The History of Mac n' Cheese

Mac and Cheese is a staple in our house. We've done our time eating the boxed kind, the "instant" kind, and the way my mom always made it, which is to stir some cheese into hot buttered noodles. Then we moved on to recipes with mixed in pureed veggies, like squash, sweet potato or cauliflower (you know, to con the kiddies into eating veggies!).

But then I came across this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. And it is sooooooo good. Here's is my tweeked version of her recipe:

2 Tbs margarine

2 Tbs flour

3/4 C- 1 C of pureed Cauliflower

1 C milk

1 egg

2 C cheddar cheese

salt & pepper

1 package macaroni noodles (about 1 lb)

1. Melt the margarine, and then add the flour. Stir until it becomes a smooth paste.

2. Add pureed cauliflower and mix till smooth.

3. Add the milk, and stir constantly over medium heat till it thickens up. (Speaking from experience here pay attention because it does stick to the bottom of the pan and turn black and although it doesn't really affect the taste, it will make your picky 4 yr old very skeptical about eating it!!)

4. In a separate small bowl, beat one egg. Slowly drizzle about 1/2 C -1 C of the hot milk mixture into the egg, beating the whole time. The Pioneer Woman has a detailed explanation, but basically it's to keep the egg from scrambling in your cheese sauce.

5. Pour egg mix into milk mix, stir it up, and let it bubble for a couple of minutes then add your cheddar cheese, and stir till it's all melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

6. Combine with cooked macaroni.

At this point you can either serve it right away, or you can put it in a 9x13 pan, sprinkle a little extra cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees till its brown and bubbly. The cauliflower and cheese are amazing together, and the egg just makes the whole dish thick and creamy and YUMMY. Make this or this- I promise it's worth the dirty dishes!!!

A note about the cauliflower: I usually buy a whole cauliflower, cut it up and steam it. Then I puree it with a little bit of water till it's smooth. Then I divide up into snack size bags (which will usually hold about 3/4 C) and freeze them. A quick zap in the microwave and I have pureed cauliflower whenever I need it!