Macaroni and Cheese

Hey Y'all I'm back.  Tonight I decided to make Macaroni and Cheese for dinner.  Not just a mac and cheese from a box but one from our Everyday Food Magazine subscription.  I thought maybe since I haven't eaten macaroni and cheese in a LONG time, I would try it out.  Here goes......

Cook your Pasta

 Fisrt to start, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In the meantime, cook your pasta and drain; reserve.




Melting butter

Melt butter over medium heat. 



Adding onions

Add onion.  Cook stirring occasionally, until softened (about 3-5 minutes).




Adding the flour

Whisk in flour to coat onion.


Whisking in milk

In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.  Cook whisking often until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 6-8 minutes.

Adding Cheese

Stir in Cayenne, if using, and 1 cup each of yellow and white cheddar cheese.  Season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.


Adding Pasta and Ham

Toss pasta with the cheese mixture; then fold in ham.  


Adding to baking pan

Transfer to a 9-by-13 inch baking dish.

Breadcrumbs and Cheese mixture

I don't have a food processor so I just used a ziplock bag and broke up the bread into large crumbs.  But if you have a food processor, pulse the bread until large crumbs form.  Then add 1/4 cup each of white and yellow cheddar cheese and 1/4 tps. salt and top pasta with the breadcrumb mixture.

Finished product

Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.  Then enjoy.





Ingredients:
1 lb. elbow macaroni pasta, cooked and drained
4 TBSP butter
1 small onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded yellow cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded white cheddar cheese
8 ounces ham, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 slices white sandwich bread





This was my first attempt at making Macaroni and Cheese from scratch.  It was pretty good too.  It wasn't as creamy as I thought it would be but it was still good for a first try.


I give my first attempt at Macaroni and Cheese 3 1/2 stars.