Better Than Moms Mac N Cheese Food

MOM'S FAVORITE BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, salt, mustard and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture boils and thickens.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• To the milk mixture add the Cheddar and American cheeses; stir until cheese melts. Combine macaroni and cheese sauce in a 2 quart baking dish; mix well.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

MOM'S MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add the cheeses, stirring until cheese is melted. Drain macaroni., Transfer macaroni to a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni; mix well. Melt the remaining butter; add the bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 30 minutes or until heated through and topping is golden brown.

BETTER THAN MOM'S MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. (NOTE:) Recipe may be doubled for 9"x13" or 4 qt. casserole.
• 2. Lightly grease a 2 or 2 1/2 quart casserole dish; set aside.
• 3. (This step is the most time consuming, so you may want to shred the cheeses ahead of time. Please don't use the pre-shredded cheeses as it will negatively affect your results.) Gather and prep all ingredients except macaroni (shred cheeses, crush croutons etc...).
• 4. Add water and 1 teaspoon salt to large pot (5 qt. or larger;) over high heat, bring water to boil.
• 5. Add macaroni; stir. When water returns to boil, reduce heat to medium-high; set timer and cook for 8 minutes.
• 6. Drain macaroni, but do NOT rinse.
• 7. Return macaroni to the hot pot.
• 8. Immediately add butter and cream cheese; stir gently until melted.
• 9. Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a plastic food bag or bowl combine cheeses.
• 10. Add combined cheeses to macaroni. Stir to mix well.
• 11. Into the half & half, add egg, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Whisk or beat well with a fork until very well combined.
• 12. Pour over macaroni and cheese mixture in pan; stir to mix well.
• 13. Pour macaroni mixture evenly into prepared dish. (If you have a little shredded cheese leftover, you may sprinkle on top of macaroni mixture, up to 1/2 cup.)
• 14. Make the topping by combining crushed croutons with melted butter.
• 15. Stir to coat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
• 16. Sprinkle evenly over macaroni.
• 17. Bake at 350ºF for approximately 50 to 60 minutes (place a sheet of aluminum foil over it, towards the end of cooking time, if it is beginning to become too browned).
• 18. Serve immediately. Cover and refrigerate leftovers. If reheating, add a tablespoon of milk or half & half to the bottom of the dish.

FIVE CHEESE MAC 'N CHEESE FOR GROWNUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
• In a large Dutch oven, saute bacon pieces until crisp. Remove and set aside. Saute onion in the bacon drippings until they wilt. Add the butter to pot and whisk in the flour, stirring constantly. Next whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream, whisking constantly.
• Season with thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Cook over low heat (simmer) for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Strain out solids (thyme and bay leaf). Immediately add 1 cup of the Fontina, the bleu cheese, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, 1/2 cup of the cheddar, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Stir until cheese is melted. Add the drained pasta and stir to coat.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Combine the remaining cheeses with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over top.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes until bubbling and lightly browned. Let rest a few moments before serving.