Thursday, April 18, 2013

Really Easy Mouthwatering Mac & Cheese Recipe


Hi! {Julia here!} If you thought making homemade macaroni and cheese was beyond your skill level, think again. You'll never buy the orange stuff in a box again after one bite of this truly mouthwatering dish!
Baked from scratch, you have control over what goes into your meal (no chemicals or food coloring!) and I promise, it's so easy that even I can bake it. :D

Ingredients:

(Most people have 2-quart casserole dishes, but we altered this for our 3-quart dish... the 2-quart measurements are in (bold) and the rest is 3-quart. There. I did the math for ya!)

  • (2 Tbsp) 3 Tbsp corn starch
  • (1 tsp) 1-1/2 tsp salt
  • (1/2 tsp) 3/4 tsp dry mustard (optional)
  • (1/4 tsp) 1/4 tsp pepper... that's all it needs
  • (2-1/2 cups) 3-1/4 cups milk
  • (2 Tbsp) 3 Tbsp butter
  • about (3 cups) 4 cups of freshly grated cheddar cheese (divided)
  • (8 oz.) just over half of a 1 pound box of elbow macaroni, or 2-1/2 cups
  • Ritz crackers (or Saltine crackers, or whatever kind you like) for crumbling
You can fudge the ratio of noodles and cheese, this is a very forgiving recipe. ;) Also, this is the perfect way to use up those last, lonely, slightly-stale crackers in the package. :D


Directions:


  1. Prepare a 3-quart casserole dish by lightly greasing the bottom and sides with butter.
  2. Be amazing and do two things at once by starting a pot of boiling water for your noodles and cook them while you are making the cheese sauce. 
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine corn starch, dry mustard, and pepper, stir in milk until smooth. Add the butter. 
  4. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for one minute and then remove from heat. 
  5. Reserve about a third of the grated cheese for topping the noodles later, and stir in the remaining cheese into the sauce until melted. 
  6. Drain your cooked noodles and put them in the casserole dish. Pour in the sauce and stir it a little.
  7. Sprinkle with reserved cheese and crumble crackers over top (this is the fun part). :D
  8. Bake uncovered (at 375 degrees F) for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 
Serves 6-8 people depending on the appetites! :D

Enjoy!



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29 comments:

  1. Now that's what I'm talking about? :) Macaroni and cheese is totally my language so I'll have to try this recipe. You're right, the boxed stuff is for the birds!

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    1. Haha! Awesome, Vicki! I think you would love this recipe, it's definitely right up your alley, ya'll always make such delicious stuff. :D Thanks for commenting!! :)

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  2. Hello Lovely, what a lovely blog. I'm your newest follower from Blog Hop. Followed you via GFC, Pinterest,Facebook & Bloglovin'.
    Feel free to visit, follow and leave me comments @www.revampspunkyrena.com
    xoxo
    Rena

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  3. This looks so good! I love macaroni and cheese, but I rarely make it because it's a little more time consuming than I'd like. But I can do this. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. It's honestly the best mac & cheese I've ever had, anywhere! I think you'll like it too if you try it out! :D And like we said, it's not that hard. :D Thanks for stopping by and commenting! :)

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  4. looks divine! You can't go wrong with a nice bowl of mac n cheese :)

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    1. Nope, you certainly can't! ;) We love it at our house! :D

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  5. This recipe looks similar to one I've tried but, instead of crackers it used a breadcrumb topping. Looks yummy! I'd love it if you come link up sometime @ DearCreatives.com my party is open Fri-Thurs.pm.Have a great week!

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    1. Oh, the crackers are the way to go. :D Crunchy and flaky and all-that-jazz. :D Thanks so much for the invite! Hope you have a great week too!

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  6. Mmm...this looks delish! I've tried making some baked mac and cheese before but I have never had them turn out well. This looks delicious, and I love the crunchy top! I'll be adding this to my "to try" list! Thanks for sharing...

    Monica @ chic-eats.net

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    1. This recipe is pretty much no-fail, give it a shot! Sorry to hear that your other recipes didn't work, that's no fun. :P You're quite welcome, and thanks for visiting!

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  7. I make mac & cheese on every holiday. The family insists! Your recipe looks delicious.
    Thanks so much for sharing at The Gathering Spot. Have a wonderful week :)

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    1. Mac & Cheese is a great holiday food! We sure do love our recipe. Hope you're having a wonderful week too! Thanks for visiting!

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    1. LOL- looking at these pictures makes me hungry too, Kristy. ;)

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  10. Serious Comfort food! Thanks for sharing on Show Me Your Plaid Monday's!

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    1. Oh yes! This is one dish that definitely qualifies as "comfort food"! So nummy. :D

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  11. Wow - this looks like the perfect comfort food! I’d love for you to bring this to Tuesday’s Table over at Love in the Kitchen (http://zentmrs.blogspot.com/2013/04/tuesdays-table-for-april-23-2013-and.html)!

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    1. Thanks for the invite, Susan! We love being invited to linkys, it makes us feel so flattered. ;) Yup, this Mac & Cheese IS comfort food. :D

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  12. Holy YUM, Batman!! Your mac is-a-callin' my name....Kiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmm.......make me!!
    Stopping by from Pint Sized Baker, pinning this!

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    1. HA-hahaha. What does Batman's mother say when his supper's ready? "Dinner-dinner-dinner-dinner-dinner-dinner-BATMAN!!!" ;) Woohoo, we love getting pinned! Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Looks fabulous! thanks for doing the math too :-) And thanks so much for sharing on Busy Monday!

    A Pinch of Joy/

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  14. I love some good mac n cheese! Gotta try this recipe! Thanks for linking up at Pint Sized Baker's Two Cup Tuesday Party! I've pinned this! I hope to see you again on Monday Night!

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  15. This looks delicious! And I will definitely add the mustard :-) Thank you for sharing at our ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party ! Looking forward to see what you will bring us tomorrow!

    Linda
    With A Blast

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  16. This looks wonderful! Thanks so much for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday! I hope you'll be able to share with us again this week! :-)

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  17. Julia, this is lovely. It would be great if you linked it to Food on Friday: Pasta and Noodles. The showcases from this Food on Friday have not yet been selected. This link will take you to my home page where you will find a sidebar with links to all the different Food on Fridays. So that I know you have linked and can be sure to pin to the board I have for each one, please do leave a short comment. Cheers

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    1. Carole,
      Thanks for the invite but we were out of town and didn't get a chance to link up! Hope the link-up party went well!
      Thanks, Gloria

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