I've mentioned this dish in a previous recipe, and I've also mentioned in my last post that I'm pretty much a stickler for the Thanksgiving staples. You may not think that macaroni and cheese is Thanksgiving-ish in anyway, but let me tell you that in my husband's family it most certainly is. Not only does his Thanksgiving menu offer the typical turkey and such, growing up his holidays have always been flavored with a lot of soul and southern comfort. Food, that is- not the drink. The drink comes out later on in the day when the domino case is busted out.
After we first got married, we were living in Phoenix for our first several Thanksgivings, and his family was a good four hours away in northern NM. His sisters Tammy and Von, along with their kids and eventually a grandkid or two would drive down the day before, and stay usually until Sunday. Since it was the only time throughout the year that we really got to see them, we threw a feast that lasted for days... At any given Thanksgiving we had no less than 10 to 12 people staying at our house. Who needs a hotel when we have sleeping bags?? As and added bonus, they could swim while dinner was being cooked!
Somehow I was nominated to make the macaroni and cheese. It seemed like a strange thing to me at first, but I just went with the flow and found a recipe I thought everyone would enjoy. It happened to be from a cookbook I had by Patti LaBelle. Her recipe was originally titled "Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese".
So I gathered the ingredients, and added a little more cheese than the recipe called for. This recipe is really more cheese than macaroni, but that's okay!
When the mac-and-cheese was pulled from the oven my sister-in-law Von was the appointed taste tester, to which she took her first bite and said- "This macaroni and cheese is sooooo good it makes me want to slap my Momma!"
From that Thanksgiving forward, I have been faithfully making this dish, meanwhile thanking everyone for NOT slapping their Momma while indulging.
So- if you're ever looking for the best (slapping optional) recipe for macaroni and cheese, look no further, my friends!
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds elbow macaroni
10 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup shredded Muenster cheese
3/4 cup shredded New York Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded Monetary Jack
3/4 cup shredded Colby cheese
3 cups half-and-half
2 cups Velveeta , cut into small cubes
3 large eggs , lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups half-and-half
2 cups Velveeta , cut into small cubes
3 large eggs , lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a deep. large casserole dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.In a small saucepan, melt 10 tablespoons of the butter. Stir into the macaroni.
In a large bowl, gently toss the shredded cheeses to blend by hand.
To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 3/4 of the shredded cheese blend, the cubed Velveeta, and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining butter. Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.
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