My Favorite Mac N' Cheese Recipe
Seriously, mac n cheese is one of my favorite foods. I can eat it with anything or just by itself. My mother didn't like it so we never got anything but the blue box when I was growing up. And since only Dad and me liked it, Mom didn't think it was worth learning how to make it. So...enough nostalgia, let's get cooking!
White sauce recipe (you can do practically anything with a good white sauce):
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter (I only use real cow's butter)
1 cup of milk
about 2 cups of cheddar cheese (I like Colby-Jack)
melt butter in sauce pan but don't burn it. Stir in the flour and mix well with the butter. Gradually add the milk while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, melt the cheese in your white sauce.
Meanwhile on the other side of the stove....
.....about 2? cups of elbows boiling til al dente
Drain the macaroni. Spray a pyrex dish with Pam or some other spray. Mix the noodles with the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into greased dish. Now here you can add a bread crumb topping or more cheese, I like to just bake it without any further embellishments. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the dish is the color of brown you like.
Good with fried fish, meatloaf, fried chicken, anything.
What's your favorite mac n cheese recipe?
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Can't wait for cooler weather
My best friends makes some yummy Mac & Cheese. I forget how many pounds of cheese (this is for a party sized crowd mind you) it takes, but it's a LOT.
When I made it for a family reunion I think I used 2 pounds
A family member of mine, when doing mac and cheese long trays for our parties, always uses cheeses other than American. It is soooo good, but I would have to be cautious! Now, thanks to Raven, I think I can have a little Maalox afterwards (just a tad) as a 'ward'! Thanks for the thought, Raven Wing!
Now that I think of it, this used 4 pounds of cheese. 4 different types of cheese.
I pity the cow who had to produce that!
That sounds like a great mac-n-cheese dish Giggles. I never tried it with a white sauce, so I will be giving this a try. I like Colby cheese as well.
Thanks for sharing this great sounding pasta dish!
How do you make yours? That's why I posted this. I wanted to see how others make theirs.
Every body has their own recipe it seems. lol
I make mine similar to your recipe Giggles, but, instead of the white sauce, I use canned cream.
My mom used to make the best mac and cheese ever from scratch. But no matter how hard I tried, I just could not replicate her recipe. The secret died with her.
I will never be able to cook like my mother. I don't have the talent or the patience. My mom's Swiss Steak secret died with her.
The secret of her scalloped potatoes with sausage also did.
What kind of sausage? I bet smoked sausage would be really good and now I have another recipe for winter!
Scalloped potatoes is like mac n cheese, every body has a favorite recipe. I like to use cream of celery soup
It was just Jimmy Dean links. She would never eat sausage herself due to something in her childhood. Her uncle bet she could not eat a pound of it and it made her so sick, she never ate sausage again. But she knew we all did, so she would make that dish for us.
Actually two that can be made into good ones.
My mom also made mac and cheese for lunch almost every day when I was in high school, an overdose that made me absolutely hate the stuff (my kids and grandkids do like it). A variation on that, however, is quite good. Add a little cream of mushroom soup, some frozen peas and a can of tuna and you have tuna casserole.
For the scalloped potatoes and smoked sausage, add a bit more cheese (Velveeta isn't bad for this) and a pound of California Mix frozen veggies that have been boiled until barely tender. Comes out as a really good casserole.
I like your idea for the scalloped potatoes except for the Velveeta. That stuff has no room in my house until Mr Giggles buys it to make cheese dip
That would be good.
Oh...I'm a cheese snob in case you didn't know that.
Gotta be careful with the hard cheeses for something like this, though. They don't melt well and cool almost to the consistency of paste. Another method is to use Jalapeno cheddar chip dip. That works pretty well for both that and for the tuna casserole.
If you're really into cheese, here's one that's really great. Williams Cheese Company in Lynwood, MI. Used to be in Pinconning, about 10 miles north of Lynwood. I've been eating it since I was a little kid. I think it's one of the best cheese suppliers in the country. I particularly love their Smoked Cheddar. Google will give you their web address and they do have on line ordering.
That's why you have to make a sauce like a white sauce so you can melt it. My experience with Velveeta is even when you make cheese dip it tends to get plasticky (I made that word up).
My mac n' cheese always comes out good and I even make a queso for chimichangas with Colby Jack
I do like cheese. One of my favorites is smoked Gouda. I'm always lingering near the cheese shop in Kroger...good thing it's kinda small. My pocketbook and waistline would take major hits.
