My beautiful cousin requested that I put my macaroni and cheese recipe on the blog because she wants/needs a simple, yet deeee-lish… AND can be healthified (apparently not a word, but will be now ha ha). The one thing that I have to say, is try both ways (using either whole everything or 2%) and see which is best. Unfortunately, in order for your roux to set up perfectly, I would recommend using no lower than 2% milk. I have tried with 1/2% and it did not set nicely. It was like I should have not put forth the effort and just melted the cheese into the milk (true story).
I had a little bit of time off from my day job and took a little break from the blog so I could clear my head, come up with some creative ideas and try to get into a rhythm of doing things. It’s not like my old way was not proper, I just need to find the perfect balance between being a mom, wife, an admin, and blogger. The only thing that I learned during my vacation is that I work too much (don’t we all), and that I need to be able to run on a daily basis. During those runs, I was able to think more clearly and of course not feel as stressed; I mean, how can you feel stress when this is where you run…… (below)
This was at about…. 7:45 a.m. This is what makes me love where I live and of course, and is one of the many things great about Michigan. Maybe other states have wild flowers on a man-made trail, BUUUUUTTTTTTTT, Michigan has that nostalgia about it. I mean, haven’t you heard the Pure Michigan ads?
ANYWAYS…. Back to the dish.
This is a two part post. First, the macaroni recipe, then on Thursday, I will post the recipe for the Blueberry Muffins. When you eat mac and cheese in my family, you have to have green beans and a muffin of some sort. Trust me, you will not go back after you have had this combination.
Michigan Ingredient: Meijer Cheese
First things first, put some water into a pot and start the boiling process for your noodles while you are working on your roux. Again… multi-task!
Melt your butter and sprinkle your flour into same while whisking. Whisking is very important when it comes to making a roux (which some people call it a white sauce – but roux sounds so fancy 🙂 ). After the butter and flour starts to bubble (but before it turns brown), drizzle in your milk while you are continuously whisking. Some say that it might have a “nutty” smell; maybe my sniffer is off, but I never smell the “nutty” smell, so don’t worry about that.
Continuously whisk the mixture until the consistency becomes a thinned out cake batter. (A good test is to drag your whisk and if it takes a while to fill the line, it’s more than likely done.)
Add your shredded cheese to the mixture and remove off the heat. Try to refrain yourself from taking multiple tastes. Again, no Judgment here if you do, I don’t blame you. This cheese sauce is amazing. Add salt and pepper to taste at this point (thus the speckles in the picture above).
Once your noodles are done, add them to the cheese sauce and stir to combine. Pour into a casserole dish.
Melt your 1 tablespoon of butter and add the bread crumbs. This will be the topping of the mac and cheese. Once you top it in a casserole dish, you can eat it at that point; or you can put it the the oven to “reheat” your cheese sauce and thicken your cheese sauce even more (not too much more).
This is a meal that you can add to your weekly rotation, as it is filling and an American classic. This is a very kid friendly recipe and you won’t feel as bad that your child is eating macaroni and cheese as it is homemade without crazy preservatives.
- 2 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
- 2 tablespoons of Flour
- 1½ cups of Milk (whole or 2%)
- 1 block of Sharp or Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (whole or 2%) - shredded
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 cups of dry Elbow noodles
- 1 tablespoon of Unsalted Butter
- ⅓ cup Breadcrumbs
- Start a pan of water and bring same to a boil while you make your roux.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add flour. Whisk like crazy to prevent sticking/gumming
- Once it is bubbling a little (before it turns brown), add your milk while you are whisking; and continue to whisk until the roux becomes thick like a thinned out cake batter (usually takes about 5-8 minutes depending on your stove).
- Once your roux has become glorious, add cheese and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until noodles are done.
- Once your noodles are done cooking, drain, and combine with the cheese. Stir.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add breadcrumbs. Brown.
- Pour your mac and cheese into a 3 quart casserole dish and top with browned crumbs. You can eat now OR...
- Turn oven onto 375 degrees and place your mac and cheese into the oven while it is still cold. Usually by the time the oven is preheated, your mac and cheese will bubble along the edges.
- Enjoy with green beans and a muffin of your choice
Awesome site, Love the pictures recipes and your whole blog! Yummy! Do you do cooking classes for neighbors?
Ken and Mary