Christmas Notebook

I’ve had these cute little pasta shapes sitting in the pantry for several months. Today, I visited Nummy Mummy’s site and she had made them as mac and cheese and even served them in cute little flower pots. You gotta go see. Very cute! And give her recipe a try. It sounds so good!

I made some for DD today, but I used our own recipe. She thought mac and cheese sounded good. All she’s had to eat for the past few days are raw potatoes and a little chocolate chip mint ice cream. I know…raw potatoes. She loves ’em, but they don’t seem like a good food when you’re sick, do they? She’s had one peeled and sliced raw potato every day since Sunday. Not eating much else, besides a couple of servings of said ice cream.

We (read “my kids”) like our mac and cheese a little on the “soft” side. Soft as in not-so-much-cheese, and we use American cheese instead of cheddar. Personally, I’d prefer some killer, baked, four cheese, gourmet mac and cheese, but this is a kid’s dish at our house so I make it the way the kids like it. Which they learned at Grandma’s house, as her mac and cheese was always on the creamier rather than cheesy side of life. Though I think she used Velveeta… Anyhoo…here’s how we make it.

2 c. macaroni [Today I used the flower shaped pasta.]
1/4 c. milk [I don’t really measure this…just slurp some in.]
1 T. margarine
6 slices American cheese, torn into pieces

Cook the pasta according to package directions. I like to add a teaspoon of salt to the water. Drain the macaroni. I don’t rinse it. Return it to the pot and place it over low to medium heat. Add the next three ingredients and stir until the cheese is melted. Like it cheesier? Add more cheese to taste.

It’s even better with real butter, freshly ground black pepper and freshly granted Parmesan cheese on top. But just try to serve it that way to my kids. Not gonna work. BTW, she must be feeling better. She asked for seconds. 🙂

~~Rhonda