What are you favorite recipes for macaroni and cheese (home-made). I love it but I feel like jazzing it up sometimes- I always use old cheddar..what other cheeses are good in this? I know not emmenthal as it just curdled and ended up in tiny,little pieces-very unappetizing. I have been putting cayenne pepper in but it still seems a bit bland-any ideas?

I can tell you've I've made this one and it is very good. Rich and creamy: http://pasta.allrecipes.com/az/DwnHmMcrnindChs.asp and you can always jazz it up a little by throwing in some chopped up ham. You could add ham and peas (if you like them) and I've even added chopped up turkey before. You can add pretty much anything you like. You could add some pepper jack cheese for more flavor and ~heat~.

Thanks ~Laurie- I will try that recipe-I actually haven't had Velveeta in years. Does pepper jack melt like Cheddar or do you have to be careful with the heat etc? Do you know about cooking with Brick cheese- they have some with jalapeno in it and I was wondering about trying that too.

Any pepper jack I've used as melted good, but I don't know what Brick cheese is. I wouldn't use all pepper jack, but mix it with whatever other cheese you're using. I've also made a very quick simple mac & cheese right on the stove. I use a little of the water I cooked the pasta in, add some butter and add my cheese (usuallu cheddar and some pepper jack) right to it. It melts into a smooth creamy sauce and I mix the elbows or penne pasta right in. Sounds silly, but my hubby used to say it was really good too for just mixing it up on the stove. I think the starch in the pasta water does something. Makes it creamy or something.

I think the starch in the pasta water does something. Makes it creamy or something.
I watch alot of cooking shows, and they always save some of the pasta water. Must be something to it!!

Also, on the various 'Caprial and John' cooking shows, they suggest when boiling pasta, to make the water as "salty as ocean water"!!!!!!!

this made me laugh because of something I had for dinner last week... first of all, let me just state for the record that my fiance can NOT cook and I never let him because he ruins everything!!!!

Well, one night I was just not feeling well and by the time we got around to eating dinner it was 9:30 pm. so he cooked. and he made....................


MAC AND CHEESE WITH GROUND BEEF!!!!

Believe it or not, as nasty as I thought he was for making it, it was pretty good!

Re. pasta water - I have never done that but I want to try and see if I can tell a difference -I have also heard about saving some of the potato water too when mashing potatoes but I have never done that either. Strongernow- I used to have such a good recipe for 'Noodles a la Russe' which called for sour cream and ground beef and lots of garlic and it was so good so I can see how mac and cheese and ground beef would be quite tasty.Was it homemade mac.or did he use KD?

Ok, please come forward with the recipe for "Noodles a la Russe" if you don't mind. :p It sounds like something I'd like.

Laurie- I've been looking for that recipe for years - I can remember picking it up at a grocery store here in the '70's and after so many moves it is well and truly lost. All I can remember was the sour cream, wide noodles, ground beef and lots and lots of garlic. It was sort of a "poor man's Beef Stroganoff" as it called for the less expensive ground beef.Wouldn't it be great if another member here has the recipe?

Yes it would!

My Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

16 oz of Noodles
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of Flour
1 cup of butter
2 1/2 cups of milk
6- 8 oz bars of cheddar, mozzarella and colby cheeses (depending on how cheesy you want it.)
salt and pepper
2 eggs
Parsley


First boil your water then add your noodles and olive oil, cook until noodles are tender
Cut 3 bars of the cheese into cubes
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a 2 1/2 quart sauce pan
stir in flour
pour in milk gradually bring to a boil
add cheese turn fire down to med-low

Cheese sauce will be cheese and quite thick
Get a 13 X 9 in pan
put in Noodles, 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 eggs, salt and pepper to taste then add the remaining cheese shredded, pour your cheese sauce stir until well mixed, even out pan then sprinkle parsley on top bake for approximately 20 mins or until cheese bubbles.

You can also use Cheez Whiz instead of making your own cheese sauce.

What about adding cut up hotdogs to the maccaroni & cheese? I like it! Try it!!!!

Have you tried using Velveeta cheese?

Ok,my Mom's mac & cheese is awesome,everyone love's it!