Thanks for the tip!
My friend serves a quesadilla made with ghost pepper cheese.
It's nice and smoky but you can only eat a little bit of it, or you'll regret it the next day.
I've had those ghost peppers. I'm still trying to figure out what all the fuss is about.
If you ate one of her quesadillas, once you used the bathroom the next day you'd no longer wonder.
My sister made chilli for the family a long time ago, (used to be a regular thing), she used ghost peppers. She went to wipe the sweat off her face, the "juice" got in her right eye. Had to take her to the ER... Well, he husband did, we just kept playing card while mom finished the chilli and clam chowder.
OMG.
I used to grow habaneros. Very easy, just make crappy, sandy dry soil and leave them in the sun. They love it. At least mine did.
I quit when my daughter was born, because it was near impossible to clean the oils off your fingers after picking and mincing them.
Never got back to growing them. Maybe I should soon?
There's a Harris Teeter grocery store in Williamsburg, VA, where the cheese section is as big as half my house. When we go there to get snacks for the hotel room, my son has to drag me away.
We're going there next week. Maybe I should take a cooler...
Same here. I also grew green Tomatillos, Pablanos, Sorrentos, Yellow chilis, Jalapenos, Cilantro and green onions, and used them in my green Tomatillo salsa.
As you said, the habaneros will grow most anywhere. Handling all those peppers when making the salsa really is a pain, literally, and had to wear protective eye wear and a mask when working with all those peppers, and with my kitchen window open and a fan to blow the fumes out the window.
But, it was sure worth it.
...and made the best vinaigrette salads and venison chilli!!!
OMG....I love my venison any way you can make it. My Mother and Father used to go deer hunting on a ranch near Four Corners. The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado , New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states, leading to the area being named the Four Corners region.
The owner of the cattle ranch had a controlled hunting season in order to preserve the deer herds on his ranch. Hunting was allowed by invitation only. The owner was of Choctaw heritage, and maintaining a healthy environment and preserving the animals that depended on it, were primary with him. He knew my Father from when my Father was a Texas Ranger and worked with the cattle ranchers in Oklahoma on a joint project between OK and Texas to deal with extensive cattle rustling. So they are become good friends, along with Ben Johnson (the actor) who also owned a cattle ranch in OK at the time.
So every year my Parents were invited to the controlled hunts at the ranch near Four Corners. Being that the owner of the ranch made a great effort to maintain a stable and viable environment on his ranch, the venison was of very high quality, as was his beef.
Venison steaks, roasts, ribs, all were delicious. My favorite was my Mother's Cherokee corn pie made with venison. That along with Fry Bread was a meal hard to beat.
Nice story Raven Wing.
Thank you for conveying it.
I think you should.
I love cheese, all kinds, (except swiss, just tastes funny to me). Problem is that it tends to stop up the plumbing.
That's why I always keep some plumbers helper handy.
Never really had that problem, fortunately. My cholesterol tends to get high, though, so I limit cheese (and butter, and ice cream).
What's your secret? I love cheese, but I pull "a Mr. Frost" @4.2.16!
Ex-Lax
Mine is my constitution. I tend to be lactose intolerant when I consume too much dairy and need to have a bathroom in the nearby vicinity
HA!
Sauerkraut. Heat it in the oven with smoked sausage also in the pan. Relieves constipation, although sometimes fast and violently.
I noticed a newer mac and cheese restaurant downtown, just in case nobody ever hears from me again.
I have to find that place the next time I'm in Denver
Yummies!
?There's RECIPIES for mac and cheese? Really?
My recipe for mac and cheese is to grab that little box, boil the noodles, DRAIN them (I forgot once, eck) throw in a half stick of butter and a shot of milk and stir it and snarf.
Sorry, I can fry water and make scrambled eggs with chopped up hot dogs and green onions so I probably shouldna said anything.
Recipes for mac and cheese, what'll they think of next?
Hearty appetites, ya'll.
You can even make that blue box more delicious.
Throw some shredded cheese on the top, add some bread crumbs, bake until golden brown.
Not as good as Mama's but it's a nice change
I like to make some Chili Mac 'n Cheese for a change of pace by adding some home made chili to the regular mac 'n cheese recipe. Then bake it in the oven until it's golden brown. I like to eat mine with some crispy tortilla chips. Kind of my version of Chili Mac. (wink)
Add a couple spoonfuls of cream cheese and additional shredded sharp cheddar cheese to make regular mac & cheese rich and creamy. Fry some bacon and crumble it into the mix also adds a nice touch of flavor.
