When the grandchildren were little, Grandma would make this quick and easy Mac & Cheese in her microwave. The recipe is based on one in the cookbook that came with the Kenmore microwave. We had a same cookbook (and microwave) and I followed the same recipe for Mac & Cheese in those days. We always doubled the recipe and adjusted the ingredients a bit. As to the microwave times, remember that microwaves differ in power and that our microwave in the early 1990s was probably not as strong as those of today. You may need to increase or decrease the times or adjust the power to compensate for these differences.
INGREDIENTS
2½ c uncooked elbow macaroni
4 Tbsp (½ stick) butter or margarine
¼ c (4 Tbsp) flour
¼ tsp salt (optional)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp ground pepper
2 c milk
8 - 10 oz grated good quality extra sharp cheddar
8-oz pkg Kraft deluxe sharp cheddar cheese slices (once called Old English slices)
½ c cracker crumbs (optional)
Cook the macaroni according package directions. Drain and set aside.
While cooking the macaroni or making the sauce, grate the extra sharp cheddar and slice the Old English cheese slices into slivers.
Begin the sauce in an 8-cup glass measure by melting the butter on HI for a minute or so until melted.
Stir in the flour, salt (optional), Worcestershire, dry mustard, and pepper. Set aside.
Pour milk into a 2- or 4-cup glass measure and cook on HI for 2 minutes, or until nice and warm.
Gradually stir milk into butter-flour mixture.
Cook on HI for 5 minutes or so, stirring once during cooking.
Stir, cook on HI 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and thickening.
Blend in the cheeses, saving out a half cup or so of cheese if you plan to bake the casserole in the oven.
Stir until the cheese is melted.
In a 2 - 2 1/2-quart casserole dish, combine the cheese sauce and macaroni.
Optional: Combine remaining cheese and cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over top of casserole.
Cook on 60 (BAKE) in microwave for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture is bubbling. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes before serving.
Alternatively, bake in a 350o oven until heated through and bubbling.
Grandma always used Kraft deluxe Old English cheddar slices in this Mac & Cheese. This is now known as Kraft deluxe sharp cheddar slices, and it melts easily and gives the dish a touch of color. The grandchildren were able to help Grandma make dinner by slicing the Kraft cheese slices into slivers with a regular knife (and with Grandma's assistance, at least until they got older).
If you cannot find or don't want to use a processed cheese, just use all extra sharp cheddar or create your own combination of tasty cheeses. I do not substitute regular american cheese or Velveeta as they don't seem to have enough flavor. (See note below.)
For more traditional mac & cheese recipes, try the following recipes on the Food Network web site. The concept is always the same (pasta plus a cheese sauce), but the proportion of sauce to pasta and the proportion of cheese to sauce varies quite a bit... it's a matter of taste.
Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Emeril Lagasse's Em's Mac n' Cheese
Note: I recently read in Cook's Illustrated magazine that the processed cheese helps keep the cheese sauce from getting grainy, a common problem if only sharp cheddar is used.