Mom's Macaroni and Cheese

Mom’s Macaroni and Cheese

**Notice the fine china..** Day One on My Menu

My mom raised 6 children. Holy cow, what a job! I have only 3 at home and I could only imagine 6 mouths to feed. Planning and creating 3 meals a day, groceries and snacks..it is overwhelming to give it so much thought. I do know however that my mom is one of the best cooks around and she passed all her cooking genes on down to her 4daughters. I am constantly looking, and experimenting with different dishes and treats. My mom always made sure that we tried all kinds of stuff.

I am sure my love for the different vegetables comes from her and my father. My father every year would start in February and turn over his garden, he had two large spots, probably 10x12. He would till over that hard soil and break up the clumps. Then he would revisit it again at planting time, tilling it all up by hand, with a pitch fork and a hoe. Then he would plan and plant, tomatoes, corn, peppers, cucumbers and anything else he could squeeze in. We also had two different kinds of grape vines, 3 apples trees, pear trees, a peach tree and loads of raspberries. My mom would take everything he grew and make great meals, and with the rest she canned. One summer she made grape juice, I can still taste it, and you can’t buy that in a store. The raspberry jam was to die for; she never kept it too long. Tomato sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, such simple yet so delicious during the warm summer months.

There were many meals that meat didn’t even make an appearance. Not sure we even missed it. One of her go to meals was macaroni and cheese. Not sure where she picked this recipe up from. My memory is short, and she always tells me, but I seem to be harassed by my children and I lose my chain of thought. I am again posting this one because it was so simple and so quick.


Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb box of elbows (I like elbows cause it just the right one for the job)

2 cups of shredded mild cheddar (you can use sharp for more flavor, Velveeta I don’t think is just not enough cheesy flavors)

1 stick of margarine

3 tablespoon of flour

3 cups of milk

2 tsps of yellow mustard (this was my addition, gave it a bit of a bite)

Instructions:

Cook and drain the Macaroni.

In a saucepan, melt the stick of margarine, add the flour and make a roux.
Add the milk next and stir till blended.
Next add the cheese and stir until melted and slightly thickened.
Grease a casserole dish and pour in cooked macaroni and then pour the sauce on top.

Top with buttered bread crumbs, crumbled potatoes chips or extra cheese. (Make sure you topping covers it all so you don’t get the hard cooked pieces of pasta, unless you are one of those that like to eat it)

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Makes a wonderful fulfilling meal. I made a cucumber, tomatoes salad. Toss them with a bit of olive oil, vinegar and a touch of basil from my garden. Yummy.