# Mac & Cheese



## BigAL (Apr 13, 2010)

We usually have the blue box or velvetta shells & cheese.  I made some homemade (but used spagetti, no elbows) and made it w/a roux blonde sauce or what ever it is called.  Now I have elbow mac.

My questions:

Make the roux kind or the "custard" kind(w/egg)?

What is your fav recipe for mac & cheese?

Make'n this for a 14yr old son and 11yr old daughter, and wife(she is 18  joke)

We have the shredded cheese, I also have a small pie slice of brie(tried it and wasn't to crazy about it) and a mozz ball.  

Just look'n for ideas and how you all do it.

Thanks


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## Mimizkitchen (Apr 13, 2010)

Well Big Al it really depends on the texture you want your m&c to have.. I always bake my with buttered breadcrumbs on the top, with one exception, and that is when I make it for the grandbabies. I then make it with a roux because they are used to the blue box. I also use the baby penne, I find it holds together well when reheating...


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 13, 2010)

Here's my own favorite super-duper version of mac & cheese.  Comes out different every time depending on what cheeses I use, but is always DELICIOUS.  Sometimes I'll add some sauteed ground turkey or diced turkey ham to it; sometimes some briefly blanched chopped broccoli. - Mac & cheese is extremely easy-to-adapt stuff & definitely on the "comfort food of the Gods" list!
​
BREEZY MULTI-CHEESE MACARONI AU GRATIN
(adapted from 365 Ways To Cook Vegetarian)

1 pound elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
2-1/2 cups milk
Approx. a half a pound to ¾ of a pound of a combination of grated or crumbled cheeses (gorgonzola, cheddar, gouda – smoked or regular, gruyere, etc., etc. – pretty much any crumbly cheese that suits your fancy.  I frequently make this recipe with all sorts of odds & ends of grateable cheeses I have on hand.)
Approx. 4-6 ounces grated Mozzarella cheese
Approx. 4-6 ounces grated Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese
Approx. 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
Dried seasoned breadcrumbs (optional)
Hot paprika, or a combination of regular paprika & a little ground cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a large pasta pot, cook macaroni until tender but still firm, according to package directions. Drain well & return to pasta pot, tossing gently with 2 tablespoons butter. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour & cook, whisking, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk & bring “just” to a boil, still whisking, until sauce is thick & smooth, 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheeses - EXCEPT for Mozzarella & Parmesan - until they begin to melt, about 2-3 minutes. Season with nutmeg & black pepper to taste.

Add cheese sauce to cooked pasta.  Add & gently stir in beaten egg, Mozzarella, & Parmesan cheeses. Transfer to a lightly oiled 9” x 13" or similar-size baking dish. Sprinkle with hot paprika or regular paprika & cayenne pepper & a little dry seasoned breadcrumbs if desired.

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until casserole is bubbling & top is nice & brown.


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## BigAL (Apr 13, 2010)

Thanks Sharon!  I gotta kinda copy the blue box, texture wise.  I'll go w/the roux again but maybe thinner.  Might add broccoli in w/it.

Thanks!


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## Andy M. (Apr 13, 2010)

BigAL said:


> Thanks Sharon!  I gotta kinda copy the blue box, texture wise.  I'll go w/the roux again but maybe thinner.  Might add broccoli in w/it.
> 
> Thanks!



If you're trying to copy the blue box, stick with elbows and skip the broccoli.  Especially if you want them to eat it.


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## Mimizkitchen (Apr 13, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> If you're trying to copy the blue box, stick with elbows and skip the broccoli.  Especially if you want them to eat it.



Yes I know, the penne is for my baked version... I also add a little tumeric to make it the day glow orange it is!!!


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## BigAL (Apr 13, 2010)

Thanks for the recipe, BC!  Might have to give it a try, as soon as I can find some of those cheeses out here. 

Andy, the kids love broccoli and cheese.  I know they'd like it or maybe w/some corn.  Or could have it steamed on the side and they can add it if they want.  I better go that route.  I better take your advise to make sure.  Thanks Andy!


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## Hoot (Apr 13, 2010)

Mac and cheese here is pretty close. We sub about a 1/2-3/4 cup of sour cream  for one cup of the milk, 1 can Campbell's condensed cheese soup, undiluted (I know....but it is mighty good in this dish.). and 1 tsp of dry mustard instead of the nutmeg.


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## ChefJune (Apr 13, 2010)

When I was a kid, and even some past that, I _would_ eat the Kraft Dinner, but I always preferred the _REAL_ mac and cheese -- that is to say the baked version made with bechamel that has cheese melted into it (btw, that's Mornay Sauce) and toasted, buttered breadcrumbs on top. 

My mom and my Aunt Eleanor both were creators of what I still consider the definitive mac and cheese.


