Day 94 -Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni - the darker of the two is a fortified pasta with multi-grains and Omega 3's. 

I used ¼ lb. of each.


TA DA!

Change is good, right?

I thought we needed to update the blog, make it a little cleaner and easier to read. 

Besides, I didn't know what the birds in the upper right hand corner had to do with baking anyway.  Unless it was the egg commonality. 

Yeah, no birds.

I'd love your feedback - let me know what you think!  I can take criticism, too.

I understand, some people don't like change and may have a hard time with it.  (I already am every time I click on to see it, it freaks me out just a little bit 'cause I've forgotten that I've done it.)

And don't worry, I won't go changing it every 90 days either.



I had some time on my hands today and as I was hanging Mr. 365's shirts in the closet, I decided to arrange them in order of color.

Is that weird? 

It's something I've always secretly wanted to do.

Like wanting to swing on a trapeze and then do a somersault in the air.

Seriously.

And then after they were all neatly arranged by color, I gathered the sleeves of the shirts as I was taught to do early on in retail, so that they would all fall the same way and be "just so".

Anal retentive, I know.

But with some things, that's just the way I am.



It's gotten so that I've been having to do a search on my own blog now to see if I've already made the recipe or some form of it.

90+ recipes and no duplications. 

We need to make it 365, and so the challenge continues!



Baked Macaroni & Cheese adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, pp. 274, 333; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.



Macaroni & Cheese - serves four

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Butter a 8 X 8" square baking dish; set aside.



½ pound elbow macaroni, cooked

2 cups cheese sauce (follows)

½ cup finely shredded Colby/Cheddar Cheese(Mexican Cheese)

¼ cup grated Gruyere cheese

½ cup freshly made buttered breadcrumbs (follows)



Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1¼ cups milk, heated

½ cup finely shredded Colby/Cheddar Cheese (Mexican Cheese)

salt

freshly ground pepper

As the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown - about 2 minutes.



 Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens.  Bring to a boil.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 



Lower the heat and stir in the Colby/Cheddar.  Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.



Buttered Bread Crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup Italian style bread crumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Add bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Mix well.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.



Put the cooked macaroni into a large bowl and pour the cheese sauce over it.  Add the Gruyere cheese.

 Mix gently with a fork. 



Turn out into the baking dish.

Sprinkle the shredded Colby/Cheddar over the top and spread the breadcrumbs over the cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.





Every day I rate what I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  Over dinner, the family decided that this macaroni and cheese earned 3 rolling pins.

We really liked the addition of the Gruyere cheese, but thought it could have used ½ cup more cheddar in the sauce with another ¼ cup of milk.  The family wanted it cheesier.  Also, next time I would not use the fine bread crumbs - too gritty, and too much - or I would only use ¼ cup.  I would really prefer to use cubed bread slices like we did when we made mac. and cheese in 8th grade Home Ec.

Next time.

This is a keeper, I just think it needs these modifications.

Remember, the 100th day post is coming up and with that will be a giveaway, so keep reading!

Happy baking!