Comfort food: The world's greatest Mac and Cheese

Confession time: When it comes to mac and

cheese, I am a purist. I do not like mac and

cheese out of the box. It's just wrong. I know

this is a strong opinion and it might
ruffle some feathers, but it's mine and I will

not be budged.

Up until a few years ago, I thought I made a

pretty solid mac and cheese. The cheese sauce

was creamy, it browned nicely on the top and

my dudes loved it. Then I was called out of town on a family emergency

and everything changed.

I called home several times a day to see how all of my dudes were

doing without me. They were soldiering on, I was told. Then about the

third day, I noticed that the Hub sounded odd on the phone. Alarm

bells started clanging in my head. What wasn't he telling me that would

upset me? What horrible news was he trying to protect me from in my

already stressed state? I grilled him until finally, he admitted it.

He was talking while trying to eat.

It seemed all of our dear, dear friends had rallied and were
bringing my menfolk food every day. Lasagna, sloppy joes,

chicken chili casseroles, and macaroni and cheese just to name a few.

And what was the Hub trying to keep from me? Well, he put it as

gently as he could, but the truth was Susie M's mac and cheese was

better than mine. GASP!

Well, let me tell you, the minute I got home, I muscled that recipe

out of my girlfriend Susie and I gave it a test drive. There was no

competition. Her mac and cheese kicked mine right into the garbage

disposal. And so, I share with you, Susie M's mac and cheese, and I

just want to acknowledge all of those friends (you know who you are)

who helped us through that crisis. You're all wonderful and we are so

very lucky to have you in our lives!

Susie M's Mac and Cheese

2 cups elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups milk

2-3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375. Spray casserole dish lightly with

Pam. Cook macaroni al dente, drain and pour into

casserole dish. Melt butter in a saucepan and remove from

heat. Stir in salt, pepper, flour, Worcestershire sauce until
smooth.Gradually, stir in the milk and return to the heat.
Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and

simmer until thickened. Remove from the heat and add

at least 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir. Pour

cheese into macaroni. At this point you can leave it

plain or add ham, or anything else, red pepper, olives, etc.

Cover with remaining grated cheese and bake 15-20

minutes, longer if you refrigerate before you bake.

ENJOY!

Jenn McKinlay
SPRINKLE WITH MURDER
March 2010

aka Lucy Lawrence
STUCK ON MURDER
Sept 2009

www.jennmckinlay.com