Pictures on the way. . . this 'weekend's treat for me and the family! Deadline: Saturday, September 1, 2019.
I can't wait to see them!
I'm spending Sunday with my daughter at her house since Mr Giggles is going to Denver this weekend. I'm bringing the fixings for chicken fajitas and making my papas con chile. I think I posted that recipe
FAB-BO! Mmm mmm that menu is 'hot -stuff' I am packing and out the door! I smell Mexican cuisine!
Which one, Giggles? We already have your papas con chile you shared with us, so hopefully, it will be the one for the fajitas.
Fajitas are really easy.
Marinate chix breasts in your favorite Mex/Spanish marinade, grill, saute some onions and peppers, throw cut up chicken, peppers/onions in a tortilla with some cheese, guacomole and whatever else you want.
Thanks Giggles! That sounds good. I have tried a few at different restaurants, but, didn't like their taste. Mostly due to too much of something that overwhelms the other flavors.
I'll try this at home and then I can add what I want and as much or little of what I like.
That's the beauty of making fajitas at home. You use your own marinade recipe. We usually get a McCormick's brand that's specifically for fajitas.
Thanks for the reference, I'll give that a try. Have you ever tried it with Port instead of Chicken?
Do you mean pork? No. I really don't like pork all that much except for bacon and sausage. It seems like you just can't get good pork any more.
I have tried it with beef, but if you don't marinate it long enough or cook it right, it gets chewy. So I stick with chicken
Oh dang! I hate when my computer tries to second guess what I want to write.
Yes, I meant por k. Chicken could work well in the fajitas, but, wondered if pork might also do good with them.
Thank you!
Autocorrect is the devil.
It has its merits at times, but, many more times it is a PITA.
My adopted nephew's biological father died a few years back. A friend and former neighbor sent condolences via Facebook, where everyone was discussing his death. She mentioned the families, naming them the "Convalescents" and "Stakes", which was so completely different from the names of any of his relatives that we all were like
Turns out it was autocorrect's fault. Some needed comic relief during a dark time.
I can understand the confusion, I have been faced with that several times myself thanks to the evil autocorrect.
Sounds like an interesting evening, just don't try driving afterwards
LOL!! Could make the fajitas a bit soggy too.
Makes me feel so much better CB, because I've been making the same mistake. The 1st is Sunday. The other day, I was thinking it was today and that I had things to do before it came.
BLAH! This year I have this 'funky' calendar given to me by a dear friend. (I am now thinking about NOT finishing out the rest of the year with it!) The thing is unorthodox in that it goes from Monday to Sunday versus Sunday to Saturday. Ugh! It mixed me up maybe this is the third (and most public) time this year!
Deadline: Saturday, August 31, 2019! Mac & Cheese Day!
Oh, I have got to make one of those up. Maybe I'll start each week on Thursday, or maybe make the start of each week different on a rotating basis. That would drive my grandkids (and my wife) totally up the wall.
Oh and Raven, I still remember your (personal) advice to me about my little cheese 'problem.' (Smile.)
LOL! Hey...it shouldn't....eh...couldn't hurt.
Mac and Cheese Presentation Time: 'First Timer's Club'
I've got pics!
It tastes absolutely FAB-BO my darlings! Marvelous!
Funny story. So I go to the market and I buy a jar of 'white sauce' Ragu Alfredo Sauce (Yum!) and I get properly ready to prepare and I observe the instructions are wanting me to MAKE a white sauce. I didn't pick up on this earlier. Anywhooo - so I make my own white sauce and leave the Ragu 'A' sauce for a whole 'nother day!
I am 'In It to Win It' from pecan pie on!
Allrrriiigghhtty NOW!!!! Great job CB! It looks delicious, and and looks very professional as well! Congratulations...very well done indeed!
First pecan pie, now great Mac 'n Cheese. So what's next on your new recipe list?
My family is looking at me like - What has gotten into you? And they love it!!!
Thank you, Raven and all for supporting the cause (and me)! Your recipes and your spirits are helping to make it happen! Three cheers for the lot of y'all! Professional-looking? Well, I am improving on the presentation side as well. Next time I wipe down my container sides nice and clean !
HIP-HIP HOORAY! HIP-HIP HOORAY! HIP-HIP HOORAY!
I posted one, and tested it. It's yummy. Too much cheese for my taste, though - it ended up a bit greasy. I'd half it if I made it again.
