Reason Number 2,178....

....why I will never be skinny.

Because I know how to make this.

This is Grandma's recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese. And believe me, it tastes and smells even better than it looks. Comfort food at it's most basic and a dinner requested by Grandma while she was here visiting.

Now before you get the image of G.G. sitting back and dictating what I make for dinner, let me tell you that she is VERY subtle...

"Boy," says G.G. "On a gray and rainy day like today a big pan of macaroni and cheese sure sounds good...."

Yep. It sure does.

Grandma's Macaroni and Cheese


16 oz. Elbow macaroni
2# Grated cheddar cheese**
3/4 C. Milk
Soft margarine
Salt and Pepper

Cook the macaroni using plenty of salted water past "al-dente" but not until they are falling apart. You want them a tad soft.

Grease a 9x13 inch pyrex baking dish with margarine. Begin the layering process with a layer of cheese, top with macaroni and season with salt and pepper** then repeat the layering process making sure to season each layer of macaroni with salt and pepper. Top of the pan with a final layer of cheese.

To bake: Heat the oven to 350. Drizzle 3/4C. of milk over the macaroni and cheese just before you put the pan in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the cheese on top is starting to brown and looks bubbly. Let it sit 10-15 minutes before serving. Yum!

**There is no such thing as too much cheese. IMO, 2# is the minimum you should use for this recipe. I always need a couple of extra handfuls to get it topped the way I want it.

**I do not use pepper when I am making this for my girls -- they seem to be under the impression that they don't like pepper. YMMV.

**Update: 11/18/08 I now use a three cheese blend - Monterrey Jack, colby and cheddar. It's the yum.