You Can Call Him "Mac"

Bud is having a torrid love affair with macaroni and cheese. He wants it all the time: the organic Annie's, the appallingly orange junk in the blue box that comes in special Pokemon shapes or those long skinny tubes (for the record, I think that stuff is just gross and I won't buy it. But Mama did, once, when they were sick, because of the shapes), whatever they are serving at whatever restaurant we might be at. He's given up pizza, his go-to food, for macaroni and cheese. "Can you make this, Mommy? Please." Of course, Bud, in several different ways. Below are just a few of the ones I might be trying in the coming weeks (plus, first, the one I grew up on).

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Gommie's Macaroni and Cheese

1 cup (3 ½ oz.) elbow macaroni

½ lb (8 oz.) Velveeta

¼ cup milk

dash of pepper

1 tablespoon flour

Cook macaroni as directed on package. In saucepan, combine Velveeta, milk, pepper, and flour and stir until melted. Add macaroni. Spread into casserole dish. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Gommie Hungry

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Mommy Hungry's Best-Guess Children's Menu Macaroni and Cheese

(I'm thinking this is how at least two of the restaurants we've been to make it)

Boil either elbow macaroni or penne. Meanwhile, make a white sauce, with flour and butter, adding milk, similar to how you would with a roux for gravy, but not as much liquid. Heat through and then add a handful or two of cheddar or some other mild cheese, melting thoroughly. Add salt to taste. Toss warm pasta in warm sauce.

Mommy Hungry

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Miss K's Nana's Macaroni and Cheese

Boil 1 lb. elbow mac.

Drain and add in 8 oz. bag shredded cheddar, 16 oz. small curd cottage cheese and salt and pepper to taste (can add cubes of ham if desired). Pour into a 9x13 dish and pour about 1/2 cup milk in to cover bottom. Layer 6-12 slices of yellow american cheese on top. Bake unitl bubbly in middle then broil to brown the top.

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Two recipes from a 2006 NYTimes article on mac and cheese:

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.

2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.

3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Crusty Macaroni and Cheese

3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
12 ounces American cheese or cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 pound elbow pasta, boiled in salted water until just tender, drained, and rinsed under cold water
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Salt
2/3 cup whole milk.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Combine grated cheeses and set aside two heaping cups for topping.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne (if using) and salt to taste. Place in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over surface. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes. Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty on top and bottom.

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Martha Stewart's Perfect Macaroni and Cheese

as referenced in a Bitten blog post about a variety of good mac and cheeses

Yield Serves 12

Ingredients

• 6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
• 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

Method

• 1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• 2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
• 3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.
• 4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
• 5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.