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Traditional Southern Macaroni and Cheese!


 
I had a shocking revelation about macaroni and cheese about a year ago.  I was talking to a woman I worked with at the time and she was telling me about her mother's macaroni and cheese and that she always made the cheese sauce and put it in the casserole and baked it.  I guess I looked at her like she had horns or something, because she went on to say, "you know nobody does that anymore...bakes it in the oven and all of that".   Then I went on to say that I  still did.  I thought everybody did. She said no you don't, nobody does that anymore.    Did I mention that this woman didn't really like me and this might have been the longest conversation we ever had and it was going downhill fast...lol?  I once again told her that I did bake my mac and cheese in the oven and I even put eggs in it.  Her final words to me on this subject were that I was a little different and everyone knew it.  Okay, I see how this is going now. 

So I replayed this conversation to my mother, because I knew I would get my idea that people still make macaroni and cheese the proper way reinforced.  However, when I told her what was said, she said nobody does that anymore.  Does what?  Nobody makes a sauce and bakes it in the oven and all of that she said.  WHAT?  She goes on to tell me that she stopped doing that when the grandchildren were little, because they liked it just as well made on the stove and served right from the pan.  THE GRANDCHILDREN!  They were children.  What did they know about the future of the traditional macaroni and cheese?   How had I missed the fact that my own mother had stopped doing it the right way? The youngest grandchildren are a set of twins that are 19 years old!   This travesty of the mac and cheese has been going on for over 20 years right in my own family and I didn't notice?     I told my mother that Paula Deen still makes her macaroni and cheese the right way.  She said,  'you do know that is just a tv show, right'?  So I said, 'Well, why do I still make mine this way?'   My mother said, well you are a little different.  Are we seeing a trend here?  lol  I do tend to get a little passionate about my causes I guess...oh, well!

Different or not, I am on a mission to get people to make the macaroni and cheese the way it is supposed to be made.  No blue box, no dump the stuff in the pot on the stove and eat it...but make it the dish it should be.  The dish your grandmother made or your great- aunt or even Paula Deen on the show. It's really not a hard thing to make and the results are well worth it.


Here is what you will need:


2 cups elbow macaroni (or penne), milk, half and half, salt, pepper, butter, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Velveeta cheese, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper,  garlic powder and flour.




Boil the macaroni in salted water for the time it says on the box and drain.  Some recipes say to rinse it off, I don't do this.  I think it removes the flavor.  Also don't under cook it because if you do the macaroni will soak up all of your sauce and you will end up with dry mac and cheese.



Put the macaroni back in the pan with 1 Tbs of butter and let it melt and coat the macaroni.



Now we make a cheese sauce which I like to do in the microwave.  It is much easier to do and doesn't stick or burn.  Melt 1/2 stick of butter in the microwave and then add 1/4 cup of flour to that.  Blend the flour into the butter with a whisk and microwave for about 30 seconds. 



 Add 1 cup half and half, 2 cups milk, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce.  Whisk well and microwave for about 3 - 4 minutes.  Whisk again to remove any lumps and then add 8 oz. of Velveeta cheese.   Microwave for 2-3 more minutes until the cheese is melted and whisk again until smooth. 



Beat 2 eggs in a bowl.



Put the macaroni in the cheese sauce and gently mix, then pour the eggs in and mix.  Make sure the cheese sauce and pasta are not too hot or it will scramble your eggs.  If it is still hot, you can temper your eggs by adding a little of the hot cheese sauce a spoonful at a time to the eggs and mixing to bring them up to temperature.  After you mix, pour 1/2  into a 2 quart casserole dish you have sprayed well with cooking spray.



Lay about 3-4 slices of Swiss cheese on this layer and then cover with 1 cup cheddar cheese.  Pour the other half over this and lay 3-4 slices of Swiss cheese over and the other 1 cup cheddar on top.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until it is bubbly and just starting to brown on top.



This sort of results in the best of both worlds of macaroni and cheese...it's creamy and custard -like because of the addition of the eggs.  That is southern macaroni and cheese!


