Grandma's Macaroni and Cheese

Although I usually have a box or two of the boxed stuff in my pantry these days (it's one of the things the Boyfriend Unit knows how to cook), I honestly don't think I'd ever eaten Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, or Velveeta Shells and Cheese, or any other boxed wonder until college. In college, of course, there was the alarming conundrum of Easy Mac: technically it is edible, but it is not actually a food substance. I ate it anyway, because the dorms were equipped with naught but microwaves.

Grandma's macaroni and cheese is way better. By the way, the abbreviation "mac and cheese" annoys the living daylights out of me. I have no idea why. I also have an irrational hatred of the word "tasty."

I'm going to go into possibly unnecessary detail here, in case for some reason anyone is unaware of how to make a simple cheese sauce. Possible translation #1: the culinarily challenged are reading this. Possible translation #2: I took pictures and am determined to use them.

You decide.



3/4 lb dried pasta - elbow macaroni, fusilli, or shells work well. Here I am using up partial bags of shells and fusilli.
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup skim milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder (optional)
8 oz. cheddar cheese, preferably sharp, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. (You can also use shredded cheese, of course, but it's cheaper just to buy a brick and cube it.) If desired, get an additional 3 oz. of cheese and slice it so that you can lay it over the top of the casserole before putting it in the oven. My grandma shops at Sam's Club, and I have never known her to have less than two pounds' worth of cheddar cheese brick in the house at all times. I usually don't put cheese across the top of my casserole, because I always forget to buy either a giant brick of cheese or a second small block...

1. Preheat oven to 350. Put water on to boil. Cube the cheese while you're waiting. Add pasta to boiling water.
2. Start making cheese sauce right after you put the pasta in:

a) Start by making a roux: melt the butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat.



b) Whisk in the flour - whisk out all the lumps, very important - and let it bubble until it starts to get thick and a little brown.



c) Slowly stir in the milk, whisking constantly. Keep whisking until the sauce begins to thicken. Then add the cheese cubes:



...and keep whisking until they melt. You should end up with this:



If I'm feeling fancy, I'll add 1/4 cup shaved parmesan, or a generous sprinkling of garlic powder, but really all the seasoning you need is salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the sauce down to very low heat until you've ascertained the state of the pasta. It should be slightly less done than al dente, because it's going in the oven. Drain (rinsing isn't necessary), dump the pasta in a casserole dish, and stir in the cheese sauce. Bake uncovered for 30-60 minutes, or until the top forms a nice, bubbly, slightly browned crust. Or bake covered, if you have other things still to cook and don't want it to get too browned. One of the great things about macaroni and cheese is that you can basically just throw it in the oven at whatever temperature you want and more or less forget about it, and it will still be delicious.

I suppose that if you wanted to, you could top this with bread crumbs (I never do). Or do what my grandma does, and top with additional thin slices of cheddar. I never remember to save sliced cheddar for this purpose. Pairs well with any meats of the midwestern farm family ilk, although I usually just make it as a main dish.


Media Pairing: Cheddar is the single most popular cheese in the world, although rumor has it that Wensleydale is staggeringly popular round here.