Easy Peasy Mac-N-Cheesy

Easy Peasy Mac-N-Cheesy

Mama Lanette loves macaroni and cheese!  Alyssa JoJo loves macaroni and cheese! Being the homegrown Midwestern foodie freaks they are, the cheesier, the better.  Everybody loves a good homemade macaroni and cheese recipe, and this one is super easy!  Well, actually, Grandma JoyJoy doesn’t care for macaroni and cheese.  I guess it has something to do with growing up in the days when Catholics never ate meat on Fridays, (blah blah, Catholic guilt, blah, blah) not just during Lent as we are apt to do in modern times…if even then (sorry Baby Jesus!).  Even so, Mama Lanette and Alyssa JoJo did not let Grandma JoyJoy’s dislike deter them from an intense love of the Mac-N-Cheese.   Oh no!  We moved far beyond the blue box blues, with its artificial neon orange powder, and into a world of naturally-hued tangerine dreams. 

 Once you realize how easy homemade Mac-N-Cheese can be, you might just never look back.  Soon you will be adding green chilies and salsa, making it Mexican style, or adding tuna and some mushrooms to create the perfect cheesy tuna mac.  Adding a little ham, green peppers and onions is another blissful concoction that is a perfect use for leftover Easter or Christmas ham.   And, true to Mama Lanette style…it freezes beautifully!  You don’t think the SOB and I eat an entire pan of this, do you?  Oh no, my little freaks!  Mama Lanette cannot be trusted to let leftover Mac-N-Cheese sit in the fridge, the compulsive overeating disordered little gal she is.  As soon as that pan cools off, poof!  Off she goes, cutting it into “perfect for two” sized pieces, wrapping it in foil, labeling it with her hot pink Sharpie, and popping it into the freezer.  It is as delightful thawed and reheated in the oven as it is the first time around.   So here we go freaks!  Try them and let us know what you think!

Ingredients

1 pound box dried pasta.  Once again, Mama Lanette likes the fun shaped stuff, much like a small child.

1 can cheddar cheese soup

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese.  I prefer sharp cheddar, but use whatever you have on hand or prefer.  You can even go with something other than cheddar if you want to get crazy!

1-1/2 cups milk or half-and-half

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add pasta.  Cook according to package instructions.  Drain.

 

While pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, combine milk and the can of cheddar cheese soup.  Stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper if desired.  Mix in shredded cheese. 

Add drained, cooked pasta and combine gently until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Spoon mixture into a baking dish; 4 quart or cake pan size.  Top with Panko bread crumbs.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Turn oven on broil for a couple minutes if you want a nice brown top. 

Bam!  Ain’t that a nice looking pan of mac?  And YOU made it, so you can control what goes into it, and even better, what is going into the little tots’ bellies.  Use skim milk instead of whole or half-and-half if you want to cut the calories a bit.   I’m not saying this is a healthy dish, but sometimes food just tastes and feels better when you made it yourself and can attest to the ingredients.

Next week, freaks!  <3 Mama Lanette

Alyssa JoJo's Mac-N-Cheese

 I think we can all agree that mac n cheese is one of the most amazing things around. Once you walk away from the chalky version that comes in a blue box, a completely new world of what macaroni and cheese IS MEANT TO BE opens up in front of you, and yes, golden gates and singing angels are included.

This week Mama Lanette and I both attack mac n cheese.  This is a recipe I've been making for a couple of years now and has made me a total Mac N Cheese snob. Everyone I have fed this to has drooled over it, and I personally think that it's super super easy to make. (Mama Lanette thinks that her's is easier but I think she's starting to get old and senile) So bring out your noodles and find what version you like most!

 Ingredients: 
8 oz elbow macaroni
8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) 
12 oz small curd cottage cheese 
8 oz sour cream 
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese 
1 c dry panko crumbs 
1/4 c butter, melted 
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water with a little bit of salt to a boil and then add macaroni. Stir occasionally until noodles are fully cooked. Drain and put back into large pot.








Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream with noodles. Put into any pan that you would like. I did a large muffin pan with a mini bread pans. Before that, all I used was a 9X18 cake pan. Just do whatever makes sense to you.












Melt butter and mix with panko crumbs. Sprinkle over the mac n cheese for a nice crispy crust.

Bake at the 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Bring out a big bowl and eat as much as you can. Goes well with a nice green side. (We did broccoli bites.) And if you make this, please tell us what you think! xoxo Alyssa JoJo