I Had A Rough Day Macaroni Cheese Recipes

ULTRA CREAMY BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For baked macaroni and cheese, heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 3-quart casserole dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray. For stove-top mac and cheese, move on to the next step.
• Grate the cheeses and set aside. For baked mac and cheese, reserve 1/2 cup for topping the pasta before baking in the oven.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta then follow package directions, but cook 2 minute less than the recommended cook time. Drain then rinse pasta with cold water and set aside.
• Add milk to a large microwave-safe measuring jug and microwave 1 to 3 minutes until warm. Alternatively, you can add milk to a large saucepan over medium heat then heat milk until warm.
• While the milk warms up, melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, add the flour. Cook, constantly whisking until the butter smells fragrant and nutty - the color of the butter-flour mixture will be light brown; 2 to 3 minutes.
• While whisking, slowly pour the warm milk into butter and flour mixture. Continue to cook, constantly whisking until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Remove the pan from the heat. and then stir in mustard, black pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, 4 cups of cheddar and all of the Romano cheese. Stir until the heat from the sauce melts the cheese.
• Taste the sauce for seasoning, and then adjust with additional spices or salt (we usually start with 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt and go from there).
• If the drained and rinsed pasta will fit into the pan, add it to the cheese sauce. If the pasta will not fit, add both the pasta and sauce to a separate large bowl and stir well.
• For a stovetop mac and cheese, cover with a lid and set aside for 5 minutes. In this time the pasta will absorb some of the extra cheese sauce. Serve.
• For a baked mac and cheese, pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Top with the reserved 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, until bubbling, about 30 minutes. For browned cheese on top, turn the oven to broil, and then broil 3 to 5 minutes until the top has blistered and lightly browned. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

MACARONI AND CHEESE FOR ONE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until mixture is smooth. Slowly add half-and-half, whisking as it is poured in. Stir until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add Cheddar cheese, salt, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, and turmeric; whisk to combine.
• Drain macaroni and add to the cheese sauce. Stir until evenly coated.

TIM'S MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and reserve.
• In a large sauce pan, melt 4 tablespoons butter or margarine over medium heat. Add flour and some ground black pepper to taste; stirring until paste-like consistency. Add milk to mixture and stir continually until mixture starts to thicken; slowly stir in cheese 1 cup at a time until all cheese is melted.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pour cheese mixture over macaroni. Mix well and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Place bread pieces on top of macaroni mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Melt 4 tablespoons butter or margarine and pour over bread. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve.

RAW MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a deep baking dish. Stir uncooked noodles in melted butter until well coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper and cheese on noodles. Pour milk on all until it just reaches the top of the noodles. (Do not stir) Bake at 375F for one hour. Do not stir.
• You can add frozen vegetables to the dry noodles and place some meat on top before you bake. Peas, pepperoni, and colby jack cheese is my family's favorite. We've also loved other variations too.

"WORLD'S BEST" MACARONI & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350; F. Set a large pot of water on high heat.
• Meanwhile, begin the sauce by making a roux: in a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Continue to stir this roux over medium heat for two to three minutes.
• The roux should be cooked and free of the flour flavor but still light in color.
• Gradually add milk, whisking briskly to maintain a smooth sauce.
• Cook the sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching.
• When sauce thickens, add cheeses, salt and spices to the sauce, and stir until all the cheese has melted. I make my sauces in the microwave; turns out great and never scorches.
• Somewhere during this sauce-cooking process, your pasta water has started boiling. The original is made with Penne noodles. Add a generous amount of salt to the water and cook the pasta until almost but not quite al dente (two minutes before the package directions indicate). You want barely undercooked pasta so that it can finish in the oven later. Halt the cooking by draining the pasta and rinsing with cold water. Return pasta to pot.
• Pour sauce over pasta and stir until completely incorporated. The combination should be fairly saucy, almost soupy.
• Dish the mixture into a buttered 9-13 pan and sprinkle with extra grated cheeses and cayenne. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until you have beautiful, browned edges. Those edges will be a welcome and flavorful addition to each serving.
• Let the dish sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. I divided this in 2 containers and froze one.