Ingredients:

2 cups elbow macaroni or penne
1 cup half and half
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) plus 1 Tbs.
1/4 cup flour
8 oz. Velveeta cheese ( you can use American, but nothing beats Velveeta in this)
2 eggs, beaten
about 4-6 slices Swiss cheese
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (may sound strange but it adds a hint of flavor)


163 comments:

  1. This. Looks. AWESOME!!!!
    And I was cracking up as I read your post! HAHAHA!
    My kids are blue box purists (grrrr), but my husband and I LOVE a good baked Mac n Cheese! Thanks for the recipe!

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  2. Thanks, I am glad someone finds my attempts at humor funny...hehe! I love your blog name and cartoons...so funny!

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    1. Any true Southerner would! However, you have to watch those Northerners; they just don't get Southern! Thanks for the recipes. GiGi

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    2. By blood I'm a northerner but in most of my cooking ways I am a true southerner. I lived in the South for nearly 15 years and I love the southern cooking. :)

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    3. Baked in the oven is the only true southern way. My kids eat the microwave kind for a quick snack but for a meal, it is the baked kind all the way. My boyfriend is from the NW and couldnt believe M&C was a staple at a Holiday meal in the South. They always do potatoes and gravy....we are in Georgia, lol, Welcome to the South and baked M&C. Ignore this silly woman. :)

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  3. Love baked Mac n Cheese.....My Momma would also layer and top with tomatoes slices. I love it that way but my family thinks its crazy :)

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    1. the tomatoes on top sound really good

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    2. I add a can of diced tomatoes into my mac and cheese...that's how the whole family likes it!

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  4. Ruthie, I think the tomato slices sounds really good. I am going to try that! Thanks.

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  5. I found this on pinterest and love reading the conversation you had with the lady. Your recipe is wonderful. My sister us to make it this way. I plan on making this for Sunday dinner.

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    1. Thank you Christine for taking time to comment. I love to get the comments! I hope you enjoy it when you make it Sunday. Please keep visisting! :)

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    2. Oh thank you for re-inspiring me to do it right. I was raised by a Southern mom and gramma. We always baked the mac and cheese but kids took a fancy to the commercials for the boxes and away our old time recipes went down the drain! I actually hate the box version. Just a few days I at least made my sauce but yet missed the baing part. Ok so now I am gonna do it right again by nab. And I like the sound of the maters on top ... and will add a treat for my kids, dried onions! I am ready to party!

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    3. I use the box also but add more chedder and montery Jack cheese to mine, and extra butter.

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    4. Baked Mac and Cheese when main course, all others as side dish only! imo...

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  6. I am different too then because i bake my mac and cheese too!! I also do a cheese sauce. What is this stuff about blue box...nasty stuff! I feel better knowing different is awesome

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    1. I am glad to know there are still a few of us. I honestly didn't know that most people didn't do it this way any more. It was sad to me, because this is how it should be done. Thank you for letting me know I have company in this belief! :)

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    2. I don't know what I did wrong, my mom always baked mac & cheese, and that's how I made it when my daughter was growing up, but now that she's a teen, she prefers the nasty box kind! Not only does it taste bad, but it's so bad for you! My only hope is that she'll come around and realize that "Mama knows best!" I wasn't exactly raised in the south, well...southern Arizona, but that's not the same! Haha! Thanks for your recipe!

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  7. I gained five lob just reading the piece...Heav'n forfend that I should sit down to tucker and that cheezy delight appear on my trencher...I mightn't stand again...
    Mmmmm! Crusty!

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    1. :) It's not Weight Watcher's that is for sure. Everything in moderation!

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  8. Too funny! I remember seeing a 'Martha' recipe called Mac and Cheese 101...I didn't have the 4 hours & $50 it was going to take to make it...

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    1. Martha can be a little over the top at times for sure. I promise that this recipe will take less than an hour to make and about maybe $4.00. :)

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    2. Definitely more than 4.oo but worth it :D

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  9. LOVE IT!! I am not alone!!.. I make mine like this too! I used to have to make a super large batch up for my ex husband's work for all the get togethers and carry ins.. I wonder who makes it now.. LOL... the kids and I still enjoy it often.. so let's keep doing it the real way :)

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    1. So glad to hear that other people still do it the right way also! I guess I am not as strange as they say I am...lol. Thanks for letting me know, Tammi! :)

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  10. I have a garden stone outside my front door that says "Martha does not live here"! I'm not very awesome in the kitchen, and am terribly guilty of eating the blue box mac and cheese. Working full-time, 2 kids, 1 hubby it was just so much quicker. But a couple of months ago I started playing with recipes and use one that is real similar to yours for baked mac and cheese and it is pure HEAVEN! Comfort food definitely! Does not even COMPARE to blue box - I don't even consider the blue box to be mac and cheese anymore! LOL!

    And the tomatoes on top sound incredible - I also put Panko crumbs on top of mine so it gets a crunchier top layer!

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    1. Awww, that's great! I love Panko bread crumbs, I will try that. My sister in law puts regular bread crumbs on hers and it is really good. There definitely is no comparison to the blue box. Thank you for commenting! Bloggers live for comments! :)

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    2. Try melting butter, break up some Ritz crackers into butter toss around until just starting to brown sprinkle on top and let them brown completely..really nice addition. no real measurements depends on pan size. but do not be stingy.

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  11. I am a little different too - I bake mine, but I top it with cheese - cheddar/jack and italian bread crumbs with pats of butter! That is a Sunday tradition at my house and they all come and rave!!

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  12. I've been searching high low medium for a GOOD BAKED mac and cheese. I am so trying this one. I have a friend who bakes hers, and I would too. Its worth the extra time I think. mmmmm.... can't wait. I WILL sadly, have to wait til next month! velveeta (giggle), my mom and I would buy the tiny box, and wolf it down. ;) thanks so much for sharing, I had a good laugh at your first paragraph too hehee! cheers! Cynthia - ladybug addict.

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  13. I make mine very similar to this, but I make the cheese sauce on the stove top and add minced onions to it. Also, to fancy it up at times, I add some chopped pimientos to it--adds a bit of a zing. I also top it with sliced tomatoes (when I can get them fresh in the summertime) and buttered bread crumbs. This has been a staple in my home for many decades. On a side note--why would anybody make mac & cheese with "powdered cheese"??? Just ain't right a'tall!!!!

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  14. lol..I make it that way too..my only issue is with the velveeta...processed cheese creeps me out..lol. I don't put eggs in it or always bake it but I make the cheese sauce on the stove. I usually use a mexican blend because it seems to be a little more melty (probably what the velveeta is for). :) Don't feel bad, you are not alone. lol..there are still people out there who make mac n cheese from scratch..it's soo much better!

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    1. Velveeta is expensive. Better to use block cheddar or Monterey jack.

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  15. This sounds wonderful! I love to make Homemade Mac and Cheese.
    We went to a restaurant in Arizona a few years back, and their Mac & Cheese was good. I ask the manager what they put in there to make it taste this good... They use corn and Jalapenos. I tried it and it was so good.... Now, I can't to try this one! THANKS!!!!!
    Bobbie

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  16. I make baked mac & cheese too, but mine is a shortcut version lol no eggs, no flour... just velveeta, cream cheese, and milk melted together with whatever flavorings you want to use (ie hot sauce, etc) then I toss in the cooked macaroni with some shredded cheese, put it in a baking dish, cover with more shredded cheese, bread crumbs, butter, and a sprinkling of paprika... good stuff!

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  17. Your recipe sounds like a winner to me! I am going to try your recipe next weekend! Thank you for sharing your funny story!

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  18. I still bake my Mac and cheese. when I am being lazy and make kraft Mac n cheese my family looks at me crazy....lol although I make mine a little different from you ( I don't use half n half, flour or the microwave) I make my cheese sauce on the stove I think the end result is the same... The Best Mac n Cheese ever.....

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  19. My sister and I bake our mac and cheese but we layer it. One layer of noodles, layer of sliced cheddar cheese, layer of crushed crackers. then another layer.of noodles,.cheese and crackers.. add milk to top of layers. Bake. My grandmother and mother always made mac and cheese this wsh

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    1. I make mine this way without the crackers though and it is delicious

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  20. I always make a mac and cheese in the oven! Mine is very simple with milk, eggs, salt, pepper, shredded cheddar and sliced Velvetta. I layer macaroni and the cheeses. Then I pour the milk mixture over the mac and cheeses. I crumble crackers on top and dot butter on them.

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  21. So glad I found this via facebook! I cannot find my old Betty Crocker cookbook and this is very similar to what I used to make when my kiddos were little. I wanted to make something special for our multi family Thanksgiving gathering.

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  22. Glad I found this! I volunteered for mac & cheese for the family gathering but couldn't find my tried and true recipe. This is going to rock!

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  23. Thank you---- I needed that!!!!!! :)

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  24. LMBO!!! Sweetheart, you're different and special just like the rest of us, they're the abnormal ones. My stay at home mama always baked it, and then only on the weekends after she started working. My sister was a basketball, baseball and track Jock and needed pasta to sustain herself at the games; so the Kraft blue boxes were quick and easy, but by far not the better substitute. I'll admit I still use the boxes when I'm being lazy, but I always add polska kielbasa sausage or Canadian Bacon with onions, and also flavor it more with garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne. When I have the time and bake it: elbow macaroni, butter, milk, medium cheddar cheese, and either smashed Ritz crackers or garlic croutons to top it off. As for your yummy sounding recipe, I am not a Tabasco person at all and velveta tastes weird to me, but will happily try the rest of the ingredients and your cooking style ASAP. Thanks for the post and keep on being different, you make the world more interesting.
    .... a fellow "different", Tracey F.

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  25. Your Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese has become the only Mac & Cheese recipe I use. It will be one of two side dishes on my Thanksgiving table. Have to admit to searching for a good (not dry) Mac & Cheese for many, many years. THIS ONE IS IT! Thanks.
    Happy Thanksgiving to all.
    BJ Wells

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  26. We make it like my Mother and her Mother made it.....using ONLY American Cheese cut straight off the "stick" as we call it (the big block )..NOT slices. We use evaporated milk also. Can't wait to have some REAL mac & cheese. Hope everyone enjoys theirs however they it..

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  27. I have been looking for years for this recipe! I am so excited!!!! I can't wait to prepare it!!
    Thank you, thank you!

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  28. You all have made my day! I am so glad there are folks keeping the traditional mac and cheese alive besides me and that I am not all that strange after all...lol. I will be telling Mama about your comments. She loves to hear them. Thanks to all of you! :)

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  29. I just printed this recipe out and noticed the eggs were missing in the recipe. The eggs were included in the instructions above however.

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  30. You do need to add 2 beaten eggs.

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  31. Skip the velveeta all together, and use real cheeses. Asiago, Fontina, Gyure, Parmesean, Swiss, Blue Cheese. Just make sure at least one is a soft cheese good for melting, if you use swiss, or mozzarella, the best thing to use is a parmesean cheese with it.

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  32. lol. Love your story. I still prefer baked Mac and Cheese, however a little different from your. For a quicky for my 4 year old, I do use the blue box occassionally, but I have to add plenty of extra cheese and usually canned milk.

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  33. I literally LOL when I read this. I have to beg to differ with your mom and co-worker though, I do still make Mac n Cheese baked in the oven. My son will have it no other way! So I guess I'm a little different also ;)

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  34. Sounds delicious! I want to start making it this way! Do I have to use the eggs or will it ruin the dish?

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  35. I learned from my Mama and I still make her way and its definitely in the oven. However, I don't use eggs in my cheese sauce. Your recipe sounds yummy. Folks eating that junk in a box, well, I just feel sorry for them. :)

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  36. mooch, you can use whatever cheese you prefer, but this is my recipe for macaroni and cheese and I use Velveeta. Yes, I understand it's processed cheese, but I also understand that there is absolutely nothing that compares to the melt you get with Velveeta for something like macaroni and cheese or even on a cheeseburger. I use all types of cheese in various recipes and I have tried leaving the Velveeta out of the macaroni and cheese and it's just not the same when you do.

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  37. For whoever asked about the eggs, you do not have to add them, but just try it once. It changes the texture of macaroni and cheese to more of a custard like consistency and it is so good.

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  38. Entertaining and informational!
    Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I need to take a dish to a memorial service tomorrow and was racking my poor little over worked brain for ideas. I actually thought about making homemade macaroni and cheese but needed a recipe. I probably would have gone with something else had I not seen your post. Thank you!
    This is actually an answer to pray. I have been asking the Lord what to bring to the memorial service. Thanks again.
    Love your posts by the way!

