Mom’s Mac and Cheese

 

My mom’s Mac and Cheese is a little different than your typical Mac and Cheese recipe.  Most recipes start with some sort of bechamel sauce with cheese added to it.  Not mom’s!  Hers is more of a deconstructed bechamel.  But it’s easy and delicious so it’s the perfect side to any meal.

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My mom never learned how to cook because she was the baby and she didn’t have to.  She also didn’t have much interest in it.  When she married my dad she taught herself how to cook through trial and error..and a couple of cooks at the mess halls of whatever Army post they were stationed at the time.  I have her old cookbooks and inside I find letters from her aunts and sisters with instructions on things like how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.  I love looking through them.

Growing up, our mac and cheese was made in the same bowl every time and I still use that bowl today.  You might be old enough to remember this gem.  It’s the largest of the 4 Pyrex nesting bowls and it’s 4 quarts.  It crushes me that they don’t make them anymore!  I have a link on the photo to a “vintage” one you can buy on Amazon.

When I decided to post this recipe I started thinking about what I’d make mom’s mac and cheese in if I didn’t have my trusty bowl and I found this beautiful pot from Rachel Ray  I just love the color and it’s the perfect size for any casserole.  Did I need it…no!  Did I buy it….yes!  And I love it!

Making mom’s mac and cheese is a lot like making lasagna.  It’s built up in layers and then in the oven it melds all together into gooey deliciousness! 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2/3 of a 16 oz package of dry macaroni
• 4 cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 2 2/3 cups of evaporated milk (2-12 oz cans)
• 6 slices Kraft American cheese slices
• 4 tbsp butter
• Salt
• Pepper

Here’s what you’ll do:

• If you are making it in an oven safe bowl, you’ll want to spray it with non-stick spray.  If you’re using a non-stick casserole pot like the one above you can skip this step.
• Boil your macaroni in salted water until tender (about a tbsp of salt)
• Now it’s time to start layering.  For the first layer, cover the bottom of the bowl with macaroni (about a cup).  Sprinkle a cup of grated cheese on top of the macaroni.  Add 1/3 cup of evaporated milk.  Add 3 small pats of butter and salt and pepper.  Break a slice of American cheese into 4’s and place on top.
• Next, use about 2 cups of macaroni and a cup of grated cheese.  Add 2/3 cup of evaporated milk.  Add a tbsp of butter in pats throughout the layer and add salt and pepper.  Place 2 slices of cheese on top, each cut in half.  Here’s what it will look like…

• The next layer will be about 2 cups of macaroni and a cup of grated cheese, and then a cup of evaporated milk.  And again, add a tbsp of butter in pats throughout the layer and add salt and pepper.  Place 2 slices of cheese on top, each cut in half.
• A final layer will be the same as the last layer but with only one slice of American cheese cut into 4.  I also reverse the layering so that the cheddar cheese is the final layer of the dish…just to make it pretty.  🙂

• Bake at 350 for about an hour.  It will look really liquidy when it’s done but don’t worry! 

• The last step is to let the mac and cheese rest for about 15 minutes before you stir it or serve it.  The allows the pasta to soak up the liquid and become a creamy, delicious dish.

I hope you enjoy mom’s mac and cheese.  I’m having fun documenting her old recipes for future generations!  Check out her salmon patties, which happen to go amazingly well with her mac and cheese!  

Happy tinkering,

Susan