I asked my mother about why we always had it (not that I was complaining, I just wanted to know) and she explained it like this.
Alright Hannah. Think about the usual suspects. Theres four Walks, four Kesters, two Goodmans, anywhere between two and five Hills, Grandma Rhoda and Bobby, Gammy and three more Friedmans. That gets you to at least 18 people before you start counting the extended family. Feeding that many people means that you need to make something capable of feeding everyone from one or two pans. You have to make sure that you account for the picky people like you and Larry, but you also have to make something that will fill up the big eaters like Eric and Chandler or if Robbie (my brother's best friend) stays for dinner. Now think about mac and cheese. Everybody likes it and I can make four pounds of it in two pans. Thats enough that there wont be complaints about quantity.
People tend to think Im making it up when I explain that Ive seen as many as 45 people (that Im related to) crammed into my dining room, hitting each other with plastic plates as we all try to get the last bit of mac and cheese with the baked, crunchy goodness on top.
This is one of the few family recipes that we know how to make for less than 10 people. Be forewarned: Ive heard that after trying Aunt Shellys mac and cheese, its impossible to go back to the blue box variety.
Aunt Shelly's Macaroni and Cheese:
1 pound elbow noodles
1 jar Cheez Whiz Original Cheese Dip (dont event think about using the light variety)
1/2 stick unsalted butter cut into several pieces
1/2 - 1 cup milk or half-and-half (I tend to use some of both)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (You can pick the type. I like to use sharp cheddar.)
Salt, to taste
Optional:
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Pre-cooked chicken pieces
Assorted veggies cut to bite-sized pieces (I like broccoli and red bell pepper)
- Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil
- Add noodles and let boil for 7-10 minutes.
- While youre waiting for the water to boil, you might as well start on the sauce for your mac and cheese (it is the best part). Put the butter and milk in a microwaves safe container. Spoon in 3-5 tablespoons of Cheez Whiz. Since Cheez Whiz is rather sticky, try to break it up into a few glops to ease melting.
- Microwave the mixture on high for one minute. If you worry about having mic and cheese instead of mac and cheese, cover the container with a piece of butcher paper. Continue to microwave in small intervals until the mixture is mostly melted.
- Taste test the noodles. Are they cooked enough? Good. Dump them into a strainer to free up the pot. If you really need to, rinse them in warm water, but I dont. Give them a good shake to dry. Dont worry that theyre sticking together.
- Put the pot back on the stove and turn down the heat to medium. Add the beginning of the cheese sauce. Add more milk if it looks gloppy or if you want a thinner sauce.
- Watch the sauce to make sure it doesnt burn, and add the shredded cheese. Let it start melting as you go grab the noodles.
- Add the noodles back to the pot and stir them into the sauce thoroughly.
- Give it a taste. You can add more cheese or milk to make it exactly right. Do you want to keep going or are you hungry enough to eat now? This is one of the places you can stop. When I was younger, I wouldnt eat any of the baked part, so I made my mother stop here to leave some unbaked for me.
- Get a casserole dish. If you like the crunchy part, flat is better. My immediate family uses a deep stoneware dish that is so well seasoned it smells like mac and cheese. Put the noodles and cheese in to the dish.
- Add whatever chicken or veggies you want (this step is completely optional) and mix thoroughly.
- Spread shredded cheese over the top and dont skimp. We like to experiment with different kinds of cheese. The ones that melt are usually better (cheddar, Colby, pepperjack, mozzarella).
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbly and brown.
Serves: 3-5