My mom used to joke with me and others saying that I came out sucking my thumb and eating macaroni and cheese. This has been my all-time favorite food for as long as I can remember. With that said, I’d say it’s high time I blog about it! So, let’s get started! Preheat your oven to 375 350 degrees.
The ingredients: butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, garlic and elbow macaroni
First, we'll melt three tablespoons of butter with 1/2 a tablespoon of garlic and salt & pepper to taste (I use A LOT of pepper)
Slowly warm 2-2.5 cups of milk, separately. It's better to mix warm milk (or liquids) into a roux.
Shred both blocks of cheese. The blocks I buy are 10 ounces. I'll use about 8-9 ounces of each cheese in the mix and then 1-2 on top.
Add in 4 tablespoons of flour
Mix well and cook on medium heat until smooth and bubbly - about 1-2 minutes.
Slowly add in the milk and mix well. Heat on med heat until boiling and thick-ish. NEW NOTE! - AS SOON AS THE MIXTURE IS THICK REMOVE FROM HEAT. OTHERWISE THE SAUCE BREAKS DOWN BECAUSE IT OVERCOOKS QUICKLY.
Don't forget the macaroni! Cook it about 1 minute less than the instructions say. They'll cook more once we put it in the oven.
Once the white sauce is thick enough (but not too thick) add in about 8-9 ounces of each cheese.
Mix well. Stir until all of the cheese has melted into the sauce. Make sure to taste the sauce before saying it's done. It could need more cheese! And never believe the lie that there is such a thing as too much cheese... that's simply RIDICULOUS!
Next up is buttering the casserole dish. I use a plastic sandwich bag - I put it on my hand, scoop some softened butter and butter the dish. Easy peasy!
Make sure to drain the macaroni really well!
Pour the macaroni and cheese back into the pot to mix.
Once everything is mixed, pour it all into the casserole.
This is about how much cheese I had left over... and it will go on top of the macaroni...
...just like this.
Now we’re ready for the oven. You’ll put this into a 375 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. So, while we wait for the macaroni to be done, here are some pictures of what the kiddos were doing while I was cooking!
The boys were both working on school work...
And Kylie was reading a Spiderman comic, for kids. 
And here is Zachary showing me what he REALLY does when he thinks I'm not watching....
So here we go…. I overcooked the macaroni and cheese. Well – too high of heat in the oven. Next time – 350 for 20ish minutes. *insert eye roll here*
I have to admit… I’ve never had macaroni and cheese made like this before. It’s a little intriguing. Maybe I should try it? It looks like a lot of trouble. I’ve never made a roux before for anything. My mother hates to cook. We grew up with boxed and canned food. I know… you are so sad for me. It’s okay. I love to cook. But somehow the idea of homemade, baked mac’n cheese is just a new thought for me. I wonder if my family would like it?
Pondering in Florida…
I think it LOOKS like a lot of work, but it’s really very easy. I’m generally done w/ the cooking before the macaroni is even cooked.
If you try it, let me know! Yum.
I will!
Oh yummy, yummy, yummy…
You know what? We are NOT low carbing it for Thanksgiving. I’m going to make this a thanksgiving dish. Oh… I can’t wait. Only 22 more days. Can I last that long? Maybe I’d better try it before company comes. LOL
Shhh… don’t tell.
LOVE this post. Thanks P.W… Um… I mean Tawna. (When is your book coming out?)
Yeah… I’m not publishing a cookbook. LOL! Try this dish. Make it this week. Let me know how you like it!