Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 small onion, chopped (I just use onion flakes)
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs, or more as needed (I just smashed up the yummy focaccia croutons from Costco.)

Directions

1. Fill a pan with lightly salted water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Drain well.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the chopped onion for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook and stir the butter, onion and flour for 2 to 3 minutes to make a roux, and remove from the heat. Whisk in the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all the milk has been incorporated, and return to low heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to finish cooking the flour.
4. Temper the egg (whisk it in a separate bowl and slowly add 3/4 cup of the flour mixture to the egg mixture - then add back to the flour mixture) 
5. Whisk in the Cheddar cheese, a few cubes at a time, until all the cheese has been incorporated and the sauce is hot and smooth.
6. Pour the macaroni into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine. Stir, salt, and pepper.
7. Spoon the macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crumbs are brown and the casserole is bubbling. Let stand for 15 minutes after baking, to set before serving.
    

This is one of our, not so healthy, comfort foods.  Delightful! 

Wheat Pasta

This may not be the easiest way to make pasta, 

for flat wide noodles its tasty,

for smaller noodles maybe stick to the store.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of fine salt

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Make a well with the flour

2. Add eggs and oil in center of well

Stir oil and eggs in center of well until blended, don't let it breach wall.

Slowly stir 

4. Use your hands

When the mixture is to stiff for fork, use your hands. Draw in flour at the bottom until you have soft, moist, not sticky ball of dough

5. Knead the dough

Clean surface and dust it lightly with flour. Knead for 12-14 minutes until smooth and elastic

6. Let the dough rest

Shape dough into ball, cover with over turned bowl, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Don't let it sit for longer or it will dry out.

7. Roll out the dough

Cut dough into four equal pieces, leave three under bowl for now.

Roll dough away from you, lift dough, re-flour. Turn dough 90 degrees, roll again.

8. Roll and cut into desired thinness

9. Fold and cut

Make with Mother's Meaty Pasta Sauce

Thanks Williams-Sonoma for this great recipe

Mother's Meaty Pasta Sauce

One of my favorite things my mom makes is her pasta sauce. Pasta is one of my favorite foods and its because I've been eating this sauce for as long as I can remember.

Ingredients:

1 pound extra lean hamburger meat
2 cans tomato paste
1 can of water
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans of stewed tomatos (blended)
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of basil
garlic salt to taste

Brown the beef, mix in everything else,
add water if to thick,
add paste if to thin,
add ingredients to your taste.

This isn't the exact amount that we use of everything, we usually make it to taste. Try different things until its just how you like it.

Use with Whole Wheat Noodles