An Alternative to Kraft

            Let’s take a moment to ponder one of life’s best foods: macaroni and cheese. Originally, macaroni and cheese was a delectable meal made from thick, creamy, cheesy white sauce combined with freshly made pasta boiled to perfection. To make it, you would have to dedicate some time, for it is not quick and easy. To begin, you would melt a generous amount of butter in a large saucepan and then stir in flour, making a loose paste. After it is completely cooked together, you whisk hot milk into the paste which creates a thick and creamy sauce. When you add the white cheddar cheese in, you get a sauce that has the power to turn everyone’s frowns upside down. While the sauce is being made, the pasta is added to a pan of boiling water. This water is bubbling uncontrollably, even spilling over the top of the pan into the blue flame that lies underneath, creating a tssss. When the pasta is added, the bubbling subsides which is an expected side effect of mixing anything cold with something warm. Upon the completion of the cheese sauce and the pasta, the two are added together and baked. The result is a thick, creamy, sticky, springy, mouth watering, delectable meal that warms the heart and the stomach.

            Compare this to a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Included in a rectangular box are all of the major ingredients you need to make this meal: elbow macaroni and powdered cheese. With this macaroni and cheese, there is nothing to make and prepare before hand. You simply boil the macaroni until it is cooked the way you like, and add the ingredients into the same pot. The cheese sauce is created from a small amount of butter, milk, and the packet of powdered cheese. The powdered cheese is a hideous orange, and smells very processed. The second you open the packet, powder flies up into your face, and for me, makes me sneeze. Without the butter and milk, it clings to the sticky macaroni creating orange, chunky macaroni. Upon adding in the milk and butter, you either have a clumpy outcome that is not smooth or creamy, or macaroni and cheese that is basically cheese soup with some macaroni added in. Unlike the real macaroni and cheese, the outcome is not thick, creamy and delectable. Rather, it is thin, soupy, and nothing special. When you take a forkful of this macaroni and cheese, it does not hold its shape. All of the cheese slides right off of the pasta back into the bowl. Honestly, it is easier using a spoon so you can capture a pool of cheese soup with every bite. This is nothing like eating homemade macaroni and cheese, and makes me wonder why bother shortcutting when the real thing is much better. Sometimes quick and easy is quick and easy, but is it really worth it in the end?

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Time: Approximately 35 minutes

Makes: Enough for a family of 4, with leftovers!

Ingredients:

            1 LB box of your favorite small pasta

            4 tablespoons butter, plus

            4 tablespoons flour

            2 cups milk

            1 1/2 – 2 cups of cheese

            1 ½ cups bread crumbs

Procedure:

1.      Preheat Oven to 400°F

2.      Make Cheesy Cream Sauce

Cheesy Cream Sauce- 10 Minutes

• Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan
• After butter is fully melted, stir in 4 tablespoons of flour with a metal whisk, and blend well over low heat
• Stir in 2 cups of cold milk
• Once cream sauce is mixed together, 1 1/2 – 2 cups of your favorite shredded cheeses to the mixture, and stir in on low heat until all of the clumps are gone, and all that is left is a smooth, thick cheese sauce. (My favorite cheeses to use in this sauce are Cheddar and American.)
• Once the sauce is completed, put on cool burner until pasta is fully cooked

3.      When sauce is completed, boil a pot of water for a 1 LB box of pasta and add the pasta in when water is at a full boil

–        cook for the time allotted on the box

4.      While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a small pan, small frying pan is easiest, and then add 1 ½ cups bread crumbs into the pan to brown them

5.      When all of the ingredients are completed, mix cheesy cream sauce and pasta in a baking pan, then top with browned bread crumbs

6.      Bake the Macaroni and Cheese for approximately 10 minutes, or until it is browned and bubbling slightly.

7.      Let sit for several minutes. Enjoy!