Four Mac & Cheese Recipes, & Two More Tuesday Recipes

Four Mac and Cheese recipes, as well as a dessert and apple cider. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE MACARONI AND CHEESE

I had been looking for a really simple but good homemade macaroni and cheese recipe, and this fits the bill. My daughter and granddaughter had come over on my granddaughter's birthday; while they were here, my daughter whipped up this recipe. She'd been making it for quite a while. It was a definite hit with everyone in the house.

1 box (16 ounce) cannelloni pasta (see Note)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Note: Just about any tubular pasta can be used in this recipe, though it seems to work best with something bigger than elbow macaroni. Some of the better substitutes for the cannelloni would be ziti, penne, rigatoni, or elicoidali.

Turn oven on to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions. If the package gives you a bracket – say, 12 – 14 minutes – lean toward the lower time, since you don't want the pasta to be too mushy. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large pot, melt butter on low heat, then add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook on low heat, stirring continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk and cook on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes until mixture thickens, stirring continuously.

Remove from heat and add macaroni, stirring it into mixture. Add the shredded cheese, and stir in completely.

Pour mixture into a 13 X 9 inch pan and bake at 350 for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove carefully, as it will be hot. (You knew that, right?) Dig in.

This makes 4 – 5 servings.

Photo: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, on the left in the blue dish, and Benecol Macaroni and Cheese, on right, in orange casserole dish (from Avon)



BENECOL MACARONI AND CHEESE

For several years, there was a magazine dedicated to walking, titled Walking Magazine. It had many good articles, tips and recipes for those of us who feel a little more comfortable race-walking than running. Unfortunately, the magazine folded several years ago. This recipe was in it during its final year. Serves 4.

1/2 lb. small shell style macaroni

4 Tbs. Benecol

3 Tbs. all purpose flour

3 Tbs. finely chopped onion

1 1/2 C 2% milk, warmed

few drops Tabasco Sauce

1-pint nonfat cottage (or ricotta) cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 C flavored bread crumbs

1 Tbs. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-by-9 inch pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Cook shells according to package directions, strain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

To prepare sauce, melt Benecol in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Quickly whisk in flour, add onions, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour milk into flour mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add Tabasco Sauce and cook an additional minute. Whisk in cheese and salt, and blend in shells; transfer mixture to prepared pan.

In small bowl, mix oil and bread crumbs together; spoon over top of macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

Per Serving: 510 calories; 27.2% calories from fat; 3G saturated fat; 65G carbohydrates; 12MG cholesterol; 612MG sodium; 2G fiber

GRANDMA'S MAC AND CHEESE

This comes from my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking, found on Amazon.com.

Both of my grandmas were characters—I could write a book about either one. This is my dad's mom's version of the ultimate comfort food. She told me she made this for my dad and my uncle when they were kids. Very simple, but very good.

1 lb. elbow macaroni

1 – 2 jars of Cheese Whiz

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Heat Cheese Whiz, either in microwave or boiling water. (Remove lids from jars first.) Drain macaroni, dump into a large bowl, add heated Cheese Whiz, stir, and PIG OUT!!!

CLASSIC BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

This comes from Tablespoon.com, and starts off, "This classic macaroni and cheese recipe is a perfect side dish for your fall meal." Personally, I think that this would work just fine for a rainy day in any season – as would any of the macaroni and cheese recipes here. Prep time: 20 minutes; total time: 50 minutes; makes 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 package (7 1/2 oz) elbow macaroni (2 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cook time.

Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat; stir in flour with whisk until smooth. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, black pepper, red pepper and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir in cooked macaroni.

Spoon mixture into casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

CHAI SPICED APPLE CIDER

This comes from one of my favorite email lists, TheKitchn. If you haven't checked out TheKitchen or its sibling site, Apartment Therapy, you should. The recipe, which serves 4, starts off, "I’m not a very frilly hot beverage kind of person. Most of the time it’s coffee with a splash of heavy cream, or a simple cup of hot tea. On occasion, I’ll splurge and get a latte but beyond that, I don’t branch out too far. However, once fall hits, I start craving hot apple cider — usually paired with a freshly made apple doughnut from the local apple orchard.

"This chai spiced apple cider is a lovely fall splurge and it's easy to make!"

To view this recipe online, click here.

4 cups apple cider

1-inch whole piece ginger, peeled

2 whole cinnamon sticks

8 whole cloves

6 whole cardamom pods

4 whole black peppercorns

1 whole star anise

1/2 whole vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise

1 cup whipped cream (store-bought or homemade)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Ground cinnamon, for topping

In a 2-quart sauce pan, combine the apple cider with the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, star anise, and vanilla bean. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes until fragrant.

Strain the cider and divide between two mugs. Fold the maple syrup into the whipped cream, then dollop it into each mug. Finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

ALMOND JOY

This yummy recipe comes from the April 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times. While I love most of the recipes I find in Vegetarian Times, some of them really stand out, as far as I'm concerned; this is one of them. It begins, “As delicious as a candy bar, this delicate dessert whips up in an instant. Use prepared chocolate syrup to garnish the cake. If you really want to fancy it up, make your own fudge sauce, and drizzle it on before serving.” Serves 8 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

1 14-oz. premade angel food cake

2 12-oz. pkg. soft silken tofu

4 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar

1 Tbs. almond extract, or to taste

1 8-oz. pkg. almond paste

2 cups sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Chocolate syrup, as desired

Tear angel food cake into about 2×4-inch rectangles, and put about half of them into 3-quart serving dish.

Put tofu, sugar, almond extract and almond paste into blender or food processor, and purée until smooth. Pour half mixture over cake pieces, and top with remaining cake. Pour remaining mixture over cake, and garnish with almonds and drizzles of chocolate syrup. Chill, or serve immediately.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 470; Protein: 15 g; Total Fat: 23 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 53 g; Sodium: 380 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 16 g