Baked Noodles and Cheese

8 oz. noodles, cook per directions, drain
2 1/4 cups grated cheese
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 TB butter

Layer noodles and 2 cups of the cheese alternately in a large, shallow baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Beat together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour over noodles and cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and dot with butter. Bake at 375 F degrees for 25 minutes or until set.

I like to add some hot sauce or a dash of cayenne pepper to the egg/milk mixture. Buttered bread crumbs could be used for the top instead of cheese.

my mother made mac and cheese very similar to teresa's recipe--just love it! pure comfort food... this cheese sauce unfortunately has more fat in it :( but it does great things for plain old macaroni as well as steamed brocolli or cauliflower! so if you want a little change, you might want to check this out sometime too.

Cheese Fondue

Melt together in a double boiler:

¾ C milk
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp dry mustard (I like a little more)
a grinding or two of pepper
1 C mayonnaise
2 C (about ¾#) sharp Cheddar, shredded

Pour into a fondue pot and serve with your favorite bread. It also is very good over steamed broccoli or use to make a quick dish of macaroni and cheese. Add a little parmesan and some bread crumbs on top and bake for 20 minutes.

TRIPLE CHEESE MACARONI (serves 8)
2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Salt to taste
6 oz sharp Cheddar, shredded
6 oz Monterey Jack, shredded
5 TBL + 1 tsp butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 TBL + 2 tsp butter
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 TBL melted butter
1/2 tsp paprika
Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water per pkg directions; drain.
Combine the macaroni, 1/2 of the Cheddar, 1/2 of the Monterey Jack & 5 TBL + 1 tsp butter & mix well. Spoon into a buttered shallow 3 qt baking dish.
Beat the cream cheese in a mixer bowl while gradually adding the evaporated milk. Beat until blended. Spoon over the macaroni mixture. Sprinkle w/the remaining Cheddar & Monterey Jack. Dot with 2 TBL + 2 tsp butter.
Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
Combine the crumbs, 1 TBL butter & paprika in a bowl & mix well. Sprinkle over the baked layer. Bake 10 minutes longer. NOTE: If prepared in advance, do not add the cream cheese mixture until just before baking.~~Texas Ties

And here's a real basic one you might like:
MACARONI & CHEESE
1 1/2 cups macaroni
1 1/4 cups milk
3 TBL butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion, chopped
1 cup soft bread crumbs (in large bowl)
2 eggs, well beaten
3 cups Cheddar, grated

Cook macaroni until tender. Add butter to milk in small pan to melt as milk scalds. Mix salt & onion to warmed milk. Pour over the bread crumbs. Add eggs & 1/2 the cheese. Mix all together with the macaroni. Place in a greased baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese & bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned & knife inserted in casserole comes out clean. (Spice it up with some hot sauce too, if you like.)~~Pastors' Wives Cookbook

Baked Mac & Cheese

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
4 to 5 tsp of butter
1 cup milk
2 tsp dried minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup crunched up saltine crackers

Mix together the milk and onion and set aside so the onion can absorb some of the milk.

Put half the cooked macaroni in a large baking dish (you'll need one with a lid). Sprinkle half the Cheddar over it. Add the rest of the macaroni in, then sprinkle with remaining Cheddar. Dot with the teaspoons of butter, then pour the milk and onions over. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the crunched saltine crackers over the top. Cover with glass lid and bake at about 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (you can take off the lid for the last 5 minutes to get the saltines a little crisp).

MACARONI AND CHEESE

1 cup cooked noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup velvetta cheese (cut into small cubes)
2 eggs

Mix all. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This can be mixed and refrigerated the day before you need to cook it.

CROCKPOT MACARONI AND CHEESE

(Mr. Food's All Day Macaroni and Cheese)

8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Place cooked macaroni in slow cooker that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Reserve 1 cup cheese; add rest of cheese and the other ingredients to the macaroni. Mix well. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cook on HIGH at least 2-1/2 hours. Do not remove cover or stir until ready to serve. Check for doneness regularly, as the temperature of crockpots varies.

I remember in high school when a friend invited me over to her house for dinner. You don't want to know how long ago THAT was!! Anyway, her father was an undertaker and I was a little creeped out by that but went anyway. I was richly rewarded when her mom made THE BEST mac and cheese I have ever tasted and I remember it had a several kinds of cheese in it and diced onions and bread crumbs and that's all I remember. I also remember my friend enjoyed it so much she hummed and rocked through the entire meal, not something I ever forgot!!

Haven't made it in a while...better wait until I work off the butter from the croissants I have ingested in the last couple days! LOL

Linda

Now you've gone and made me hungry for it. ;^)

1 lb rigatoni
1/4 lb sliced ham, mortadella, salami (whatever), cut into short strips (optional)
butter
1 lb shredded mozzarella
grated parmesan
1 cup defrosted frozen peas (optional)
bread crumbs
garlic powder
1 egg, whisked
grated nutmeg

1. Boil the rigatoni until al dente; drain it and put it in a large warm bowl with parmesan, butter, and
a twist of black pepper. Let it stand till you need it.
2. Butter a 2-quart casserole.
3. Add about 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Tilt the casserole back and forth, round and round, to get an even coating of crumbs on sides and bottom. Empty any remaining crumbs onto a dish for use later.
4. Whisk the egg and add it to crumbed casserole. Swish this around till it covers the first layer of crumbs, sides and bottom. If you're doing two small casseroles, you can add "an egg" of water to extend this.
5. Pour in more crumbs. Tilt the casserole around until these cover the egg. Pour off any excess. This forms the crust.
6. Cut the ham into small strips or squares.
7. Spoon a layer of rigatoni (about 1/4 of the total) onto the bottom of the casserole.
8. Sprinkle the rigatoni with about 1/4 of the mozzarella, about 1/4 of the ham, about 1/4 of the peas, (get the idea?) some parmesan and garlic powder, and a dash of nutmeg. We often throw in some chopped onion or red and green pepper.
9. Repeat this layering until you have used up everything.
10. Dust the top with bread crumbs and some more parmesan.
11. Bake it at 350° for 15 minutes, uncovered.
12. Put a cover on the casserole and continue baking it another 15 minutes.
13. Let it stand a bit before you serve it.

THE ULTIMATE MAC & CHEESE

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups good quality white crusty bread, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 qt. (4 cups) half & half
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups vintage white cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 pound large macaroni with grooves

Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and set aside a 9x13 casserole dish. Place bread in a bowl. Melt 4 Tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Pour butter into the bowl with the bread and toss to combine. Set breadcrumbs aside.

Melt 6 Tbsp butter in a large saucepan over med heat. When butter melts, add flour. Cook, whisking 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in milk and half and half and add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and nutmeg. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in 2 cups sharp cheddar, 1 cup vintage white, 1 cup Swiss, and 1 cup parmesan; set cheese sauce aside. Blend the remaining cheese and set aside.

Cook macaroni in boiling water 2-3 minutes less than the manufacturer's directions. Transfer macaroni to a colander,rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Add salt and pepper to taste and add 2 tbsp butter. Stir the cheese sauce into the macaroni.

Pour mixture into 9x13" dish. Sprinkle reserved cheese and bread crumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes.