Yeah, so I disappeared for a little while. It’s been just over a week since my last post, which isn’t ALL that long, but some of you (bless your hearts) have noticed and written to me, asking if everything’s ok. It is, very OK, but I got slammed with a huge new freelance project about ten days ago and all I’ve been doing is work, work, work. No time for cooking, and honestly the last thing I feel like doing when I finish writing for pay is writing for no pay. I’m exhausted!
So, please accept my apologies for being MIA. It will likely last another week or two, so I must request a little more patience. Soon enough I’ll be finished and back to cooking/baking/musing/complaining…
In the meantime, though, here’s my mom’s recipe for Macaroni & Cheese, straight from a 40-year-old Osterizer recipe book that came with my mom’s blender. It’s what Stephen and I served at our first dinner party a few weeks ago, which I swore I’d blog about but I’m now realizing just ain’t gonna happen. It’s the Mac & Cheese I grew up on—and if you’ve been paying attention, you know that I am not a cheese-fan. In fact, I pretty much hate the stuff. Plus Stephen’s got cholesterol troubles, so this isn’t something I make every week. But something about this recipe really appeals to me—the ratio of cheese to elbows is exactly right, and you can’t beat that butter-studded bread crumb topping… And the fact that the sauce is made in the blender means it’s about the easiest thing going—perfect for a casual dinner party. It was a huge hit (thanks, Mom!). People actually ate THIRDS.
Anyway, I must rush off to do some work now. More soon, I hope…
Best Mac & Cheese Ever
From the Osterizer recipe booklet, courtesy of my mom
Serves 4
2 T soft butter or margarine, plus more for topping
2 T flour
½ t salt
1/8 t pepper
½ t mustard powder (optional, this gives it a little bite)
2 cups hot milk (take it off the heat just before it boils)
1 ½ cups diced cheddar cheese
12 oz elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Put butter or marg, flour, salt, pepper, and hot milk into blender container. Press low button, then high for 40 seconds. After 20 seconds, gradually add cheese. Mix with macaroni, and empty all into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with additional butter or margarine. Bake for 30 minutes, until bread crumbs are nicely browned and cheese sauce is bubbling.