Alright, folks, let’s talk about a classic comfort food that’s near and dear to my heart—macaroni and cheese. Not just any mac and cheese, mind you, but the old-fashioned kind, like your grandma used to make. I tried my hand at it the other day, and let me tell you, it was a trip down memory lane. Let’s break down the process, shall we?
Get Things Ready
First things first, I preheated my oven to 350°F (about 175°C for my friends across the pond). While the oven was warming up, I got a big pot of water boiling on the stove. Once it was bubbling away, I tossed in a box of elbow macaroni. You gotta cook it until it’s just about tender, but not all the way there—al dente, as they say. About 7 minutes did the trick for me. Then, I drained the pasta in a colander and set it aside.
Whip Up That Cheesy Goodness
In a saucepan, I melted down a stick of butter over medium heat. Once it was all melty and bubbly, I whisked in some flour, a little at a time, until it was all smooth. This is your roux, the base of the cheese sauce. I let that cook for a minute or two, just to get rid of that raw flour taste. Next, I slowly poured in some milk while whisking like crazy to avoid any lumps. After all, smooth and creamy is what we are looking for here! Once the milk was in, I turned the heat down a bit and let it simmer until it started to thicken up. It took a little patience, but it was worth it.
Now for the best part—the cheese! I took the sauce off the heat and stirred in a whole bunch of cubed cheese. I used a mix of cheddar and Colby Jack because that’s what I had on hand, but you can use whatever you like. You just want to keep stirring until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth and luscious.
Mix it up
I dumped the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and gave it a good stir until every single noodle was coated in that cheesy goodness. At this point, I also added in a pinch of salt, some black pepper, and a dash of smoked paprika. Oh, and a little celery salt because why not? It gives it a little something extra, you know?
Some Extra Touch
- I read somewhere online that adding tuna and celery would be a good idea, so I did that.
- Thinking of how to make the texture even better, I fried some breadcrumbs and added them into the mixture.
- Some folks recommended a bit of mayo and dijon mustard or some pickle juice, but I skipped that this time. I might try it next time for fun.
- Also I added some nutritional yeast flakes for that extra cheesy flavor without actually adding more cheese.
Bake and Enjoy
Finally, I poured the whole mixture into a greased baking dish and popped it in the preheated oven. I let it bake for about 20-25 minutes, just until it was bubbly and golden brown on top. The hardest part was waiting for it to cool down enough to eat! But let me tell you, that first bite was heavenly. Creamy, cheesy, with a little bit of a crusty top—it was pure comfort food bliss.
So there you have it—my adventure in making old-fashioned macaroni and cheese. It’s not the quickest recipe, but it’s simple, satisfying, and totally worth the effort. Give it a try sometime, and let me know how it turns out!
