Recipes

[Hoovermom]

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@Icegoddess wrote:

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@Hoovermom wrote:

This Southern girl never uses Velveeta cheese (not even sure I have ever bought it) and only makes it following this recipe:

Fleming's Chiptole Mac and cheese recipe.........com.

The best in the world.....

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@Hoovermom , that may be the best in the world Mac & Cheese recipe, but it wouldn't be a traditional Southern recipe as I never even heard of Chipotle until well into my adult years.  

We never had mac & cheese at Thanksgiving growing up, and I have not idea what a Southern-style mac & cheese might be.  My mother always just made it from the blue box.  We have had it in the last few years at Thanksgiving because my daughter wants it. 

I have a recipe that I've made for Thanksgiving in the past in my Versa Cooker that uses 4 cheeses.  It makes a LOT.  I use the leftovers to make fried mac & cheese balls that I can make the balls and freeze them to remove and fry as needed. 

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@Icegoddess :  Maybe not a traditional southern mac and cheese, not sure what that really is.  In my house for the past 25+ years it has been this recipe.  My mother's was a homemade version but never Velveeta cheese.

[KaySD]

My family's secret is NO cheese sauce.

Cook the macaroni al dente. Put it in the baking dish with butter, and let that melt. Fold in cubed--not shredded--sharp cheddar. Then pour on eggs beaten with milk, salt and pepper. When it bakes, it's done when the egg mixture is no longer liquid, the butter is sizzling around the edges, and the top is turning golden brown. It's cheesy but no gooey. You can slice it in the dish if you want-so everyone gets some of the brown bottom and sides. When the dish is empty, which doesn't take long, we fight over picking out the last bits.

[RedTop]

@millieshops 

This baked mac and cheese dish was on the table for many Sunday dinners after church.  It disappeared with our family about as fast as it disappeared at the church.  In latter years it was baked in an electric oven, but I do remember watching my grandmother remove the pan from the oven on her wood cookstove.  That cheese would be so brown and hot!   

The colby and cheddar cheese my grandmother used was sliced from a big block; I remember the small store very well, and the only thing we bought there was colby and cheddar cheese and a lunch meat that was Papaws favorite.  

[Spacrazy]

Our family has never served Mac 'n Cheese for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I am from the south. Two years ago we included mashed potatoes at the request of my new son-in-law and it was a big hit with young and old (who knew?). Maybe we should try adding mac and cheese.

[RedTop]

@BirkiLady 

Velveeta cheese is just like the government processed commodity cheese that was distributed to the needy.  

Government commodities were also distributed in the mid 80's to lower income groups, which my family just happened to fit into at that particular time.  Besides the cheese, my family loved the butter, canned meat and rice that was distributed as well.  We found ways to use the powdered milk in cooked foods as well.  

If I remember correctly, farmers in the 80's were losing a lot of money with trying to sell their large supply of milk, and the government bought that milk, made cheese, and had an abundance of processed cheese in warehouses; way more than needed for the military and school systems, etc., which is why it was distributed to those on SS, unemployment, welfare, etc.  We were not the least embarrassed to get in line for the signup and distribution for those very worthy products.   

[char1976]

Mac and Cheese,I was born in Arkansas (1958) and I don't remember eating Mac and Cheese for anything until the 70's. and we never ate it for any holidays. Still don't.  And what we did eat came in the blue box.  The commodity chese that a friends grandmother recieved was block cheese that had to be sliced. 

[2sisters]

Growing up it was never a side for Thanksgiving.  I would make it when the kids were younger and now make it once in a while.  I  use shredded colby cheese and heavy whipping cream. I bake it as well to get a crunch on top.   It always disappears. 

[ECBG]

@deepwaterdotter 

I have had mac and cheese for years but it was only about 7 years ago that I had the very best mac and cheese I had ever eaten at a Christmas employee buffet.  It was SO good, she gave me the leftovers in a baggie!

I fixed it for a family dinner and the 7 year old GS said "OH MY!" the entire time he ate it!

The secret is to just warm through, over heating dulls the flavor.

***The  Oh! My! Mac and Cheese

 Doubled, it will fit a 9 x 13.  One recipe does a

9 x 9.

Reheats like a dream!  I loved it so, I took it home in a baggie!!!

4 C hot small macaroni noodles (8 oz uncooked)

2 C (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 C cottage cheese

3/4 C sour cream

1/2 C milk 

2 Tbsp grated fresh onion

1  1/2 tsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking Spray

Topping

1/4 C dry bread crumbs

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp paprika (optional for extra flavor)

2 C shredded sharp cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 10 ingredients, stir well.

Pour into sprayed casserole.

Spread 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese over top of casserole.

Mix butter, breadcrumbs, and paprika

Spread on top of casserole

Cover with foil.

Bake 350 for 45 minutes.

Uncover and bake 10 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned.

Six one cup servings

[Shihtzursqmom]

I’m about as southern as it gets and grew up eating macaroni and cheese , sometimes my mama and grandma made it on top of the stove sometimes it was baked with thin slices of cheese melted on top
We had a lot of Sunday meals with family and friends of fried chicken, potato salad , Mac and cheese and homemade bread , big layer cakes , pies ,with either banana, strawberry, chocolate, or pineapple puddings
There was never any leftovers
They made it like Red Tops grandma with a roux, and either milk from a neighbors cow or canned evaporated milk ( which my grandma always called Pet milk ) the cheese they used was hand grated on a box grater with hoop cheese that came in wooden wheels of cheese it was cut by the pound
It has a red or black rind on it

Most of the time it wasn’t refrigerated
We lived in the country and didn’t go to a big grocery store except every other week we shopped at a local tiny store that had everything from grocery’s , small appliances , home repair products
Even in the hot summer the store had it sitting at the register
customers told the cashier how many pounds of hoop cheese they wanted and they cut it by the wedges
We bought it every time we went to the store
I was a very picky eater and ate a lot of homemade Mac and cheese
For lunch on days I didn’t want to eat what they had in the school lunchroom I took hoop cheese sandwiches or cheese and saltine crackers
I can still buy it at one of our local grocery stores I don’t think it taste the same as it used to though

I don’t make Mac and cheese anymore except on holidays occasionally, my husband won’t eat it and I don’t need the calories
When I do make it I buy hoop cheese , a small amount of American cheese, and a small amount of Gouda cheese and grate it myself ( the pre grated kind will NOT melt right )
Reading this I might make some for thanksgiving

Of course it can’t compare but To those that hasn’t ate Mac and cheese and wants to try it Stouffer’s frozen to me taste the closest to homemade of any I’ve tried just put a layer of grated cheese you grate yourself and bake
A local restaurant serves it , it can’t compare to homemade but it’s not awful

[RespectLife]

Northerner here...we never had it at Holidays...nor did my Italian mom ever make it from scratch then that Kraft boxed stuff was 'invented'.  NOT a fan!

I still don't make it at Fall/Winter holidays, but it is a def at Easter.

It just SO goes with ham!!

NEVER velvetta, just 100% real cheeses.  I have about 3-4 recipes I rotate.

Smoked, Stretchy, Heart Attack and 5 cheese.

Never baked either, Never eggs and Never bread crumbs on top.  Nothing wrong with those versons at all,  We just like it creamy and soft, ooey gooey!!

We rotate between Mashed w/ smoked gouda cheese, Poutine, Cheesy Pots and a version of M&C for large family gatherings.

It is only a 'special' event side dish....well, so are potatoes!