MACARONI AND CHEESE

Who dosen’t like a nice, hot, gooey mac 'n' cheese?  Let’s be honest: we all do. Forget about the calories; when mac 'n' cheese is on the menu, dinner table, or even the buffet table, no one passes it up. Guaranteed it’s the one dish everyone attacks first, especially if it comes straight out of the oven.  Seriously, who doesn't look forward to that first hot and cheesy spoonful with a crunchy topping?

There are as many recipes out there for mac 'n' cheese as there are stars in the sky.  I myself have a favorite that I used to make all the time and Irwin also loved it. He was like a little kid when it came to it; he just could not wait to dig his fork into that bubbly goodness.  I used to add ham and broccoli to the recipe to turn it into a main dish so I could get away with serving that as an entree, and any time I saved in the kitchen just let me spend more time with Irwin.  How could that be bad?

Any dish I could turn into a main entree for me was always a winner.  Make it a cheesy, gooey pasta dish, add some meat and a vegetable, and it was a huge hit with Irwin.  What more could anyone ask for in a main course? The great part about this meal is that you can use any protein (such as chicken, ground beef, or ground turkey) you have on hand; just make sure whatever protein you choose is cooked and make sure to drain off the fat from the protein.  The same goes for the vegetable - you can use any vegetable you have on hand.  You can turn this mac 'n' cheese into one of your families' favorite!

 

 

MACARONI AND CHEESE

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

 

COARSE SALT AND GROUND PEPPER

1 POUND ELBOW PASTA, COOKED AND DRAINED

4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

1 SMALL ONION, CHOPPED

¼ CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR SPOONED AND LEVELED

4 CUPS MILK

1/8 TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER (OPTIONAL)

1 ¼ CUPS (5 OUNCES) SHREDDED YELLOW CHEDDAR CHEESE

8 OUNCES HAM DICED INTO ½ INCH PIECES

2 CUPS BROCCOLI FLORETS (BLANCHED)

2 SLICES WHITE SANDWICH BREAD

DIRECTIONS

 

 

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cook pasta and drain; reserve.

Meanwhile in a 5 quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion; cook stirring occasionally until softened - 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk in flour to coat onion.  In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

Cook whisking often until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon - 6 to 8 minutes.  Stir in cayenne if using, and 1 cup of yellow and white cheddar cheese.  Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, toss pasta with cheese mixture, fold in ham and blanched broccoli florets.

Transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Use a food processor for bread until large crumbs form.  Toss together with remaining ¼ cup each with white and yellow cheddar and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake until top is golden - about 30 minutes.