So one of my “go-to” meals around here comes from my maternal Grandmother. I was named after her and my mom tells me that I look a lot like her too, minus the red hair. That came from my dad’s side of the family. Grandma was Transylvanian - the area which is now Hungary. And based on the skin tones in our family, we have some Romany (gypsy) in us, as well. Too bad I didn’t get any of that (my consistent ability to turn lobster-shades in the sun confirms this), but whatever.
Anyhow, Grandma was a good cook - she passed down multiple recipes to us and although she was a busy lady, she seemed to do it all well. She lost her sight late in life and passed away much too early (she was 66), but all of my memories of her are wonderful.
This dish is one we grew up with - my mom made it and always credited Grandma. My husband wasn’t aware that macaroni & cheese could be anything except a side-dish, but the hearty-nature of this dish convinced him otherwise. As kids, Mom always paired this with some of her hand-canned fruit cocktail, but I never make fruit cocktail and think the meal has enough carbs as it is, so I don’t do that. It’s hot, smells amazing, and tastes even better.
One note: the recipe calls for milk, and if your milk is really fresh (raw) like mine is, you’ll have to scald the milk first. If you don’t scald raw milk, you will end up with noodles, cheese, and hot milk in the baking dish; if you scald it, you’ll get the congealing-effect that pasteurized milk provides and the meal will be cohesive in the pan & as you serve it up.
Grandma’s Macaroni & Cheese
1 box (12-16 oz) dried macaroni elbows (Dreamfield is my favourite)
1 lb. shredded cheese (I mix mild & sharp cheddar)
1 ½ c. milk (if raw, scald in microwave or on stove)
salt to taste
Boil the macaroni for the least-amount of time on the box, drain. One pound of noodles will make a 9×9 pan nicely; if you want to do a 9×13, you can double the recipe or have a smaller finished product. Spread ¾ of the cooked noodles on the bottom of the pan, salt to taste. Sprinkle ½ of the cheese over the noodles, then top with the rest of the cooked pasta. Salt to taste. Sprinkle the last of the cheese over the top and toward the center of the pan of noodles & cheese, pour the milk. Transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 350°F. Bake for 40-50 minutes; top will brown beautifully and it will smell *heavenly*. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes, and cut in to pieces.
Serve with a green salad.
Mmmmmm.










this post will be tagged with exactly that as well. There were designs for pirate ships (some of which looked suspiciously like a baby-buggy without wheels) to pirate-heads to pirate hats with Jolly Rogers on them. The design he chose (with a little nudging from us) was the Deserted Island, which makes me think it might more properly be named the Desserted Island, seeing as it’s a cake and all. 
been wanting for months now. And yes, I caved. I have maintained a video-game-free home for 8 years and I finally caved. On the up-side, it’s a great motivator for him - if he doesn’t finish his schoolwork on time and doesn’t do his chores, there’s no media time, including the DS. And I will admit that playing LEGO Star Wars while I wait for dinner to finish simmering is kind of fun. 







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