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## BigAL (Apr 13, 2010)

Thanks, Chef.  I could not remember the name of the white sauce.  When I did the spagetti one I put crushed cheese fish crackers, you know those fish shaped cheesy crackers.  Got that from some southern lady chef on food network, the butter queen.

I like the nacho cheese idea Hoot had, not his words but it's what I think we have in the pantry and close enough.


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## PattY1 (Apr 14, 2010)

BigAL said:


> We usually have the blue box or velvetta shells & cheese.  I made some homemade (but used spagetti, no elbows) and made it w/a roux blonde sauce or what ever it is called.  Now I have elbow mac.
> 
> My questions:
> 
> ...




Another Mac-N-Cheese Thread????


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## Mimizkitchen (Apr 14, 2010)

PattY1 said:


> Another Mac-N-Cheese Thread????



Is that a bad thing??? Some of us haven't been around as long and it's a bonding moment...


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## BigAL (Apr 14, 2010)

PattY1 said:


> Another Mac-N-Cheese Thread????


 
I tried to search for it but came up w/nothing.  I probably did something wrong, happens alot. 

If you have a thread in mind, please show us noob's the way and we can read that.

But, to answer your question... Yes.


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## jet (Apr 14, 2010)

Here's my basic Macaroni and Cheese recipe.  For Béchamel-based sauces, just change the roux to milk ratio to adjust the thickness.  Using straight cheddar can give a grainy sauce, so you might want to blend in other cheeses.


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## jabbur (Apr 14, 2010)

I make mac and cheese that is fairly close to the blue box that my guys love.  I cook the noodles (elbow, shells, penne, spirals doesn't matter) add butter and 8 oz cream cheese and 8-10 oz (about 1/3 of a box) of Velveeta (not the slices).  Add some milk (I eyeball it probably around 3/4 cup to make it creamy.  Sometimes I add sour cream, I always add shredded cheddar just at the end around 1-1/2 cups.  I tend to add whatever cheeses I have around too so sometimes that means swiss, mozzarella, or monterey jack.  This all happens in the pot the noodles are cooked in.  I don't add any spices since everyone has their own tastes. One likes seasoned salt, one likes salt and pepper, one likes lemon pepper, so they add their own to their serving.


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## ChefJune (Apr 14, 2010)

Velveeta comes in _slices???_  Who knew?  
When I want cheese, I want real cheese.


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## Mimizkitchen (Apr 14, 2010)

ChefJune said:


> Velveeta comes in _slices???_  Who knew?
> When I want cheese, I want real cheese.



The velvetta is just for creamy factor....


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 14, 2010)

I think Velveeta makes a darn  fine Mac & Cheese, & when it's on sale, I definitely make use of it.  It's especially good with sauteed ground turkey & blanched chopped broccoli folded in, & everything topped with crumbs before the baking dish goes into the oven.  Not "haute cuisine", but definitely GOOD.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 14, 2010)

There is a secret that no one is sharing yet.  If you want a silky smooth sauce, make your roux with equal parts butter and flour, cooking until it just starts turning blonde.  Add the milk slowly, whisking it in until you have a sauce that will thickly coat a spoon.  Season with salt and pepper, and just a bit of nutmeg.  This next part is critical.  For perfect cheese sauce, remove the pan from the heat and slowly fold in the shredded cheese of your choosing, be it Parmesano Regiano, or a full bodied aged cheddar.  To much heat will cause the sauce to break, or in other words, the protiens in the milk and cheese will begin to lump together, giving you a grainy, or even lumpy sauce.  The sauce really shouldn't be any hotter than 180' or so.  the liquid boils at somewhere around 212.

Breezy's method will give you a great cheese custard style mac & cheese casserole that is to die for.  It will be rich, and firm, and very tasty.  But if you are looking for a creamy texture, make the sauce as I have outlined, and fold into the cooked pasta.  This sauce is named differently, depending on the cheese used in the sauce.  Look up Bechemel and its derivative sauces to get an idea of how many ways you can use this most popular of mother sauces.  It's used in everything from Welsh Rarebit, to creamed meats or creamed veggies, to sausage gravy, to soups, stews, & chowders.  But to successfully use it with cheese, keep the temperature moderately low.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## PattY1 (Apr 15, 2010)

Mimizkitchen said:


> Is that a bad thing??? Some of us haven't been around as long and it's a bonding moment...


 
Ok


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## ella/TO (Apr 15, 2010)

I think I've posted this before, but here it is again.....I use mostly broad egg noodles for this, but I'm sure any kind of pasta would be alright.
I mix a can of tomato soup into the pasta, add lots of grated old cheddar cheese, saving some for the topping. Mix tog. well, put into buttered casserole and top with the extra cheese...bake at about 325-350 until top is very crusty....Grandkids have loved it since they were little tykes and still ask for it...now that they're in their 20's!!!


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