Mac & cheese

[JoGee]

JBird's (from Allison Emery)

1 ½ cups hot milk
¼ cup soft butter or margarine
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon basil
¼ cup chopped green onions (tops only)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced Cheddar cheese
8 ounces of cooked, drained macaroni noodles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put all ingredients, except macaroni noodles, into a blender, blend for 15 seconds.

Put the cooked macaroni into a shallow, buttered baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over noodles. Bake for 30 minutes.

[JoGee]

Jack Brody's Mom's Recipe

Serves 8

1 ½ cups soft bread crumbs (6-8 slices of fresh bread)
1 ½ cups grated mild Cheddar cheese
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 ¾ cups cream (I use half-and-*half)
5 eggs
1 ½ cups salad macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-size saucepan, mix and reserve the bread crumbs, Cheddar cheese, onion, salt and parsley.

In a small saucepan, bring cream to rapid boil, then add to bread crumb and cheese mixture.

Over low heat, continue to cook until well mixed, 2-3 minutes.

Cool this mixture slightly, 3-5 minutes.

Using an eggbeater, beat eggs till fluffy and add to the cooled ingredients.

Place cooked macaroni in a 2 ½-quart baking casserole dish. Pour the mixture over the cooked macaroni.

Place the baking dish in roasting pan with 2-inch sides. Add 2 cups water to roasting pan, to form a water bath for the baking casserole dish.

Place the roasting pan with baking casserole dish inside in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.

[JoGee]

Donna Johnson's Mac & Cheese

Serves 6

9 slices seeded rye bread, crust removed
2 cups grated Jarlsberg cheese
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
2 ¾ cups milk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Cover the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish with a layer of bread cubes. Top .with a layer of Jarlsberg cheese and then a layer of macaroni. Repeat, ending with cheese, until all the bread, cheese and macaroni are used.

Combine milk, eggs and salt and beat until well-blended. Pour egg mixture into the baking dish and top with the melted butter. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bake for 50 minutes or until firm.

[JoGee]

Susan Mears' recipe

Serves 6-8

1 stick of butter
¾ of a 1-pound box of Velveeta cheese cut into 1-inch cubes
2¼ cups milk; divided use
2 tablespoons flour
1 pound of elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
¼ cup bread crumbs
½ teaspoon paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large glass dish (9-by-12 inches), melt the butter, cheese and 2 cups of milk in microwave for approximately 2 minutes — depending on the individual microwave oven. Remove dish from microwave and mash the larger pieces of cheese with a potato masher until soft. Mix the flour and remaining ¼ cup of milk in a cup and stir into the cheese mixture.

Add the cooked elbow macaroni to the cheese mixture. Top with the bread crumbs and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

[JoGee]

Virginia Selby (aka Nana Noodles, from her daughter, Ellen Dunscomb)

Serves 4-6

1 large pkg.(8-oz.) cream cheese
2¼-1/2 cup milk
Garlic powder to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 package of small shell macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
In the top of a small double boiler, heat cream cheese until soft. Stir in enough milk to make right consistency to pour. Add garlic powder to taste and stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Keep sauce hot in double boiler while cooking macaroni.

Pour sauce over cooked noodles and mix. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

[JoGee]

Anne Walker’s Mother’s Macaroni & Cheese

Serves 4-6

1 box elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an oblong baking dish and add ½ of the cooked macaroni.

Spread 1 cup of grated sharp Cheddar cheese on top of the noodles. Lightly salt and pepper to taste, then spread the rest of the noodles and add the top layer of cheese.

Beat eggs in milk and pour evenly over the top of the macaroni. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until egg mixture sets lightly and cheese melts (approximately 30 minutes).

Cook's tip: Can be made ahead and refrigerated until time to bake.

