It's the cheesiest...

Thanks goodness she's not allergic to cheese.

Now that I’ve made it know that I’m a total food snob. I will be giving you a recipe for Mac and Cheese. Ha! What can I say, I’m two-faced. I’ve tried several times to make mac and cheese to no avail. And now I know the secret… Don’t use whole wheat pasta or 1% milk. Go for the real deal. Enriched noodles (the cheaper the better,) whole milk, all of the butter. All of my dairy, products were hormone-free and this is very important since I used some of the most fattening dairy products available. Hormone is more concentrated in fat.

The only few changes I made to this recipe were…

Ziti subbed for elbow macaroni

Fine homemade bread crumbs baked on top

½ tsp of dry mustard added to the sauce

I am going to try a combo of sharp white cheddar and Gruyere (I don’t even know what this is, but Rachel R. likes it) and I’m going to add a dash of paprika (because Martha’s mom always added it to her mac and cheese.)

We served it with steamed broccoli and sliced oranges and even had enough for me, the boy and the baby for lunch the next day. This is amazing because Dex doesn’t do leftovers. I don’t fight him over it though because I LOVE leftovers.

OH! I ALMOST FORBOT. DON'T EVER LET THE SAUCE COME TO A BOIL... THIS WILL MAKE IT GRITTY. SMOOTH IS MUCH BETTER. I LEARNED THAT LITTLE TRICK FROM GOOGLE. GOOGLE KNOWS EVERYTHING.

The Everyday Macaroni and Cheese

From Tillamook

8 oz. dry elbow macaroni

2 tbsp. Tillamook® Unsalted Butter

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 1/2 cups (10 oz.) Tillamook® Medium Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.


In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 ½ teaspoons salt and macaroni. Cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally. Pasta is done when it is slightly chewy to the bite or al dente. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside.



Prepare sauce while pasta is cooking. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk and bring just to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking often, until sauce slightly thickens, 4-5 minutes. Add salt, pepper and 2 cups of cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and fold in pasta. Pour into prepared baking dish then sprinkle top with remaining cheese. 


Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and top begins to brown. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 15-20 minutes.