Mac and cheese

[moroccangirl]

I was looking for a good recipe and I knew Paula Deen would have a good one. But what in the word is cheddar cheese soup? I don't even know if I can find that here. We have campbells products but I have never noticed that one.
Should I just add more cheese and milk instead? Or does anyone have a good recipe?

http://www.pauladeen.com/creamy-macaroni-and-cheese

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
3 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups (about 10 oz) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, (an 8 oz box isn't quite 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preparation
Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Add eggs. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

[seattlegirl]

Cheddar cheese soup seems like cheating somehow.  I'd think a blob of velveeta would sub.  Can you get that?

I haven't tried it yet, but I have Alton Brown's recipe bookmarked.  If you try it, please review it!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stove-top-mac-n-cheese-recipe.html

[moroccangirl]

Cheddar cheese soup seems like cheating somehow.  I'd think a blob of velveeta would sub.  Can you get that?

I haven't tried it yet, but I have Alton Brown's recipe bookmarked.  If you try it, please review it!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stove-top-mac-n-cheese-recipe.html

Is that the one that was on his fb page? With onions? I was going to try that one but I just can't bring myself to put onions in Mac and cheese.

[seattlegirl]

Is that the one that was on his fb page? With onions? I was going to try that one but I just can't bring myself to put onions in Mac and cheese.

No onions.

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

Directions
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

[merigayle]

America's Test Kitchen has the BEST recipe. Make that one.

[moroccangirl]

Nevermind, i'm making this one. I remember seeing it awhile back and it has great reviews (and it's simple). It's John Legend's recipe (the singer).

http://www.marthastewart.com/348566/john-legends-macaroni-and-cheese

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups elbow macaroni
2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
1/3 cup skim milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 (8-ounce) packages extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 (8-ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Paprika, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt and macaroni. Cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, and return to pot. Add butter, and toss until pasta is coated and butter has melted; set aside.
 WATCH: How to Cook Pasta
In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, skim milk, and eggs. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine cheeses; set aside.
Place 1/3 macaroni in an even layer in the bottom of prepared baking dish; cover evenly with 1/3 cheese. Repeat with remaining macaroni and cheese mixture. Pour milk mixture evenly over contents of baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake until top layer is lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

[diablita]

Ugh, Paula Deen.  And ugh, cheddar cheese soup in mac & cheese. 

MG, if you're going to experiment with recipes I'd suggest making both of Alton Brown's (stove top and baked) to figure out which general recipe you like better, then mod on your own from there.  Or the one you just posted (as a baked recipe) and the Alton Brown stovetop above.

[moroccangirl]

Ugh, Paula Deen.  And ugh, cheddar cheese soup in mac & cheese. 

MG, if you're going to experiment with recipes I'd suggest making both of Alton Brown's (stove top and baked) to figure out which general recipe you like better, then mod on your own from there.  Or the one you just posted (as a baked recipe) and the Alton Brown stovetop above.

I know!! I woke up this morning thinking I couldn't make that Mac and cheese even if I knew what cheddar cheese soup was, or where I could buy it. Just sounds gross.
I'm cooking on Saturday because our friends are coming from Riyadh on Friday. I think I'll do the John Legend recipe then try Alton brown's later when I have more time.

[moroccangirl]

And this year I'm going to print all of my recipes and modifications so I'm not doing this again next year!! I do the same thing every year.

[merigayle]

Yes, Alton Browns would be second to America's Test Kitchen.


Obviously when i made it i used things like veggie stock, etc

Ingredients:

Topping:
4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 T butter, melted

Macaroni and Cheese:
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
6 T butter
1 medium pressed garlic clove
1 t dry mustard
1/4 t cayenne pepper
6 T flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups whole milk
16 ounces colby jack cheese, shredded (about 5 1/3 cups)
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 2/3 cups)
Ground black pepper

1. For the topping: process the bread and butter in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely ground, about six 1-second pulses; set aside.
2. For the macaroni and cheese: adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 T salt and the macaroni; cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander; set aside.
3. Wipe the pot dry. Add the butter and return to medium heat until melted. Add the garlic, mustard, and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until large bubbles form on the surface and the mixture is slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the cheeses gradually until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir, breaking up any clumps, until well combined. Pour into a 9 x 13″ baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until golden brown and bubbling around the edges, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

[moroccangirl]

Meri I couldn't access the recipe on ATK site because I'm not a member, but I found it on another site. Do you know why I scrolled past it? Because I saw the bread slices as an ingredient. I was like why in the world would bread slices be in Mac and cheese. I guess if I would have read the recipe then I would have known it was for the topping!! Lollll. I may try that one after all.

[merigayle]

Lol! I posted it up above your last post.

[redkitty]

So I hate baked mac and cheese and think any mac and cheese that has eggs in it should be called mac and cheese (yuck.)  Here is mine.  If you want it "soupyier" then you could make the noodles outside of the milk and add noodles in after teh cheese sauce is made (but that is not how this recipe works....but saw a Eat yourself Thin episode that did just that with essentially this recipe.) 


Make a roux...1/8 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of butter (I am remembering this recipe off the top fo my head...I think anyway you make a roux would be fine.) 
Then pour in 3 cups of milk and bring to a boil
Add 8 ozs of elbow macaroni  and bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook until noodles are soft (around 8 minutes or so...make sure to not let milk boil over...boiled over milk smells awful.)
When noodles are soft, take off of heat and had 1 1/2- 2 cups of cheddar cheese. 

That is it.  it is yummy. The original recipe has onions in it, but I don't like onions in my mac and cheese.

[merigayle]

I have made the ATk one without the bread and without baking (Dh prefers it that way)

[ihop]

My go to recipe is from the late Gourmet magazine. It is on epicurious.com and is the 1998 version.

[moroccangirl]

Is baked Mac and cheese a southern thing? I like both ways but actually, I'm fine with boxed kraft shells and cheese (but not that powdered cheese).

[ihop]

I love baked because of the texture of the top - crunchy and creamy in one bite!

[Run Amok]

I'm not a fan of it baked either. Moreso as an adult. As a kid, I hated it.

This is my go-to recipe.I really like the combo of cheeses and it gets really creamy, but not stretchy. http://www.marthastewart.com/271998/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese

We also really like this smoked gouda mac & cheese:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/smoked-gouda-cheese-macaroni-recipe.html#!

[srsly]

I only bake my mac and cheese when there's buttered panko topping. I think baking makes it dry. I hate left over mac and cheese btw.

DS is making mac and cheese for TG, involves an expensive cheese. It better be good.

[diablita]

cold, leftover mac & cheese is my kryptonite