Cook your elbow macaroni(usually 1 lb box) & then in an oven proof bowl,alternate layers of noodles,drained,canned chopped tomatoes(1can) & american cheese(1 lb,sliced.but you could add a little more if you like it really cheesy!)).Finish with covering the whole top with cheese,then pour milk into it until it almost reaches top.Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2-1 hour or until cheese is melted & browned & you can see it bubbling around edges.Let cool for a bit before serving to let it thicken up a little.Otherwise it will be soupy!You can use different types of cheeses,I've used cheddar,Jack,mozzerella or a combo of different kinds.You can also add cooked ground beef(really good cooked with chopped onion!) or cubed ham.This is the easiest mac & cheese ever 'cause you don't have to make a cheese sauce first!The milk mixes with the melting cheese & makes the sauce while it's baking!Enjoy!,Take Care,B

Ingredients:

5 cups cooked macaroni
(approx 4 cups uncooked)
5 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Mrs. Dash original to taste
Paprika
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the macaroni until done as usual.
Do not overcook it. Drain macaroni in
strainer.

Place macaroni, butter, salt,pepper, Mrs. Dash,
milk, mozarella cheese, and 3 cups of
cheddar cheese in casserole dish. Mix
eggs in a bowl first and then stir into
mixture.

Cover everything with aluminum foil and
cook for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Uncover and add extra cup of cheddar
cheese and sprinkle with paprika across the top. Bake uncovered
for another 15 minutes

Ok.. calling Doughsgirl to come add her mac and cheese recipe... It is the BEST!!!!!! I'm going to send her a pm. lol

Oh jeez, I have no recipes to add but I just wanted to say that it is everyone's fault on here for making me crave mac and cheese right now!

To keep your cheese sauce from curdling, take it clear off the heat and stir in the shredded cheese. It's keeping it on the heat that will curdle it.

Also, I once used some of that canned nacho cheese sauce on the macaroni and it came out really good.

Doughsgurl!!! Where are you??? lol I'll have to agree with Lisa..she makes the best Mac n Cheese...Here in Washington, every G2G we have..I whine until she agrees to bring it :-)

My ex mother-in-law makes the best mac and cheese ... she sautes onions in butter and sets them aside ... then makes from scratch mashed potatoes, saving some of the potato water ... she adds these extras to her mac and cheese using the potato water to thin as needed. Very good mac and cheese, she told me she adds the onions & potatoes for flavor and the potatoes also to give it extra bulk needed to feed hungry kids.

For my mac and cheese..i use a lot of cheese!!!
I use the big macaroni noodles..one big bag..i think its the 16oz one..
Then i use mild and sharp cheddar, monteray jack, velveta, and munster cheeses...about 1 1/2 cups of each..
Then about 2 cups of half and half...2 large eggs and butter

Boil the noodles, mix with butter and HH, then mix in cheeses...dot the top with butter..bake at 350 for about 30 minutes...GOOD STUFF!!

I won't eat hamburger helper (ick) but I like homemade macaroni with hamburger in it...go figure! :)

Hey, are you guys asking for mac and cheese recipes? I have one that my kids seem to enjoy, and I don't mind sharing it with you.

*1 lb box macaroni
1 stick butter or margarine melted and cool
16 oz. cheese (shredded) (cheddar, sharp cheddar or whatever you want)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
bread crumbs
paprika

cook macaroni, according to instructions, and drain. take 3/4 of melted butter and mix with milk and eggs. In a cassarole dish, place half of macaroni, and cover with half of cheese. Top with rest of macaroni, and then with cheese. Pour milk and egg mixture over entire cassarole. Mix reamining butter with bread crumbs, and sprinkle on top of cassarole. shake paprika on top to color. Bake 40-45 mins in 350* oven.

*note: even though the recipe calls for 1lb box of macaroni, i find that maybe 3/4 of the box is sufficient. You can alter the amount of cheese,
depending on your taste, but I usually use the 8 oz. blocks, (1 1/2 - 2) and
shread the cheese myself.
Hope that you enjoy it!

There is a website, cooks.com they have recipes for just about anything you could want. you can also put your own recipe on there to share. you might try there for the recipe for noodles a la russe. good hunting

I once had a gallon of jalapeno cheese sauce like for making nachos and used that for the sauce. It was really good. It's also good to take a large can of undiluted canned mushroom soup, add just enough canned milk to make it a little soupier, and then when it's bubbling hot, add shredded cheese of your choice, but take it clear off the heat to stir in your cheese. Shredding the cheese always makes it melt a lot faster. Then when that's all concocted, add it to your cooked macaroni, put it into a buttered baking dish, sprinkle a little extra shredded cheese on top and then bread crumbs or some crushed crackers or potato chips over that and put it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes till the cheese melts and starts to brown a little bit. I've cooked for so many years that I don't use measurements anymore-----I just eyeball it.

For spicy mac and cheese, (I am lazy so i use the box stuff), I buy a can of the jalapenos for nachose and chop those and add some of the juice they come in and add some velveeta and sometimes ground meet and its like Mac and Cheese la' Nacho!

I May Be The Dumbest Person On The Block, But I Have Never Heard Of Eggs In Mac And Cheese. I Learn Something New Everyday On Here.

I love lots of onion and red peppers in mine. I also use ground beef alot in it. For just my regular mac and cheese, I do a five layer of different cheeses. I use Swiss, Chedder, Sharp Chedder, Colby, Mozarella. When I really want high cholesterol I even put bread crumbs around the outside, that makes it taste different as well.

You can use any meat in it really to spice it up. Even the potted kind if you don't have leftovers.
Good luck to you and happy eating.

I MADE THIS FOR MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS AND ITS SOOOO GOOD COMFORT FOOD TO THE MAX!!


Leftover baked macaroni and cheese, refrigerated for at least overnight

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 egg beaten with 2 ounces water
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Oil for deep frying, preheated to 375 degrees

Cut refrigerated macaroni and cheese into slices or bite size pieces. Season the flour with salt, pepper and cayenne. Dredge each piece through the flour and gently tap off excess. Dip in the egg wash and then coat with the bread crumbs. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes so the crust can set. Very carefully drop into the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove to a baking sheet fitted with a rack and rest for 2 minutes before serving.

YUMMERS!!!! So basically it's just fried mac and cheese?

YUP! YUMMY!!

I just found this recipe for Macaroni & cheese. I plan to make it for Thanksgiving. It is for Patti LaBelle's Over-the Rainbow Macaroni & Cheese. I love all of the different cheeses she uses - plus the Velvetta! I always add Velvetta to my mac 'n cheese for that extra creamy texture.
I wanted to share it with you all.


Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe created by Patti LaBelle

Serves 4 to 6




INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons of the butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta, and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

I'm salivating here..... that sounds SO tasty!

I'll check in after Thanksgiving and let you know how it was.

1lb noodles
1 block velvetta
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 stick margerine
1 egg
1 bag of shredded cheese(your choice)

its best you make a double boiler or it burns the cheese
boil noodles
mix egg, margerine, milk, cheese. melt it all together. once melted mix the noodles in the cheese and put in an oven safe dish. then top with shredded cheese and bake for 35 minutes on 350.

very good .....if you love cheese its perfect

angela

No need Ms. Nuro - just tell me where in Georgia you are. I'm just in SC and will be happy to test this out in person! ;-)

Hey Ajap - I live in Atlanta! What part of SC are you in?

No need Ms. Nuro - just tell me where in Georgia you are. I'm just in SC and will be happy to test this out in person! ;-)

I'm in Columbia, but I went to school in Atlanta. REAL Atlanta and not the 'burbs - just a few blocks from The Varsity.

Baked macaroni and cheese?

I love mac & cheese, I just don't like the store bought one too much, but a friend of mine made a baked mac & cheese a long time ago, she is in the military so I don't have that much contact with her.

Does anybody have a recipe for this? Thanks!

Rebeca

Here is my original recipe. I don't measure anything; I eyeball everything but I'll try to give you the best approximations that I can. This recipe makes a 13x9 pan of baked mac 'n cheese.

Ingredients
1 lb box macaroni
8 oz packages of the following shredded cheeses:
Colby Jack
Monterey Jack
Sharp Cheddar
Mild Cheddar8 oz Velveeta cheese
Half & half

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil water for macaroni.
Cook macaroni for 7 minutes. You want it almost aldente but not quite. It will continue to cook in the oven.
Drain the macaroni, rinse with cold water and set aside to completely drain. Once it is completely drained, add it to a 13x9 baking dish.
Season macaroni lightly with seasoned salt & pepper.
Cut the Velveeta into cubes. Because Velveeta is a very soft cheese don't worry if you cannot cut the cheese into perfect cubes. Set aside.
In a saucepan over low to medium heat, pour in about 16 oz. of half & half. To the half and half add all of the cheeses except the Velveeta. Continue stirring until all of the cheese have melted and blended together. Pour entire mixture over macaroni in baking dish.
Add cubed Velveeta to the baking dish. Stir all of the contents of the mabing dish until mixed well.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until top is golden.

Also here is a link to thread full of Mac 'n Cheese recipes
http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=883335#post883335