We take comfort in many simple pleasures: food, routines, comfy blue jeans, a patch of butterscotch sunshine on the dining room floor early in the morning for the still-sleepy cat. When our children were little we established some routines that became informal traditions. Friday nights we prepared and baked pizza together. Mondays we ate Mac and Cheese while discussing the challenges of the upcoming school week. Most Fridays we still roll out the dough and wonder what the Tall One and the Pouting Princess are doing for dinner at their faraway universities. Ah, I digress.
When I was a budget-minded student at Washington College there were times that we could not overcome the inertia to traipse the 500 yards or so over to the dining hall, so we would rustle up our own dinner. That was when Shirl Ann introduced me to the joys of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, in a box, with dry, orange-y powder that miraculously turned the slimy little macaronis bright, Cheeto-y neon objets. Totally deelish. (You must keep in mind that we were kitchen neophytes, who thought we were such gourmands because we actually threw spaghetti at the wall to see if it stuck as an attest of doneness. We were a tad naïve, and our mothers would despair had they but known.) We also dusted popcorn with the orange powder as we searched fruitlessly for a way to make homemade cheese popcorn – another one of our undergraduate preoccupations. And Shirl came up with a superb innovation, adding garlic powder to the mixture to vary the cheese-y taste. I can only apologize now to the poor people whom we offended so mightily with our garlic breath.
I went up a couple of price points with our children – we had Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese on Monday nights. Sometimes we had the shell variety, and other times the elbows. Then another friend turned me on to his divine Mac’s Macaroni – thanks, Jess, and until the children developed a taste for Fettucine Alfredo, this was an all-time family fave. Quite a step up from those nights in Talbot House. And this is a crowd pleaser, especially if you have to entertain some of the Tall One’s taller friends.
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups uncooked pasta (penne, elbow, ziti)
3 cups scalded milk
2 cups grated cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Munster)
1 cup grated Velveeta (we use Gruyère now)
½ teaspoon chicken bouillon (paste from a jar or that new Knorr Homestyle Stock)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. In a large saucepan, cook the roux for about two minutes, add scalded milk and chicken bouillon, stir constantly bringing it to a boil – just. Add grated cheese and Velveeta (or the Gruyere), lower the heat and cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Set aside. Boil the pasta in salted water, stirring occasionally, until done. Drain the pasta, and pour it into the saucepan with the cheese mixture. Let stand for about 5 minutes, stirring every once in a while. The cheese mixture will thicken as it blends with the pasta. We like to serve it with a little cloud of fresh shaved Parmesan cheese on top. And some black pepper, too. You can make this ahead of time, but where is the fun in that? It is better to grate the cheese together and talk about Algebra.
This sounds yummy, but I have always been a little leery of the bread crumb aspect. I think it must be a childhood thing…
https://www.theculinaryenthusiast.net/2011/02/macaroni-and-cheese.html
“Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal.”
-Julia Child