My inaugural post for Yellow Elbow is a classic Mac N Cheese dish to me. Consisting of Colby-Jack, Cheddar, and Velveeta cheeses, this is what my mother used to make in her kitchen. I include one major addition; I add Munster cheese. I saw a YouTube video once of a user stating one of the best Mac N Cheese recipes they ever ate had Munster in it. That sounded good to me, so I included it in my recipe. The result is a creamy dish with mild, cheesy flavors that practically sticks to your ribs.

Dave’s Typical Mac N Cheese 

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz box of macaroni elbows (my wife likes it when I use shells)
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 15 slices of Velveeta cheese
• 8 slices of Munster cheese
• ½ cup of Colby-Jack cheese
• ½ cup of Cheddar cheese (I like sharp)
• 2 cups of milk (I use 2%)
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons of pepper
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg

Procedure:

1. To begin, I fill a pot of water up enough to cover the pasta. I put it on a burner on the stove, and let it begin to boil. When the water comes to boil, I’ll add just a dash of salt, and add my macaroni, and cook according to the directions on the box.
2.  Meanwhile, I will put the butter in a medium sized sauce pan, and turn the burner to around medium. When the butter has melted, I add the flour and begin to whisk. Once the butter and the flour our mixed together thoroughly, I will allow it to heat up in the sauce pan for another 2 minutes or so.
3. Next I will slowly begin to add my milk, whisking constantly as I add it. The keyword is slow.  The butter/flour mixes with the milk to become a thick but smooth roux. When it gets to this, thicker consistency, I generally pause with adding the milk and allow it to simmer for a minute.
4. One of the cooking ideas that I have incorporated is to add seasonings throughout the creation of a dish. This way the seasonings have a chance to blend in with and enhance the flavor of the other ingredients. At this point in time, I sprinkle half of the salt and half of the pepper into the newly made roux.
5. Next I add the rest of the milk and allow the sauce to simmer.
6. Once the sauce begins to simmer, I will start the cheese. First the Velveeta, followed by the Munster, and then the Colby-Jack, and finally the cheddar. I do this slowly and allow the cheese to melt fully into the sauce. As I add each new cheese, I do a taste test. If I feel it needs more of that cheese, I’ll add more. When all the cheese has been incorporated, I will add the rest of the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
7.  I do another taste test to make sure the sauce is to my liking. I’ve often noticed that after adding the sauce to the macaroni, the sauce becomes more bland. Therefore, I try to add a bit more salt to counteract this.
8. Once I’m satisfied with the sauce, I’m ready to add the macaroni. By this time, the macaroni is typically cooked and has been drained per the directions on the box. I add the sauce to the macaroni and mix well.

There it is! My typical Mac N Cheese recipe. All that’s left to do is to sit down and enjoy! And Of course, dishes. I hope this recipe has given you something to try and that you enjoy it! Until next time!

Dave.