Macaroni 'n Cheese...Delicious, Soft, Easy Comfort Food

I've done it again, published a post I wasn't ready to publish...I must be moving too fast these days...better sow down and pay closer attention to my simple log cabin life!  

This is the edited and final post...for those of you who saw the draft version via email, 

thanks for your patience and understanding:)

I went for my necessary follow up visit to the dentist today so he could fix my broken temporary crown that I told you about yesterday...I wore my big girl panties (pardon the phrase) and didn't take any meds to help my dental anxiety prone self...he fixed my broken temporary crown simply and easily...no tears, minimal anxiety, and it's all better!  He did tell me I might want to consider eating soft foods for a while!

So, what is a girl to do...soft food...I know...Homemade Macaroni and Cheese!  This is a winner.  I've made it many times before, and we have devoured every last bite!  This is an easy recipe to satisfy everyone, including those who need to be eating soft food...

Macaroni 'n Cheese

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup unsifted flour
1 tsp powdered mustard
2 1/2 cups milk (I use half 2% mild and 1/2 heavy cream)
3 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar, monterrey jack, and a little goat cheese, combined
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence (you can get this in some supermarkets and any specialty shop), use basil or thyme if you don't have it 
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb cooked macaroni (prepared al dente)
1/2 cup crumbled croutons + panko bread crumbs

Melt the butter in a pot and when bubbling, blend in the flour, herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, Worcestershire and mustard.  Slowly pour in the milk/cream and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Mix in 2 cups grated cheese and the remaining ingredients except for the macaroni. Cook and stir until the cheese melts.

Take the mixture off the heat, and mix in the macaroni. 

Pour it into a prepared baking casserole dish (I used a very light coat of olive oil spread about the dish), sprinkle with the remaining cheeses, and put into a 350 degree oven to bake uncovered about 1/2 hour, until bubbly.

After 30 minutes, sprinkle the crumbled crouton/panko mixture onto the top, and broil until browned (yeah, don't leave it in there for that extra minute like I did, you will end up with dark brown).

Easy.  Delicious.  Soft...just what the doctor ordered!  Granted, not low calorie, but you can use low calorie substitutes for many of the ingredients.  Frankly, we like the real thing.  Next to some fresh steamed broccoli, it's a meal!

A friendly reminder for those who haven't seen it yet, if you haven't taken my 1 question poll yet, check it out!  You will find it on the top right side of this blog post.  If you have a different answer than those that are available, you can leave it in a comment.


Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise