Over-the Rainbow Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients:
*1 tbsp vegetable oil
*1 lb elbow macaroni
*88 Tbsp & I Tsp butter
*1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Muenster cheese
*1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded mild Cheddar
*1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar (I usually double this and omit mild Cheddar0
*1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Monterey Jack
*1 cup (8 oz)Velveeta, cut into small cubes
*2 cups half & half
*2 large eggs, lightly beaten
*1/4 tsp seasoned salt (I omit this and use ¼ to ½ tsp grated nutmeg instead)
*1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350o. Lightly butter a 2 ½ quart casserole. Bring a large pot salted water to a boil. Add oil, then macaroni. Cook till tender (just) about 7 minutes. Don’t overcook. Drain well. Return to pot.
In small saucepan, melt 8 tbsp butter, stir into macaroni. (Or you can just put butter cut into small pieces into hot drained macaroni, and it will melt. Stir in the Velveeta. After butter is melted, and Velveeta is nearly so, add the eggs and half & half. Mix the shredded cheeses in a separate bowl, and at 1 ½ cups of the mixture to the macaroni mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Transfer to casserole and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup shredded cheese and dot with remaining Tbsp of butter.
Bake until bubbling around edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.
This is absolutely fabulous, from Patty LaBelle's cookbook. It is well worth tracking down the extra cheeses. I use all sharp chedder, no mild. Whole wheat macaroni makes it healthier. My kids love this, as do my husband and I.