Easy Peasy Mac and Cheesy
Seriously, this recipe has pretty much convinced me to not ever buy boxed macaroni and cheese again. It is that much better. This easy peasy mac and cheesy recipe is one of my favorites to whip up on a busy (or lazy) weeknight. It's delicious and is probably a lot healthier for you than the processed stuff.
First off, let me just say, I am not a professional food photographer, or even a professional photographer, neither am I a professional or trained chef. I'm just a girl who loves the satisfaction of making and eating something delicious. That said, my food photos are not going to be beautifully arranged and perfectly garnished. Since I have a seven-month-old tot in tow and a husband who works full-time and goes to school... I'll just say, "ain't nobody got time for that." I promise I'll do my best to make the food presentable, but when my photos fall short, remember that I wouldn't be sharing the recipe if it wasn't delicious, no matter the quality of photo.
Creamy Mac and Cheese
Gather up your ingredients. Luckily this recipe is one of those that only calls for things that I usually have on-hand. I love it when that happens. I never really had evaporated milk on-hand before I found this recipe. There were times I wanted to make this for dinner but the only thing I didn't have was a can of evaporated milk. Knowing this, I waited for it go on sale and when it did, I stocked up. Now I can pretty much make this for dinner any day I feel like it.
Sometimes, I get really annoyed with recipes when they call for half a can of something or part of a package of that, because it seems wasteful not to use the whole thing once you've opened it. I've made this mac and cheese using the whole 16-ounce package of elbow macaroni and it didn't throw off the cheese ratio too much. However lately, I've been using most of the package and setting aside the remainder. Then after about three or four times of making the mac and cheese, I have enough leftover from each package to make another batch.
Start by bringing 3 1/2 cups of water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the elbow mac, and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in large but not huge pot on high heat. Please oh please, don't forget the salt. I make this recipe often enough that I almost have it memorized. I say almost because last week when I made it, I forgot the salt. When my husband and I took our first bites, we immediately knew something wasn't right. I scanned the recipe and realized I forgot the salt. It's crazy how much flavor it loses when the salt is omitted. Keep the noodles boiling for about 12 minutes, or until noodles are tender enough, stirring regularly.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together remaining evaporated milk, corn starch, and dry mustard. Feel free to substitute the dry mustard for prepared mustard if you don't have dry mustard. Use 1/2 TABLESPOON of prepared mustard instead of 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard. If you're lucky like me and have a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, I suggest using that to mix these ingredients. It's perfect because you can measure the water and evaporated milk first, then use it to whisk the corn starch mixture together. It's also big enough to measure the cheese in toward the end. It helps reduce the amount of dishes you need to use and that's always a good thing.
Add the corn starch mixture into the pot and let it thicken for another minute. Then remove your pot from the heat. Gradually stir in the grated cheese a little at a time. If you do too much at one time it gets hard to stir in evenly and takes longer to melt.
The original recipe calls for sharp cheddar cheese. The hubs and I aren't the biggest fans of sharp cheddar but we are HUGE fans of mild or medium cheddar mixed with pepper jack cheese. We buy our cheese from Gossner's and grate both kinds then mix them together. We like to go heavy on the pepper jack side because it gives the cheese a spicy little kick. Technically Gossner calls their pepper jack cheese hot pepper cheese, but basically it's the same thing. Since I'm the cook at our house, I always go a little heavy on the cheese measurements. In my opinion, it's nearly impossible to have such a thing as too much cheese.
Once the cheese is stirred in, stir in the small squares of butter. If you'd like, you can season to taste with black pepper. I don't particularly care to add extra seasonings to my food most of the time, but I know a lot of people do. So go ahead, throw some on there.
Enjoy while hot and fresh!
Creamy Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups water
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
12 ounces (3 cups) elbow macaroni
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard OR 1/2 Tablespoon prepared mustard
3 cups of shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small squares
black pepper, season to taste
Directions: Bring 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup evaporated milk, and salt to boil on high heat in 5 quart pot.
This recipe has been adapted from Life in the Lofthouse. See the original recipe here.
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