macaroni and cheeeese!

i never really cared about macaroni and cheese, or grilled cheese for that matter, until i married cory. i knew he loved grilled cheese-i'm pretty sure he had ten grilled cheese sandwiches a week during our engagement. he makes them himself, i make them, or he gets them from various restaurants! anyway, during our first few months of marriage, with our own kitchen and a stocked pantry, i made my way through my mom's repertoire of delicious meals. one day, i decided to make her adaption of martha stewart's macaroni and cheese (http://www.marthastewart.com/271998/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese). we had this every so often growing up and i loved it, but i never craved it, you know? however, when i made it for cory, i got a reprimand for having withheld it from him so long! and then he made me make it for guests and for a work bbq/pool party and other various occasions. this mac and cheese is the kind that you bake in a glass 9x13 pan and cut it with a knife and it comes out in a nice square. it is cheesy and delicious, but it is not oozing with creamy cheese...which is why i included the second recipe!

the second recipe i've included is one i found online in my search into the wonderful world of CROCK POT MACARONI AND CHEESE. yes, you can put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and come home to yummy, cheesy goodness. i've only made this once (tonight, actually). i've made other macaroni crock pot recipes, but they weren't as creamy as this one. the only thing i don't like about this is it was a little grainy-i did use pre-shredded cheese-and i felt like it needed a little more spice. in my personal opinion, you can't make a good mac and cheese without DRY/GROUND MUSTARD. mom's recipe adds onions/bread and this recipe calls for cayenne (which i omitted for cor, but will probably include next time. or maybe some onions. we'll see :) personal preference. anyway, if anyone else has favorite macaroni and cheese recipes, let me know! 

our favorite mac and cheese (serves a lot of people. like 8-10 easily).

 
8 T butter
3-6 slices white bread crust removed, small pieces (i usually use about 4 slices)
2.5-5 c milk (i usually use 3 c)
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/2 c flour
1 lb noodles-elbow, rotini, shells..
1 tsp dry ground mustard  
about 6 c cheese-usually i use what's on hand-colby jack, cheddar, mexican
 
1. preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. melt 2 T butter in large sauté pan  
3. pour melted butter over bread pieces in a bowl. mix. set to side.  
4. make noodles according to package while making cheese sauce. takes same amount of time for both roughly.
5. spray 13x9 pan with Pam or rub with butter, set to side
6. melt remaining 6 T butter in saute pan, add onions to it. sauté them. once butter is all melted and bubbly，add flour. you are making a rue here. keep over medium heat. stir until all blended. then slowly whisk the milk in. this is a little tricky. add a little milk at a time. keep whisking (is that a word?) so it's smooth. you want it to be thick and smooth.  i usually add about 3 c milk total to the rue. it takes maybe about ten minutes to make the rue. once you stop stirring, it starts to thicken. 
7. when it's done and a nice smooth sauce, remove from heat and add salt, pepper, dry mustard and 4 c cheese. stir it all till it's blended. 
8. then add the noodles. mix them in. (make sure you drain the noodles-obvious but you never know). 9. pour cheese and noodles into 13x9 pan. spread evenly and then add more cheese to the top! like 1.5-2 c. then top with bread crumbs.
10. put in the oven for thirty minutes. i always check it about halfway and usually cover with foil then because I don't want the bread crumbs getting burnt. if the bread topping is not brown at the end of cooking, remove the foil and let brown for a few minutes.
11. enjoy! we usually eat this with fruit and vegetables. mom has served it with ham before too. it's mostly a main dish for cory and i. it also refrigerates well! 

sorry i don't have a picture. just picture a casserole dish with mac and cheese in it.

creamy crock pot mac and cheese  
(from http://www.101cookingfortwo.com/2012/08/creamy-crock-pot-mac-and-cheese.html?m=1)
i followed this recipe exactly. i will do bread crumbs, spices and better cheese next time i make this!

2 c noodles (cooked)
1/2 c sour cream
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 stick butter (4 T)
1 c milk
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 1/2 c shredded cheese
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional-i did not use)

1. cook pasta according to package, except cook for 2/3 cooking time. i cooked mine for about seven minutes, instead of ten. 
2. combine pasta, milk, cheese, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper, butter and dry mustard into crock pot. 
3. stir until blended and then turn to low.
4. cook on low for about two hours. stir when done.

that's exactly what i did. i went to class after i assembled it and then came home and it was a little brown on the edges, but barely. cory actually took a picture! it's not super appetizing i guess, but trust me, it's good. otherwise i wouldn't put it on the blog, and my crock pot wouldn't be empty. also, it doesn't make a ton...i would say it serves about 4-6 single servings. and that's like 1 c servings, not cory size. (he used my mom's serving bowl as his cereal bowl when we were home for christmas! :) he must burn some serious calories working so hard on the grounds crew!) 

 happy cooking!