Mac & Cheese

Today, my brother turns another year older and if I were in Kansas, I would make him some mac & cheese! It's not something that gets made very often, so when it does, it's kind of a big deal. If you've eaten it at my table, it means you have my love and loyalty bestowed upon you, as there are very few people important enough to deserve this honor, but still have not had the opportunity to do so--I'll get to you, I swear. Request it next time we are near a kitchen in case I forget. Let's hope you're truly one of the ones mentioned above, otherwise, it would be so awkward...you finding out, by a mac & cheese refusal that, well...I'm just not that into you. HAHAHA! I'm kidding. Sort of.

I'm not great at recipes, not sure why...it inhibits my creativity, or I don't respect authority, or I dunno, I'm not good at organizing paper-ish things. Here's how I do it:

2 cups elbows
1/2 c. diced onion...honestly, I don't measure either of those, eyeball it!
2 T. butter...margarine is a waste of time, don't even!
2 T. AP flour
lotsa pepper
2 to 2.5 c. milk

usually, the easiest way to remember this, and you can do this with all sorts of sauces...

1 T fat--(butter, pan drippings)
1 T flour
1 cuppa liquid--(broth, milk, or a mix of both)

finally...

4 c. of shredded American cheese (if you can't find it, use 16 oz. of sliced)

Sauté your onion in your butter, add a little salt to speed the cooking process, cook til clear, do not brown. If you do, don't panic, just get it off the heat & cool slightly before proceeding. Add flour, pepper, & once smooth, dump in all the milk at once. Cook til thick and bubbly, add cheese. Add cooked elbows to cheese sauce, DONE! Unless you want to show off and love to do dishes, then transfer to baking dish and heat at 350 for 20, or until bubbly. I don't do this. I also don't put a topping like crumbs or bacon, or sliced tomatoes, but do what you want.

I haven't quite figured it out, but my grandma Myrna, who's not really my grandma at all, used to make it with a little vinegar(I think?)--some barbeque joints do this, but I haven't quite gotten it the way I remember it. I suppose the acidity cuts the richness a little, or maybe helps stretch the cheese, hell...I dunno.  She is long gone, and the last time I ate it was probably 37 years ago, but I can still smell it cooking in her kitchen!

I like to make more cheese sauce than it calls for & freeze it in several smaller containers, it's good with broccoli, cauliflower, whatever...but the key to it's yumminess is the onion. If you don't want to go to all this trouble, sauté the onions and toss it in a melted cheese & milk mixture, it'll give you a quick fix, ya junkie!

It's nothing short of legendary, and since going the route of the low-carb lifestyle, it's a rare delicacy too! Enjoy! Happy Birthday Little Brother :)