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

mac and cheese. macaroni and cheese. our favorite comfort foods. kennedyfamfiveI 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…

  1. Spray the baking dish and turn on the oven.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of pasta.
  5. Put all the dry ingredients in a large stock pot.
  6. Measure out the butter.
  7. 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.}
  8. Get out a whisk, a colander, and a spatula.
  9. 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.
  10. Add the butter, still whisking the whole time.
  11. Hopefully the water’s boiling by now; add the pasta.  Cook it for 6 minutes, like the recipe says.
  12. Keep whisking the whole time (that’s why everything has to be ready before you start).
  13. When it boils for a minute, take it off the eye and whisk in the cheese until it’s well melted.
  14. Drain the pasta, pour it into the cheese/milk mixture, and stir.
  15. 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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