Macaroni and Cheese

This blog post should be titled, part 2 of Amy's fabulous fish dinner.  It's really just a continuation of yesterday's post so if you missed the blog yesterday, be sure and check it out.

Since my kids are not always big fish eaters, I wanted to make something else to go along with our fish dinner that I new they would eat.  Macaroni and cheese was the first thing that came to mind.  As luck would have it, I had a box of elbow macaroni in the pantry and lots of little "scraps" of cheese in the refrigerator.  I borrowed some ideas for my macaroni and cheese from Ina Garten and then created my own delicious version of her recipe. 

Macaroni and Cheese
Kosher salt
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups mixed cheeses, grated(I had a combination of cheddar, mozzarella and Mexican cheeses.)
2 cups Velvetta,cubed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  

Heat a pot of salted water to boiling.  Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

 

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. 

 

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot.

 

Add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. 

 

While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.  Off the heat, add the cheeses, salt and pepper.

Add the cooked macaroni and stir well.

Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

This macaroni and cheese was divine.  It was the perfect compliment to the trout. 

Not sure which was better - the cracker crusted trout or the macaroni and cheese.  I suggest you try them both.

Ciao!