Magic Mac-N-Cheese
One month to go! Memorial Day and the start of long, lazy beach days are nearly here. But with growing crowds and shrinking sand, we all need to gird our patience. Because traffic, parking, and checkout lines will soon be busting at the seams.
I’m reminded of an annoying, now funny, experience I once had involving a mother and her daughter Katie. The daughter’s name is forever burned in my mind. The mom I’ll call Loraine.
Picture it. I’m reading a couple books while getting some rays. (I often juggle three or more books. Yes, for fun. I get bored easily.) And little Katie started doing endless cartwheels between me and my serene ocean view.
Let me define endless. It was over and over for half an hour. Nonstop, no exaggeration. Let’s guesstimate the math. Say three cartwheels per minute, allowing time for Katie to adjust her scrunchy from time to time, or tug at the occasional wedgy. That’s nearly 100 cartwheels. But that’s not the annoying part.
You see, Loraine said “Good job, Katie” after every single one. No cartwheel went unacknowledged without that exact feedback. "That was nice" was never uttered. Nor "fantastic effort." Or "you rock, kiddo." It was an endless loop of “Good job, Katie.”
I wanted to stab my ears with a butterknife. The sheer gall of it. Because Loraine was a liar. Katie’s cartwheels weren’t all good. Hey Loraine, how’s about we pepper in the occasional "point your toes"?! Or "straighten those knees." Or "stop hyper-extending."
At 30 minutes, my fight or flight response kicked in. I was determined to hold my sand. But instead, my heart softened. That, or I sensed Loraine could kick my ass. So I caved and gave the duo their bonding time. I woke my husband and we headed to the boardwalk for junk food. Everyone was happy.
The moral is: be kind to one another. We all want part of the beachy dream. We all must learn to coexist.
This month I’m highlighting a dish in honor of Katie and cartwheeling kids everywhere, my Magic Mac-N-Cheese.
This recipe had a lifechanging effect on me. I remember it like yesterday. My husband’s cousin mentioned a mac-n-cheese she bakes without boiling the noodles first. Say what?!?! No roux?! No mounds of pots and pans?! How can that be? Just wait, you’ll see. This recipe will have a cult following in your house too.
Let’s get started, shall we?
STEPS
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Lightly grease a deep 3-quart baking dish and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet big enough to catch any spills.
- Add the following: 2 ½ cups raw macaroni (this is less than a 16oz. box); 6 cups of milk; 4 Tbls. butter cut in small chunks; ½ Tbl salt; ½ tsp pepper; 1 ½ pounds of sharp American cheese cut into 1" chunks (look for brand name Cooper at your deli).
- Bake for approximately 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours, watching carefully. When the butter and cheese are melted (or if you see the milk is about to bubble over) give the pasta a gentle stir.
- Stir several times as the pasta bakes, gently stirring the top under. Stop stirring the last 15 minutes or so to allow the top to get some brown singed edges. If you’re like me, the toastier the top the better.
- The dish is done when the pasta is tender and most liquids have been absorbed.
Tips:
• I recommend you make this the first time with sharp American cheese. It melts perfectly and is really creamy. Then, experiment swapping in up to half other cheeses like cheddar. Be careful though as harder cheeses can separate a bit leading to a texture similar to cottage cheese between the noodles. Still delicious.
• For a fancy make-ahead twist, try this: bake as directed the day before you want to serve, then cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Preheat your oven to 375° while you cut serving size portions. Top each with a small amount of a grated sharp cheese, like Asiago. Transfer the servings to a parchment-lined sheet pan, and bake about 10 to 15 minutes, until the top cheese is melted and the edges are a little crispy. ▼
Ed and his husband Jerry split their time between homes near Harrisburg Pennsylvania and Bethany Beach. Ed builds websites to pay the bills but loves to cook, garden, hike, and dote on their dog Atticus. Recipe requests and feedback welcome: ed@seasalttable.com.