July 14 is National Mac and Cheese Day. If there is a food in the world that deserves its very own day of celebration, mac and cheese would be the one.
Beloved by almost all children, mac and cheese is one of my son Dean’s favorite foods, along with pizza and cheeseburgers. My nephew Hunter, 19, who was the pickiest child when it came to food, still adores mac and cheese and all its gourmet varieties. In fact, mac and cheese has been on every holiday menu since Hunter began eating solid food.
In the South, mac and cheese is a vegetable option at most every meat-and-three restaurants, and at Sunday lunch, you can expect a mac and cheese casserole snuffled between the fried chicken and fresh tomatoes. Whether it is topped with a crust of melted cheddar cheese or toasted bread crumbs, more than likely the dish will be cleaned at the end of the meal.
Southern-style Mac and Cheese Casserole
3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons salted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups half and half
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
1/2 cup Italian panko bread crumbs
Add 3 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni pasta to boiling, salted water, and cook until it's nice and firm, but not overly cooked. Melt four tablespoons of salted butter on a medium heat in a large sauce pan. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle in three tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and whisk until there are no lumps. Pour the half and half into the sauce pan, and whisk until smooth. Let the flour, butter, and half & half mixture cook until it starts to thicken, then reduce the heat to low medium. Add eight ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and mix until well. Sprinkle the seasoning salt and black pepper in the cheese sauce, and stir. Place the cooked & drained elbow macaroni pasta into a large bowl, then add in the cheese sauce and mix until pasta is covered.
Butter a 9x13 bake dish. Combine the remaining shredded sharp cheddar cheese with the shredded mozzarella cheese, and add a layer of the macaroni and cheese at the bottom of the bake dish, then top with a heavy layer of cheese. Repeat. Melt two tablespoons of salted butter, and combine it with the Italian panko bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs over casserole, and bake in the oven, uncovered, on 350 F for about 25-30 minutes.
Years ago, I found a Cowboy Mac and Cheese recipe in a local community cookbook and made it for my husband. The meat-and-potatoes guy loved it.
Over the years, I tweaked it to make it better, and today it is still one of my quick and easy dinner ideas. Prep time is around 15 minutes.
Cowboy Mac and Cheese
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
One box mac and cheese with liquid sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Brown ground beef with onions and bell pepper. Drain fat.
Cook boxed mac and cheese according to the directions. Combine beef mixture with noodles then add cheese sauce and mix. Top with cheddar cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Mac and cheese is now being served in five-star restaurants. On a recent trip to New Orleans, my husband and I enjoyed a decadent mac and cheese featuring several different cheeses and truffle shavings. A trendy restaurant on Main Street in Memphis serves lobster mac and cheese, and yes, it is as amazing as it sounds.
Crawfish Mac and Cheese
1 pound of frozen crawfish tails
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cans of evaporated milk
1 tablespoon of onion and bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons of butter
Water for boiling
Salt and pepper
2 cups American cheese
1 cup of Fontina cheese (shredded)
1/3 bread crumbs
Cajun spices
Onion and garlic powders
1 teaspoon liquid crab boil
Boil macaroni until al dente. Drain but do no rinse, and add butter and milk. Bring to a simmer, and stir in cheese. Stir often until cheese melts, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Thaw and drain crawfish, and season with Cajun spices, onion, and garlic powder. Melt one teaspoon of butter in skillet, and pour in bread crumbs. Stir mixture over heat for one minute then remove. Add in one teaspoon of butter, and add onions and bell peppers. Sauté until tender. Add crawfish, liquid crab boil, and stir until heated. Add crawfish mixture to mac and cheese. Pour into an oven safe dish, and top with fontina and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts.
