Recipes

[kittymomNC]

Thanks so much for your responses! You've given me several really good choices--the Cauliflower recipe sounds really good as a change. And I don't have a smoker, but I love smoky cheese flavor any time in anything! I will check out the others, and probably will be enjoying mac & cheese for quite a while trying different recipes. And it's as much for my son as it is for me - he loves mac & cheese, but he's a single guy and although he does cook, I don't see him making these kinds of recipes!

Thanks again!

[tkins]

I found this one watching Guys Big Bite on the food network. It has never failed me. It is super easy and you don't have to worry about making a cheese sauce separately, so you also don't have to worry about the sauce breaking.

Wilson's Own Mac n' Cheese

Yield:6 servings Level: Easy

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

1/2 stick butter, melted

Freshly ground black pepper

16 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar

Dust with paprika

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Bring water, salt, and oil to boil over high heat Add pasta, bring back to a boil and cook until al dente, 8 to 9 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, evaporated milk, melted butter and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and add the pasta. Spray an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and add the pasta mixture. Top with remaining cheese and dust with paprika.

Bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

By the way, it was from the It's always finer in Carolina and I was actually watching because I wanted the Eastern Carolina BBQ sauce recipe and this was just a bonus.

T

[kitty4me]

The Pioneer Woman

Macaroni and Cheese

<h6>Ingredients</h6>

• 1 pound macaroni
• Salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup grated fontina
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (chevre)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup grated Romano
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Minced fresh parsley, as needed

<h6>Directions</h6>

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions in lightly salted water, leaning toward the al dente side. Do not overcook!

Put the cream, butter and garlic clove into a Dutch oven and heat on the stove over low heat. When the cream is hot, add the fontina, goat cheese, Parmesan and Romano.

Drain the macaroni (reserving some of the cooking water if needed) and add it to the pot. Stir gently to combine, adding hot macaroni water as needed for consistency. Don't overmix; if there are little clumps of cheese here and there, it's fine! Taste and add about 1/2 teaspoon salt if needed. Add some pepper and minced parsley and stir. Serve immediately.

If you are eating it later, turn the mixture into a large, buttered ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over some extra grated fontina and bake at 350 degrees F until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

[RespectLife]

Oh Katey! YUM! I love goat cheese! Thanks for posting that recipe! I am definitely trying that one!

[cab1955]

<h2 id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395928472813_6947">Ingredients: John Legend's recipe</h2>

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups elbow macaroni
• 2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 (8-ounce) packages extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 (8-ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• Paprika, for sprinkling

<h2 id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395928472813_6968">Directions</h2>

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt and macaroni. Cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, and return to pot. Add butter, and toss until pasta is coated and butter has melted; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, skim milk, and eggs. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine cheeses; set aside.
3. Place 1/3 macaroni in an even layer in the bottom of prepared baking dish; cover evenly with 1/3 cheese. Repeat with remaining macaroni and cheese mixture. Pour milk mixture evenly over contents of baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake until top layer is lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

[OkeyDokey]

I use any cheeses I desire, but I don't usually mix them in with the sauce. I free-hand mac and cheese every time and have people beg me for the recipe. I use a 9 x 13 pyrex dish to bake it. Preheat oven to 350. Grease dish.

Small package (give or take) Large macaroni, boil while you prepare the sauce.

The sauce starts with half a stick of butter and about a quarter cup of flour in a large saucepan. Melt butter over medium heat and whisk in flour. Whisk in about a quart of whole milk, or a mixture of milk and cream or evaporated milk (whatever you have, but NOT condensed milk). Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add garlic powder, onion powder (about a 1/4 to a half tsp. each, to taste). Add nutmeg, about 1/4 tsp. Continue to stir sauce until it steams and starts to simmer and thicken. Add cheese if you want to the sauce, but I usually layer cooked macaroni with cheese and sauce. I use a hearty portion of any cheese we prefer. At least 2 cups, sometimes more. Your 9 x 13 will be full to the brim. I place it on a cookie sheet in case of spits and sputters. Before putting it in the oven to bake, put torn pieces of white bread on top and a half stick of butter chopped into tiny pieces. Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbly in the middle.

Warning: It's obnoxious. Especially if you use cream in the sauce, so save it for once in a while. Serve it with something green so you don't feel so guilty. Keep in mind the key to creamy sauce is using plenty of milk. Not enough milk equals dry mac and cheese. Gross.

[betteb]

This is Wolfgang Puck's Mac&Cheese. The directions are for cooking in his rice cooker, but you can do it on the stove top and then the oven.

I've done it both ways and it's hands down the best mac&cheese I ever had.

Macaroni & Cheese

Yield: 2-3 Servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water and a good quality chicken bullion cube
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste

Directions:

1. Combine noodles, broth and cream in rice cooker. Press COOK and stir occasionally.
2. When machine switches to KEEP WARM add the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly till all cheese is melted. Press COOK again.
3. It will switch to KEEP WARM after just a few minutes but this is the point where the cheese on the bottom turns that delicious brown.
4. Serve.

[Just Bling]

Beechers Mac & Cheese is the very very best out there. It is quite expensive to make it though. Years ago, Oprah voted it the best. The recipe is available if you search.

[kittymomNC]

I am so excited by these recipes! (I know it may sound silly to be excited by mac & cheese recipes - but I might have to do a "happy dance"!) I just wanted something different, and I'm sure getting what I asked for -- I'm going to be one busy cook, but I will definitely have to space it out - I sure don't need to gain any weight! Thanks so much to all of you!

[Flo08]

I leaned this recipe over 50 years ago but it is still my goto recipe. I call it Baked Mac & Cheese. I use the whole smaller package of macaroni cooked just slightly underdone. After draining it, I spread a layer in the bottom of my large glass baking dish (11x13 ish) Then sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese. My preference is Colby but will use anything that is on hand. You need a total of about 3 to 4 cups shredded. I keep layering till the mac is all in the dish and finish with a layer of cheese. Then I pour milk over the top till it is about half way up the side of the dish. No mixing, No fussing. Put in 350 oven for about 30 minutes or the top is done to your liking. My family likes a little crispy in the corners. If there is any left I remove it in one chunk after it cools and slide into a Zip lock bag to toss in the freezer. It is great with BBQ sauce.