I figured I'd start off with something easy, and universally loved. My boy-child requested pigs in blankets for dinner, but I was surely not inspired to blog about wrapping smoked sausage in store-bought crescent dough... so I added a delicious side dish that is certainly blog-worthy at the very least.
First: Employ said boy-child to blanket up those pigs. He LOOKS unhappy.. but I promise you, he ate them.
Next: Put on a pot of water to boil. Make sure you salt it, aggressively. This is the ONLY CHANCE you will have to impart some flavor into that boxed macaroni... so make it count.
Assemble your ingredients. This recipe calls for:
- 1.5 cups of dry elbow noodles
- 2 slices of bread
- drizzle of olive oil ( I dunno.. maybe a tablespoon or so? )
- 1.5 T butter (or margerine)
- 1.5 T Flour
- 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese (I used Kraft Naturals aged wisconsin cheddar)
- 1.5 cups milk (I used 1%.. anything is really OK, except skim. Skim = ew. Trust me.)
- 1 T dijon mustard (not pictured.. whoops.)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- a few shakes of hot sauce, salt, and pepper
Pop the two slices of bread into the toaster. Toast them fairly dark, let them cool completely, and set aside.
Next, in a medium sauce pan, whisk together the butter and the flour, and let it cook for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
(At some point during the making of the sauce, the water for the noodles will come to a boil. Toss 'em in, and let them cook for 5 - 6 minutes. NO, they will not be cooked all the way - and THAT'S OK. They will finish cooking in the oven, in our cheese sauce. If you overcook them now, they will be mush in the final dish. Not delicious.)
Next, you will pour in your milk, and season it with the mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring this to a simmer.
While this is coming up to a simmer, you need to dice up your cheese. I used about a 1/2" dice - the smaller the better, really, because it will melt more smoothly. Also, you need to cube up your toast into teeny tiny pieces, and toss it with a drizzle of olive oil. This will be the yummy crunchy topping!
OK... Now that we've gotten this far - your sauce should be up to a simmer. Make sure you watch it! Dairy based sauces can scorch very easily. I don't recommend walking away from the stove, or having your heat on anything higher than medium. Here is where you will add your cheeses - very slowly. You want to add a handful, whisk until it melts, and repeat - with the Parmesan going in last. If you are like me, you can employ some more slave labor (this time in the form of the girl-child) to help with the whisking... so you can save your arm strength for EATING!
Make sure your pasta is well - drained. Any cooking liquid left will make your sauce runny, and runny = ew! DO NOT RINSE YOUR PASTA. Please. I beg you. It rinses off all the lovely starch, and your sauce will not stick to the noodles correctly. Mix your pasta with your sauce, pour into a greased casserole dish (and trust me, you want to butter that sucker good - it makes it MUCH easier to clean!), and top it with your little toast crumbles. Bake in a 400 degree oven, for 10 - 15 minutes.
When you pull it out of the oven, it should be bubbly around the edges, and the topping should be nice and crunchy. Mmmmmmm! See? WAY BETTER than boxed mac & cheese, much healthier for you, and even your slave-laborers will approve of this cheese-tastic meal!
If there are leftovers, you can do a few different things with them. Reheat the next day with a touch of milk to moisten and eat for breakfast. Cut the mac & cheese into wedges, bread, and then deep fry.. making amazingly evil fried mac & cheese wedges. Or... you can do what I do.. which is send the leftovers into work with the Man of the house for lunch the next day.
Tomorrow: HOME MADE MARINARA!!!! You don't want to miss this... it is one of my most-requested recipes, and a total family favorite.
Blessed Be! <3
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