Simple Macaroni and Cheese    

From Smitten Kitchen

2 T butter (one to butter the dish, one for topping)

1 c sour cream

2 c milk

1 t mustard

Pinch cayenne

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 lb grated sharp cheddar cheese (hold back about 1/2 c of grated cheese for topping)

1/2 lb uncooked elbow macaroni

Preheat the oven to 375.  Generously butter a 10" or so casserole dish with 1 T of butter.  Mix the sour cream and spices, add milk, then the cheese and macaroni.  Mix well.  Dump into the casserole dish, cover, and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove cover, stir, sprinkle with remaining cheese, dot with remaining butter, bake for another 30 minutes uncovered.  Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes.

Macaroni and Cheese

Who doesn't love the stuff?  I wanted to see if Sam would like home made as much as the stuff out of a box so I found a recipe on line, a well-reviewed one from the NY Times.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2 T butter (1 T for to butter the dish, the other for the top during baking)
1 c full fat cottage cheese
2 c (non-skim) milk
1 t dried mustard
pinch cayenne
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated  (1/4 c reserved for the top during baking)
1/2 lb elbow macaroni, not cooked

Heat oven to 375F.  Use 1 T of butter to grease a 9" round or square baking pan.

In a blender (I used the food processor), puree the cottage cheese, milk, and spices.  In a large bowl mix the milk mixture, grated cheese, and dried pasta.  Pour into prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover, stir gently, sprinkle on the reserved cheese and dot the top with butter. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.


So let's just say it makes a lot of dishes for something that would seem to be so simple. It smelled great as it baked, but that wasn't enough to pull Sam from the video game he was playing with a friend...I'm not sure that a fire could interrupt the game though so it's probably not a fair expectation. The browned cheese on the top looks spectacular.

But creamy?  Not really.  It was kind of grainy but also delicious.  The pasta was pretty soft and I like a little more chew so I think it would have been better with smaller elbows (I used the large ones) or perhaps some other type of pasta if you're not a traditionalist.  And I'm not!

I think I'd make it again but try using some cream cheese to see if that would up the creaminess factor a bit.