Recipes

[SaveTheTurtles]

I'm from the Midwest and we never have Mac and cheese for thanksgiving. I do, however, make a killer recipe using a roux, equal parts of velveeta cheese and Colby, brick or cheddar. Sprinkle the top with either butter bread crumbs or Asiago cheese as either will make the top crunchy. Velveeta makes the cheese sauce smooth and gooey. It's also not greasy like cheddar can sometimes be.

[lynnie61]

I used to have a standard recipe,  but then I found a new one @amandachunkychef.  It's great, and even my previous recipe I always hand grated the cheese.  So many preservatives in the pre shredded, and iI swear it won't melt properly.  

We never had it for holiday dinners.  I just cannot eat the blue box,

when its so easy to make.  

[HerRoyaLioness]

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@SaveTheTurtles wrote:

I'm from the Midwest and we never have Mac and cheese for thanksgiving. I do, however, make a killer recipe using a roux, equal parts of velveeta cheese and Colby, brick or cheddar. Sprinkle the top with either butter bread crumbs or Asiago cheese as either will make the top crunchy. Velveeta makes the cheese sauce smooth and gooey. It's also not greasy like cheddar can sometimes be.

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@SaveTheTurtles - would you please share your recipe? It sound like one I would attempt making!

Being from WI and having worked at Land O' Lakes at one point in my life, I learned a little about cheese.  What we have today cannot even be called cheese, it's labeled as cheese product - Velveeta is one of them.  It doesn't even need to be refrigerated. As is Kraft singles, which does need to be refrigerated :

A slightly better option is Kraft (or other brand) American Cheese, which also comes in singles or you can usually get it in bulk at a deli also. It is similar to Velveeta but does have to be refrigerated. I use it a lot for grilled cheese, along with a slice of cheddar, Colby or other kinds.  It melts well and doesn't have the grease of cheddar. 

[Knit-Chick]

I just watched Kardea Brown on the food network and she made her grandma's southern  mac and cheese for Thanksgiving.  Gosh that looked good!!  I was surprised to see her add beaten egg into it.  

[Love to Run]

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@Knit-Chick wrote:

I just watched Kardea Brown on the food network and she made her grandma's southern  mac and cheese for Thanksgiving.  Gosh that looked good!!  I was surprised to see her add beaten egg into it.  

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@Knit-Chick Egg is ALWAYS added to true southern mac and cheese. It's less "saucy" and more "custardy"😂  Personally, I like it either way. No one in my family has ever made mac and cheese with Velveeta, only blends of real cheese.

[SaveTheTurtles]

@HerRoyaLioness I'm from Wisconsin as well. Guess we know our cheeses fake and otherwise, don't we... I'm happy to share my recipe. Here it is:

2 cups of whole milk, 2% may be used 

4 Tbl of flour

4 Tbl butter

Pinch of kosher salt

2 cups shredded brick, Colby or cheddar cheese

8 ounces velveeta cut in small cubes

1 box of rotini pasta cooked al dente

Melt butter and stir in flour and salt. Cook over low heat a couple of minutes. Stir in the milk a little at time stirring constantly so it doesn't get lumpy. Turn the heat up to med high until almost boiling and roux thickens. Stir in the cheese still stirring constantly. Careful not to burn the bottom.

Use casserole dish large enough to accommodate pasta. Mix the cheese sauce and pasta and I always add Asiago grated over the top so when it bakes the top will get crunchy. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until it's bubbly and golden.

I hope anyone who tries it likes it. 

[Dom23]

•  
• One of my favorite macaroni and cheese recipes is this slow cooker version from Pip and Ebby. It is one of the few that I truly enjoyed eating. I don't always like the food that I cook. I cut the recipe in half and it makes at least 4 servings....

        Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

        Ingredients

• 16 oz elbow macaroni
•  3 cups milk
• 8 oz velveeta cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup salted butter cut into chunks
• 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated

       Instructions

       1.  Cook pasta in boiling water 3 minutes short of being al dente. 

       2.  Place the cooked macaroni, milk, Velveeta, butter and cheddar cheese into a crockpot. Stir and top with Parmesan cheese.

      3. Set heat to Low and cook for 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally and check for doneness starting at the 2-hour mark.

     I love the fact that it cooks in the slow cooker freeing up my oven at the holidays and also that it only takes about 2 and half hours to cook....

[HerRoyaLioness]

@SaveTheTurtles - thank you so much for the recipe!  Never thought of using brick, but love Widmers, so might give it a try. Like using different kinds of pasta also.  When I try it, I think I will stick with the Velveeta and cheddar at first. 

Yes, we Wisconsinites know our cheese for sure....and our coffee (Door County, Berrie Bros.) and our football, well maybe not so much this year, lol!!

Lived in different parts of WI all my life,it's a beautiful state and I enjoy it. 

[RedTop]

@SaveTheTurtles 

Interesting that you use rotini pasta.  In my family mac and cheese is made with elbow macaroni, always.  My husbands palate only accepts elbow macaroni and spaghetti noodles; I don't think he'd touch rigatoni if he was starving!  

[SaveTheTurtles]

@RedTop  You can certainly use elbow macaroni and that's how I started out making it.  However, we found that the rotini has the grooves so the cheese sauce adheres better to it for our taste, that's all.