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  39. I am GLAD you are DIFFERENT!!!! "Normal" is WAY over rated, lol. This sounds like a great recipe and i am definitely going to try it. I always baked mine when I made mac n cheese but never had a recipe i really liked. Thank you and keep your wonderful sense of humor!

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    1. Who wants to be "normal"? Isn't that basically like wanting to be average?

      By the way, this Northern girl still bakes mac and cheese whenever at all possible, using a recipe that isn't all that different from yours (mine has Walla Walla sweet onions in it, and occasionally some bacon or ham accidentally falls into the mix. The cheeses vary a little by what's on hand, but cheddar is always one of them). I won't say we never do the blue box, but when we do it's been heavily altered with additional real cheese and spices - you'd never know it was the same stuff!

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  40. I add some mayo to make it really "southern". In Alabama we put mayo in just about everything and it really creams is up. A few tbsp of pimentos mixed into the cheese sauce in a flood processor or blender before you pour over pasta really gives it a nice kick too. Then I top with crushed ritz crackers tossed with a little melted butter instead of more cheese but just at the end of baking. My kids won't eat it. They got so used to the daycare's blue box mac and cheese. They say mine is too googy and cheesy. The horror, too much cheese in mac & cheese!! To add onto your story. One time I made this for a boyfriend when I was in college and he called me Betty Crocker. Which I was flattered until a few weeks later he broke up with me and said I was too "domesticated" and he wasn't ready to settle down. At the time, it floored me. Now, I laugh and thank God. I think he is on his 3rd marriage and my husband of 15 years loves that can cook things from scratch.

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  41. My mama made the best Mac & chees and always baked it in the oven and I also made it that way. No box mac & cheese for me. This receipe sounds very good and I'm making it this week for my brother and his wife. I will post how it turns out.

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  42. You go girl. I have always and forevermore will MAKE macaroni and cheese. It's not the real thing if you don't !!!!!

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  43. If it helps, I'm only in my 20's and I LOVE to make REAL baked mac and cheese! So my generation isn't completely a lost cause haha. :) I'm definitely going to try your version. I don't use Velveeta but it sounds SO yummy! I've also never put eggs in mine but I'm definitely going to try that too! I use them in baked ziti and other pastas so what's the difference? Thanks for this great recipe! (I'm sure my husband will thank you too -- we always fight over the leftovers! :) )

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  44. This is similar to my recipe, but I add about a eighth of a tsp of dry mustard to mine. It is so good, there is never enough for leftovers

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  45. This may be a southern recipe, but it is about to be kidnapped and taken north (of the border that is into Canada). We don't have Mac&Cheese often as my husband is managing diabetes, and I would eat it all for him - not so great an idea for me LOL. So on the infrequent occasions that I make it, baked in a cheese sauce is the ONLY way to go. We are not going to waste a rare treat on a box LOL. I like your microwave method for the sauce and I like the addition of egg.

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  46. So that you are not out there feeling all alone...I still bake my mac and cheese in the oven and our recipes are very similiar. I will be trying the worcestershire sauce to mine next time and maybe even the tabasco. Thanks for the recipe and remeber...you are not alone! :)

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  47. My mama still makes it this way..i've had tons of other kinds and nothin' beats the homemade, baked, cheesy, custardy melty mac n cheese. People are too worried about spending too much time in the kitchen ;)

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  48. This is the only way I make it...baked. I am from the south and this is my favorite comfort food....No blue box mac n cheese in my house ever. Thank you for posting... Bless your heart

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  49. I guess I'm a little different too, I still bake mine WITH eggs. :)

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  50. My recipe is very similar, but I do not like Worchester so I omit that. I don't use velveeta, but extra sharp cheddar, fontina, and a bit of guyere and sometimes gouda, fontina and guyere. I also top mine with crushed potato chips. Sometimes, depending on who I am serving, I might add sliced black olives, or sun dried tomatoes. I love the custardy texture the eggs give it. When my son was a teenager, he used to come home from ball practice and make two boxes of Kraft mac n cheese--to hold him over until dinner. Now, if it isn't baked--he won't eat it. Kids!

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  51. I have always used the blue box but I always added a lot of grated cheese on top and melted it in the microwave. Since I am now retired and have more time to cook from scratch I am going to try your baked recipe. It really sounds wonderful.

