Mac and Cheese Recipe

I just layer grated sharp cheddar and elbow mac in a sprayed/buttered casserole. Bake til browned on top. I top with crushed Ritz crackers browned in butter....mmmmmmmmm.

Here is my recipe. It can be made ahead and put into the oven when you want to cook it. My family loves it.

one 8oz. pkg macaroni
4 Tbsp butter (I use less to lower the fat grams)
2-1/4 C grated Cheese (I use a little less to lower the fat grams)
1 c Milk
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
buttered crumbs or crumbled potato chips (I use crushed shredded wheat to lower the fat grams. Tastes great even without crumbs on top)

Preheat oven to 300 F. Cook macaroni 5-8 minutes in boiling water until tender; drain. Stir butter into macaroni, add 2 cups cheese, milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into 2-quart casserole. Bake 30 minutes until cheese is well set. Sprinkle on remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and crumbs or chips, then bake 1 minute more until brown on top. Serves 4-6.

we do a baked mac and cheese that my kids love. You get the big shell macaroni. They are fun and hold the cheese better. Cook the shells until they are mostly done. They should still have a little stiffness to them. Then you layer your shredded cheese and shells in a cassarole dish. This takes practice till you get the level fo cheese layer you want. My kids love it really cheesy. I like to use cheese blends, cheeder and a little bit of the mexican cheese blend is our favorite. Bake it for 20 to 30 minutes till melted how you like. You can leave it in a little longer to get the top a little golden or you can broil it for a minute or two for the same affect. The shells will be completely soft by the end of this. It also reheats well according to the kids. This recipe is easy to clean up if you have sprayed cooking spray in the pan, it will mostly wipe out. You may have to do a little scraping, but not much. Don't soak because then that makes the cheese a real pain to clean.

This may or may not be what you are looking for but this is how I make Mac-n-Chez. I bring a lg pot of water to boil add a box of Mac noodles cook until done and drain, put back in pot add ~1/4 cup milk and 2-3 Tble spoon butter/marg and then assorted cheeses( sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, mozzarella,any kind you like)about 1-2 cups total, stir all on warm/cooling burner until cheese is melted. My kids like this better than Kraft box and this makes more for less $$$

Hi S.---There are probably as many mac and cheese recipes as there are stars in the sky. My mom always made home-made but that was a treat in my home when my kids were growing up. I'm so glad that you are giving up the processed stuff...although, you could still serve an organic Annies, or something like that which is made from real cheese instead of cheese like stuff for treats now and again.

My advice is to pick 2 or 3 of your most healthy, favorite recipes and keep trying with those. Kids are very resistant to trying new things, but will come to accept them after awhile. Dr. Bill Sears, www.askDrSears.com, tells that it can take sometimes up to 10 tries before a new food (or routine) is accepted. It takes loving persistence on your part...but you are the mom and know whats best for your kids. Ask them to try something new before they say they don'e like it. Even then, we would have the kids take at least, a number of bites equal to their age when they were little, offering that food alone. No other food was brought to the table until those bites were eaten...or you could offer the challenging food as an appetizer. The kids might come to you before the food is on the table. You could offer the mac and cheese first, sort of as an appetizer when they are most hungry. It may increase the odds of them eating more of it.

I have other ideas, please feel free to contact me at any time. Good luck and keep trying. D.
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Hi S.!! Applause for beginning the process of eliminating processed food! It's a great journey that is really worth it!

When I work with Mom's making lifestyle changes we are often far more ready than the rest of our family. I encourage Moms to leave the favorites alone for a while to avoid opportunities for resistance.

Once the taste buds change, it will be a lot easier for the children to accept that you've messed with their favorites. Another approach that has worked is to save the processed favorite as their once a month treat.

Has your Dr ever told you that wheat and dairy increases the mucus in nose and throat and sets up the environment for colds and sinus infections? Seems like this time of year it's really going around with the kiddos.

Good success with your food adventure!
M.

I do the basic recipe, but throw in some purees sweet potatoe or orage squash to make it more orange like the processed mac and cheese... I served it and my son actually said that we should open a restaurant with that recipe...that we would be rich!! now, I had NEVER gotten a compliment on food prior to that one!!!

KUDO's for getting away from processed food, I'm trying that too.

All my life I've made the Meuller's recipe, and love it. I think the box stuff has no taste. It will take about 20 minutes to prepare and then there is the baking time... but that's easy. I don't bother garnishing w/ cheese, I just throw the whole thing in.

http://online-cookbook.com/goto/cook/rpage/00156D

I tried it w/ flour... cornstarch is better.