macaroni and cheese revisited

Why do I continue with this elusive search for the perfect macaroni and cheese when I don't even like the stuff? Perhaps because my husband loves it and, when served a version that he approves of, will heap big mounds on his plate. Nothing more satisfying as a cook than watching someone obviously enjoy your food to the point of near gluttony.

OK...so I'm now formally retired from teaching and wanting to get in the kitchen more. An astounding TWO THIRDS of my readership has been clamoring for updates on my culinary endeavors (thanks Emily and Amanda!) meaning it's time for me to begin writing again.

At the beginning of this week I set out to the store, iPad in hand, grocery list loaded on Paprika, and ready to stock up on ingredients necessary for a number of chosen recipes. It's still been kind of crazy at work so the cooking has had to come between meetings, retirement parties, clean-out sessions at the school etc...Not to worry - this too shall end and I'll have plenty of time to cook my heart out.

Back to the macaroni and cheese. Remember I was less than thrilled with the Pioneer Woman's way too thick, creamy and cheesy version so I found another recipe to try out. This one came out of a lean cooking cookbook Jody gave me a few years ago. (It's probably not a good omen when your super skinny, beautiful sister-in-law feels the need to get you a cookbook specifically designed for helping take off those unwanted and unsightly pounds!)

I liked the look of this macaroni and cheese as it cooked up. No "curdling" of the cheese and milk mixture was certainly a good sign. In fact, the milk, flour and cheese (all four varieties) mixture looked textbook perfect in it's smooth, silky texture as I was whipping it for well over the eight minutes designated in the instructions.

Serving this up, I really did think it would be a hit with Martin but...not so much. I finally tried a bite myself and figured it might be too subtle and non-cheese taste-in-your-face for his palate. It was creamy and it tasted fairly rich, in spite of supposedly being low-cal (how can anything be truly good for weight when it has four different kinds of cheeses in the recipe????).

If I made this again, I'd probably tweak the cheeses to suit my family - maybe just throw in a whole block of the cheddar and forget the rest.

And one last side note. I actually liked the taste and texture of adding the melba toast crumble to the top of the macaroni though it may well have been the "exotic" difference that scared Martin off.

Creamy Four Cheese Macaroni Recipe

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 2/3 cups low fat milk
3/4 cups shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
3 oz. light velveeta
1/4 ts. salt
cooking spray
1/3 cup crushed onion melba toasts
1 t. butter, softened

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain
2. Preheat oven to 375
3. Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup, level with knife. Place flour in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick, about eight minutes, stirring constantly. Add cheeses, cook three minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove cheese mixture from heat, stir in cookied macaroni and salt.
4. Spoon mixture into 2 qt. casserole coated with cooking spray. Combine crushed toasts and butter, stir unti well blended. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. Bake at 375 for thirty minutes or until bubbly.