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  52. Either plain or self rising flour will work, Susan.

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  53. i've always made mine from scratch..a couple of the things you add to yours, i don't but basically the same recipe!!!

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  54. My mother always cut up cubes of cheddar cheese & made sure it was scattered all through the macaroni & also grated some & sprinkled it liberally throughout the macaroni. She mixed up some flour & milk, then added a couple of beaten eggs & poured over the mac & cheese. Of course since she was a " cheese-aholic ", she sprinkled a little more grated cheese & bread crumbs on top before putting it in the oven to bake. Biting into those cubes of melted cheddar was a mac & cheese lover dream !

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  55. I'm 26 and have made mine from scratch :) The only reason I don't more often is because my 4 year old likes the box stuff lol. I'll try this recipe though, thanks! :D

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  56. Thank you. I have been wanting a different recipe for mac and cheese. I will try yours. And, yes, it must be baked. I am an independent, strong minded woman, so I am called, among other things,"different". My response is usually, "Well thank God for that"

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  57. I seriously didn't know there was any other way to make this except in the oven. Have never made it with eggs and I'm going to give it a try. Thank you!

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  58. This sounds yummy. My grandmother used to make hers in the oven. I do not have her recipe but wish I did. I can't wait to try this.

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  59. This sounds yummy. My grandmother used to make hers in the oven. I do not have her recipe but wish I did. I can't wait to try this.

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  60. Can't wait to try this. It sounds heavenly! Gonna make it for my hubby when he comes home from deployment :-)

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  61. I like to crush some ritz on top of mine and pour melted butter on top of the ritz before i bake it makes it extra crunchy with a great flavor .

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  62. I like to put Ritz crackers on top of mine with melted butter on top of them the crackers are crunchy with a great flavor.

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  63. I made this tonight..but I didnt have any macaroni,,I used spaghetti! LOL..It was GREAT! Almost like an Alfredo like taste with the garlic...This one is a keeper..BTW you are my kind of folks! Kinda weird and nutty!! But loveable!

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  64. God bless you and your recipes! I was born and raised in Mississippi and when I saw "Sweet Tea and Cornbread" I knew I had found manna from heaven! My grandmothers were great southern cooks and your recipes make me think of them more often. My son is 4 and has never had mac & cheese out of a box. I make my cheese sauce on top of the stove (I use only sharp cheddar, milk, mustard powder, black pepper, salt & a little cayenne pepper in the sauce) and then I bake it with extra cheese on top. I will have to try your version and hallelujah for still doing mac & cheese the RIGHT way!

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    1. Thank you Melissa, that is exactly how my Grandma made hers... and I've been following her tradition for the last 40 years!!

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  65. I don't like swiss cheese.Is there another kind I can use?

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  66. I always made a homemade stovetop mac and chs with ham bits. Just white american and cream. Just made yours and waitin for it to come out of the oven. My kids were jealous of the neighbors they got the box. Mine did not until they were teens and our life got hectic. What do they want when they come home? Moms lolol

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  67. I make my own & eat the shells some, but my mother died when I was young & I don't remember how she made exactly. This helped me to try to make it more like hers. She didn't put as much in it but she baked it always & it was VERY GOOD. Nothing on top of range can be that good!

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  68. I love this recipe and all the additional comments. My 23 y.o. daughter is DD and makes the box for herself quite often since it's easy. I prefer a baked version. I am going to try this but substitute provolone for Swiss since I don't like Swiss cheese. I'm sure it will be just as good.

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  69. Baked is the only way to go! :) I have not bought a box of velveeta shells or kraft anything since I've been grocery shopping (bluck!) LOL...I found your blog through pinterest and had to comment! I add a little smoked paprika to the top of mine :)

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  70. It's true...there are A LOT of "boxes" out there...I even saw a "Betty Crocker" box yesterday...have seen that one before. ME?? Give me baked, ok, I often put it in the crockpot now...I'm a "CHEDDAR" girl...my mama didn't buy Velveeta, and I don't really care for it...but I do use eggs, Carnation milk, sometimes sour cream or cream cheese and LOTS of CHEDDAR...and of course, BUTTER (but what would you cook without BUTTER??)

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  71. I also put bacon on top of mine...

