"How To: Mac and Cheese" by Emma M

One time upon going to my aunt's house, I asked her what we were going to eat for dinner and she said macaroni and cheese. In my mind, I was thinking about the same kraft macaroni and cheese that has been done many times. However, it wasn’t any bland mac and cheese, it was layered! When seeing the layered macaroni and cheese I was astonished that I haven’t thought or ever heard of something like this, and upon coming home I was determined to find a recipe and make it my own. Scoring the internet, I found some recipes but when checking the reviews and looking at pictures, none looked appetizing or appealing. After looking through different recipes I finally found one that looked promising. With a few alterations to John Legend’s macaroni and cheese, I began to make my own layered mac and cheese that became a staple item at all family gatherings. When first attempting to make this on my own, I found that it was very dry and needed more seasoning, so after multiple times of remaking this recipe throughout many months, I came to a recipe that came out to my liking.

 

Thanksgiving has always been a time of family gathering, and new memories are always formed during this Holiday. Even before I was born, my family has hosted Thanksgiving at our house for years. We have family that comes in from the Bay Area, Arizona, and even Kenya to celebrate Thanksgiving. Our house is always filled with laughter, and love resonates within the walls of our home. The food we have on Thanksgiving is our hot golden-brown turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, and exploding seasoning stuffing. We also cook many African dishes such as chapati, skuma, etc. since my parents were born and raised in Kenya. The array of food that everyone brings and cooks is so diverse. Overall, around my family’s kitchen, is food that originates from different nations which all come together for this one special day.

 

With all the amazing foods that we have on this day, I always remembered how when I was a kid all I wanted was pizza and macaroni despite all the beautiful food that was available. Even when my younger cousin came over, I saw that they too had the same tendency of wanting to order pizza and stick to the norms of American food. So after careful consideration, in the year I perfected my layered mac and cheese, I decided to make it on Thanksgiving and add it to the diverse selection of foods that we had. The first year was very hectic adding my layered mac to the meal list because every year my kitchen is always jam-packed with family members. However, in 2017 I made it successfully despite the extra people in the kitchen. When placing the platter down, all my younger cousins and even older family members swept every last bit of the layered mac and cheese that I made. Now, every year since then I’ve had to cook double because there’s never enough leftover even with two platters full. So I wanted to share this recipe, although it’s not one hundred percent unique to me, with John Legend's help and Martha Stewart's website. I’ve been able to create a staple dish every year on Thanksgiving that even beats the attraction to the turkey.

 

Ingredients :

 

●      ½ stick of salted butter (to put on the macaroni)

 

●      ½ stick of salted butter (to put around the glass dish)

 

●      1 teaspoon of Kosher salt

 

●       ½ teaspoon ground pepper

 

●      ¼ teaspoon of seasoned salt

 

●      4 cups of macaroni (usually 2 bags/boxes)

 

●      2 cans of evaporated milk (12 oz each)

 

●      ½ cup of skim milk

 

●      2 eggs

 

●      ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

 

●      4 (8-ounce) packages of any cheese you prefer (I use 1 bag of Mexican style blend cheese, 1 bag of Colby jack cheese, 1 bag of Monterey Jack Cheese, and 1 bag of Extra Sharp grated cheese)

●      Paprika for the top of the dish

 

Tools Needed

 

●      Measuring cup (to measure the ingredients out)

 

●      2 medium mixing bowls ( 1 that will contain the liquid mixture, and the other will contain the dry ingredients)

 

●      Large pot (to boil the macaroni)

 

●      Wisk ( to combine the ingredients)

 

●      Glass Dish 13-by-9 (where the layered mac and cheese will be made and baked in)

 

●      Tablespoon measurement ( to measure the seasonings)

 

Directions:

 

●      Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 

●      While the oven is preheating butter your 13-by-9 glass dish (until the glass is covered in butter).

 

●      According to the macaroni bag (or box) instructions boil the amount of water needed per each bag ​(usually 6 cups of water per macaroni package according to a Kraft box)

 

●      Add salt to the boiling water and once the water is boiled add the macaroni.

 

-       Warning: Make sure you try the macaroni and make sure it has enough flavor. I would

 

recommend making it under-salted (slightly) because the liquid ingredients contain more seasoning.

 

●      Cook until al dente or according to the package directions.

 

●      Drain the water from the macaroni and return the macaroni (without water) back into the pot.

 

●      In your large pot (that has macaroni ) add the ½ stick of salted butter and cook until the macaroni has been coated with butter, and the butter is melted.

 

-       Set aside this pot of macaroni.

 

●      In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs (first), skim milk, and evaporated milk.

-       Add the seasoned salt, garlic powder, Kosher salt, and ground pepper into the same

 

medium bowl as above.

 

●      In a second bowl add all the cheeses and mix them together by hand.

 

●      In the glass dish (13-by-9) place a thin layer of the macaroni (from the pot) and cover the bottom.

-       Next, add a thin layer of the cheese mixture and cover the macaroni that was on the

 

bottom.

 

●      Repeat this layering process of macaroni and then cheese (until there’s no more macaroni or cheese left).

 

●      When you finish layering add the liquid mixture (with the eggs, milk, salts, etc.) and pour it evenly over the baking dish.

 

●      Sprinkle paprika on top, over the whole dish (for extra seasoning and color)

 

●      Bake for 35-45 minutes (or until the top is browned)

 

●      Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before serving (so that it can finish cooling off)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from: weheartrecipes.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from:

 

marthastewart.com