Mom's Macaroni and Cheese

Mom’s Macaroni & Cheese

A couple weeks ago we ate at a fun little diner in Chicago by the name of Stanley’s. You know you’re in a good place when half of the customers are policemen and the server highly recommends the house macaroni and cheese. Now I don’t think there has been a time in my life when I have turned down a serving of macaroni and cheese, but the fates were with me in ordering a starter course of this heavenly creation. I’ve been dreaming of it ever since and will post the recipe when I get it completely figured out. In the meantime, tonight we’re having the kind my mom made for us as kids…with chicken strips and broccoli. Seriously, though, this doesn’t take much more time than the box stuff and there is nothing processed about it.

12 oz. dried elbow macaroni (this is about 3 cups), I use Barilla because they have ridges that hold extra cheese
4 TBSP. butter or margarine
½ -3/4 c. milk (whole is best, 1% will do)
1 TBSP. ground flax seed (optional)
12 oz. cheese, cut into ¼ in. cubes (cheddar is classic, feel free to mix and match)
½ c. pureed squash (just don’t watch yourself put this in and you’ll never know it’s there)
Salt and Pepper

Cook the noodles according to package. When cooked drain (and rinse in cold water if you are making this dinner while the kids are napping). In a 2 qt. casserole dish combine the milk, cheese, butter, flax, and squash. Add noodles and mix thoroughly. Cover with lid and store in fridge until later or microwave for about 5 minutes. I cook for 3 min, then stir and put back in to cook until the cheese is hot and melted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve. This recipe serves 6 adults and makes great leftovers.

Notes: My girl wouldn’t eat baby food when she was little so I started experimenting with adding the stuff to our food. You would probably never notice it was there if you didn’t add it yourself. I just wish I would have been as creative as Jessica Seinfeld and published it! If you buy the frozen squash it is super simple to thaw and add to things like mac-n-cheese, waffles, quesadillas and such.