[JoGee]

Sylvia Novak's Mac & Cheese

Serves 4-6

1 cup macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
½ cup soft bread crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
3 tablespoons pimento
1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped onion
1 cup grated cheese (Cheddar Is a good choice)
3 tablespoons green pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups scalded milk
3 egg yolks, beaten well
3 egg whites, beaten stiff
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crumbs, butter, pimento, onion, cheese, green pepper and salt. Add milk and pour over egg yolk, stirring well Add macaroni and fold in egg whites. Bake in an oiled casserole dish 40-45 minutes, or until firm.

Cook's tip: This is from my mother and her friend — both defense-plant workers in California during World War II in the 1940s — when meat was scarce and casseroles were popular.

[JoGee]

Bonnie Lathan's Grandma's Recipe for Mac & Cheese

Serves 6

12 ounces mostaccioli noodles
12 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
pepper
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil noodles until just under al dente. Drain. Butter sides and bottom of a glass baking dish with lid. Put ½ of the noodles in the dish. Put ½ of the cheese on the noodles. Put the remaining noodles on the cheese, and put the remaining cheese on the noodles. Sprinkle lightly with pepper. Whip up egg and milk and pour evenly over the noodles and cheese.

Put the lid on the dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Take off the lid and leave the dish in the oven until the top gets crispy. Serve hot.

[JoGee]

For what it's worth...I was reheating leftover Mac & cheese yesterday, and decided to add 1/2 small bag of Asian Veggie frozen mix to it. (Carrots, water chestnuts, snap peas, and broccoli). It was really yummy!

[JoGee]

Mimi's (from Pamm Pope)

Serves 4-6

2 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 heavy sprinkle of paprika
1 pint sour cream
1 quart cottage cheese
2 pounds grated Cheddar cheese
1 pound macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, beating well, then add salt, pepper and paprika. Add the sour cream and cottage cheese and mix well. Then add grated Cheddar cheese, saving some to top the macaroni.

Rinse cooked macaroni in cold water, drain and mix all ingredients.

Turn into a large casserole dish, topping with reserved cheese, and bake covered 40-45 minutes.

[JoGee]

Jean McElrath's Mac & cheese

Serves 8-12

1 pound macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
5 cups whole milk
2 bay leaves (optional)
16 ounces sharp yellow Cheddar
1 cup Gouda cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a 9-by-13-inch pan in heated oven, then remove dish. Add cornstarch to the butter, then the salt, pepper and mustard, stirring to make a smooth paste. Heat the milk (with bay leaves, infusing them), then add slowly to the cornstarch mixture (removing the bay leaves first). Stir until smooth. Shred cheeses and add to the drained, hot macaroni and the milk mixture. Turn into the buttered casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, and continue baking for another 20 minutes.

[JoGee]

(In Conclusion)
Basic Pointer

Mac and cheese — it's one of the most forgiving dishes, inviting us to experiment and play.

But there are a few basics that seem to add up to a better dish.

Here are some pointers from Joan Schwartz, author of "Macaroni and Cheese: 52 Recipes, From Simple to Sublime."

Pay attention to ingredients. Use a fresh cheese that you really like, one with character, she says.

Save the grating for last. Chef Keith Dresser, whose Baked Four-Cheese Pasta is included in Schwartz's book, insists that macaroni and cheese will taste best when the cheese is grated just before use.

Schwartz agrees. Sure, you can get those bags of pre-grated cheese "if your back is against the wall" and you need to kick out a quick dish of mac and cheese. "They're OK, but they're not transcendent." (And you do want transcendent, don't you?)

Don't overcook the pasta. If a dish is going to be baked, you'll want to cook the pasta until it's just al dente (tender but still slightly firm). The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.

"You don't want a flabby texture," Schwartz says.

Don't skimp. "Don't turn to skim milk or cheeses that are not really good cheese or are low-fat," Schwartz says. Always use whole milk (all of the recipes in Schwartz's book specify whole milk when milk is used).

Why?

"This is comfort food," Schwartz explains. "You don't want to give yourself half a dish of comfort."

[JoGee]

If anyone does something else special to a Mac & Cheese recipe, please feel welcome to post your recipe/ideas.