s French Fried Onions (you’ll need enough to cover the surface, but this is an optional ingredient)

Instructions

Boil water for your pasta first, in a separate pot from the one you’re going to make the cheese mixture in.

While waiting for that to boil, you should prep your other ingredients. That means shredding, measuring, etc. Also, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

The pasta should be cooked slightly al dente (like the directions on the box). Make sure that your pasta is cooked, drained, and ready to be added by the time the cheese mixture is done.  It’s okay to let the pasta sit on the side for a little bit while you finish the other steps.

In a large pot, melt butter over low to medium heat.  (If you have a ceramic dutch oven, these are great for this recipe…but if not, don’t sweat it; a regular nonstick pot will do just fine). Be sure to not burn or brown the butter, as it will affect taste.  Stir in flour, salt, mustard powder, and pepper until it is smooth.  Allow it to cook like this for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, so that the flour and butter are well incorporated and change texture. This is like a roux, for those of you who like to cook. 😉

Using a whisk (to ensure that there are no lumps), add the milk slowly until smooth.  Cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 15 minutes (until the milk mixture is hot).

Stir the cheeses into the mixture, about a cup at a time, until melted.  (Don’t worry if it is mostly melted but seems to have a few partially melted pieces of Velveeta; it will finish melting in the oven).

At this point, my mom and I add our secret spice blend to the cheese mixture. These spices are not necessary, as the macaroni and cheese is delicious without them, but they improve the recipe and give it a little character. 🙂 I didn’t list the spices in the ingredients because then our spice blend wouldn’t be a secret anymore and our mac and cheese would no longer be the envy of all our friends (everyone would be making it and it wouldn’t be special anymore). Still, if you know how to cook and you know something about spices, you could probably add to the spices in this recipe to give it your own unique flavors. Experimentation is fun…that’s how we came up with the recipe! :3

Stir the cooked pasta into your cheese mixture.

Pour the cooked macaroni and cheese mixture into a buttered baking dish.  If you use this whole recipe, you will need a 13×9 dish plus another smaller baking dish (8×8 I think).

Sprinkle the French’s fried onions evenly over the macaroni and cheese. If you don’t like them, this is optional. However, I love them…they add texture and their salty, fried, onion-y flavor just adds to the dish’s awesomeness. If you are making this with someone who doesn’t like them, you can put it on half (like you would a pizza).

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Check it after 15; some ovens will brown the top quickly, and you want to be careful not to burn it.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Eat!