Wednesday, March 12, 2008

"I'm not going to the store" Macaroni and Cheese

My brother-in-law John just moved into a new apartment, and this past Sunday he invited his parents, Joe and I over for dinner. John was making oven fried chicken (which was super delicious, by the way) and I offered to bring a side dish. I decided macaroni and cheese would be a perfect compliment to the chicken, but I did not know what John planned to make until Sunday afternoon so the mac and cheese was a last minute decision. I was NOT in the mood to run to the store so I decided I would make do with what I had in the house. I searched around for a good recipe that would use the ingredients I had and finally chose this one from Erika at Bean's Bistro. I made a few changes to accommodate my ingredients and it turned out very well. Next time I will add some more spices (I was out of dry mustard, which might have added more flavor) to give it a little kick, but all in all it was creamy and delicious! Below is the recipe as I made it.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 box elbow macaroni
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup half and half
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz asiago cheese, shredded
breadcrumbs, enough to coat top

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni according to package and drain. Pour into a large casserole dish and set aside.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, adding slowly until mixture is smooth and a little thick.
Slowly whisk in the milk and half and half, bringing to a gentle boil, thickening the sauce until smooth and creamy,
Stir in the salt and pepper to your tastes.
Stir in the cheeses until melted.
Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked macaroni in the casserole pan. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top.
Bake in oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

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