Thursday, November 15, 2007

macaroni and cheese

I love casseroles. I really really love casseroles. I wish I could make them year-round, but turning on the oven in the summer is just not going to happen. But at this time of the year - well, there's nothing better.

Macaroni and cheese is a favorite. The real kind, not the kind my kids would really prefer me to make. It's easy and yummy and you get plenty of leftovers, too. So here we go:




  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook a box's worth of elbow macaroni and cut up a crown's worth of broccoli.

  2. Melt about 2 tbsp of butter in a medium-sized pan. Add an equal amount of flour and stir stir stir. It will get really thick, and it will want very much to burn, so keep stirring.

  3. After about 5 minutes, or once the color had darkened a bit, add 2 cups of milk and salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. (Like how I say "to taste" because I don't really know how much I add?)

  4. Bring to a boil, still stirring to blend in all the lumps.

  5. Turn off the heat and add a package's worth of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir some more until it's all melted.

  6. In a 13 x 9 pan, pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and broccoli, mixing everything in well. Top with bread crumbs and some olive oil.

  7. Bake it for about 40 minutes until the top is browned and crunchy-looking. Enjoy!