I see it! Thank you, Sandy! Yep! That is the one Next up! I will 'do' pics! Note: I will stay conscious of what may be causing the "greasies." (Smile.)
I am going to need 'helpers' before long. All these delicious foods are content rich for this old 'boy'! And, it's awl good!
I am having a ball! Isn't that what life is all about?
You are most welcome, CB. Eating is something most, if not all, humans need to do to exist. And the more fun it is to prepare the food to appease the taste buds the more enjoyable the meal.
And sharing our different recipes and variations of them is a very enjoyable adventure.
We are all here to share and help with the recipes. You are on a roll now so keep up the good work. There are more recipes to come and be enjoyed.
Looks delicious. I bet there won't be a bite left.
It is half eaten already! I love it and share it. Next time, I will make a 'deep platter' full and experiment with Gouda cheese (someone mentioned it above), that sounds interesting! Maybe a couple of eggs for richness.
Sorry CB, I set the link wrong on the Index. If you clicked the link for Sandy's stuffed peppers, the link took you to the Eggplant Parmesan recipe. It happened early when I was first learning to set up the index. All fixed now.
Keep making these recipes and it won't be long before you own your own restaurant, acclaimed throughout half the country (I get the other half except for the part of Northern New York State where Enoch and Kavika have Jay's Diner).
Thanks for fixing the link.
I love it! Psst. Yes, I am planning party platters and more get togethers!
Your family is going to love coming to your get togethers!
They'll almost certainly come hungry CB. With the recipes you're learning here, I'm pretty sure they won't leave hungry.
CB, I can't speak for Raven (although I'm pretty sure that she agrees), but, to me at least, what you're doing with the recipes you pick up here makes setting up this group totally worth it.
Thank you! I learned early in life that people like to be appreciated. In this case, pics - which display the effort and results, and feedback - which informs, encourages, and explains. There is nothing wrong with receiving all these quick, delicious, "expressions" from the hearts of another across this country's many miles (maybe even the world) and letting them 'enjoy' it with me!
Again, thank you and all who share their favorite foods here! It is worth it! I really am excited about getting in the kitchen.
Absolutely agree, TTGA. CB, and others that may be learning quietly in the background, make putting this group together for our NT family well worth the effort. As do those who wish to share their own special recipes.
Sometimes our own slate of recipes, while very good, become a bit tiresome, so learning new recipes from others brings new enjoyment to our own tables.
Few, if any, of us are professional cooks, but, that does not mean we can't cook like one. And we are all here to help and encourage others to try the new recipes. Also, leaning variations to our own recipes can add new tastes to make our own fixin's taste like a new dish.
There are more great recipes to come, and we invite all NT Members join in the fun and great tastes of our Newstalkers Cookbook to share their own recipes, or just enjoy the new tastes and/or fun camaraderie.
I am a firm believer that when someone does something good for ya, don't withhold it from them: Say so!
Yes indeed, feedback is very important, as it not only lets the poster know how their recipe worked for others, but, encourages others to try the recipes, and post their own for others to try.
Sometimes feedback can be a way for those who posted their own recipe to learn of new variations tried by others as well.
In putting this group together, TTGA and I were both learning the new ropes, each helping the other learn how things work and providing a productive and enjoyable environment for everyone to share.
We are still learning and working to make the group a fun and enjoyable learning place to share what makes our tummy's happy.
And this is telling, because @12 where I posted the completed picture of my dish - I tell the funny short story of how I ended up with two white sauces completely by accident. One in a jar and the other on the stove.
Silly me, I thought to get a jar of it from the store, before I fully comprehended the instructions to inform me of how to make my own white sauce. That was a nice and interesting experience (it tastes delicious) too!
This is precisely the kind of feedback necessary to a site effort.
Today's family menu:
Roast
Red potatoes (sliced.)
Corn bread
"Mess" of greens, corn on the cob, and turkey necks/wings
And of course, MACARONIC AND CHEESE!!!
Sounds like a right nice set of fittles for a hungry bunch lunch.
I make homemade mac and cheese all the time also making a similar cheese sauce, I discovered adding 25% of cheddar weight in the form of Smoked Guda just makes the dish go from good to orgasmic...yea, its that good. so 1lb of cheddar add .25 pounds of Smoked Guda. I always add more cheese on top to get it nice and golden without drying out my noodles, also add a little milk before putting in over to help it stay moist on the bottom.
The smoked gouda is a fantastic idea! The next time I make it, I'm adding some of that to it