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    1. northern gal here, but LUV Southern cooking,,,my mom always put a few slices of bacon on top of the mac/cheese baked in the oven...

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  72. I have never made it this way. I hadn't heard of cheese sauce in baked Mac and cheese. I am from the south and my grandma taught me to do it with the elbow or penne, 3 or 4 cans of evap milk, cheddar cheese, 2 eggs, salt and pepper. I may try your way!

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  73. I make mine baked for the holidays or when we're going to pot luck or cook out our bbq events, but the way I learned to make it is different than this, no cheese sauce. Elbow or rotini macaroni, mild, medium or sharp cheddar cubed (sometimes I mix them), milk, 2 eggs (I tweaked it to 4 lol, it makes more and lasts longer), salt, pepper, paprika, seasoned salt, light garlic and onion powder. I always have loved eating this when my mom would make this, it was mostly made for holidays, birthdays and get together and big events. My mom is born and raised from the South, she's from Charleston, SC. I'm glad I found this blog by way of another blog/page on Facebook, so many great Southern recipes.

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  74. By the way, this sounds good and would be interesting to try it this way. And your coworker and mom are wrong, my sisters, sister-in-law, and several other members of my family make baked macaroni and prefer it over the box and the kids prefer it over the boxed stuff, too, haha.

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  75. This sounds wonderful, I always bake my macaroni and cheese mine is two lbs. of mac,4 lbs. of sharp cheddar shredded, half and half 1 lb. butter,3 eggs,salt pepper,garlic powder, stir all ingredients together into hot macaroni then bake until brown and bubbly yummo!!! your not different, just awesome!!! thanks for your twist on a age old recipe!

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  76. Yum.....I always bake mac and cheese. My children won't eat the boxed stuff. However, this sounds so good. Will give it a try....

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  77. Well, I am one that still bakes my macaroni and cheese. I buy the good sharp cheese that comes off a round at a good country store near by. We use to call it "rat" cheese when I was little. It's the very best kind. I boil my macaroni and drain. I put in my dish a layer of macaroni then slice cheese and dot with butter. I repeat that again. In the meantime I beat two large eggs with about 2 cups of milk and pour this over the macaroni and cheese. Then I layer cheese on top, dot with butter and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until set. It is delicious!!! So easy to make and quick. You don't have to make a sauce.

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  78. I always, always bake my mac & cheese in the OVEN! haha This will be a great addition to my addiction~ Thanks for sharing

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  79. I've tried to make baked Mac and Cheese on my own with out a recipe, only because at the time I didn't have the internet to find one. I'm so glad you have posted this! By time I got old enough to realize and watch my Momma cook, she had completely switched over to the "blue box". So for MANY years that was all I had to go by. Not anymore. I am now 51, and just starting to cook like my grandmother and aunts use to do!! Thank you, again!!

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  80. never had bake mac and cheese im going to try this thank you

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  81. Hi there! Born and raised in St.Louis, MO, and baked is the ONLY way to make mac & cheese! Can't abide by crumbs or, God forbid, tomatoes. Nothing must get in the way of that browned cheese goodness that my family always fought over. We had browned cheese stealing pirates in our house! This recipe looks awesome...never had it with swiss. Can't wait to make it!

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  82. this is how I make Mac and cheese too and my family loved it...but one time my young son came home from a friends raving about his mom's mac and cheese. I knew this mom didn't cook much so I was curious. I asked him what was different about hers and he told me it came in a blue box....we laughed about that for years. Now that he's in his 20's he loves his mama';s mac and cheese!!

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  83. Does the egg keep the mac & cheese from turning to mortar?

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  84. Nothing like homemade baked mac n cheese!! I also bake it. I'm going to try the tomatoes for sure. I top mine with all the potato chip crumbs in the bottom of the bag that seem to lay there until someone wants to drink them out the bag. Beautiful crunch...a little added salt but with all the cheese does it matter?? lol

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  85. if your going to make on the stove top you might as well open a box of mac n cheese! I have always made mine with cheese sauce and baked it I also add bread crumbs to mine for the topping...That's the way I have always and will always make it! :D

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  86. I've been making home baked mac & cheese that my mom made that her mom made for 28 years of married life. I just had mac & cheese at a wedding I helped with this weekend and people raved because they remembered it like their grandma's used to make.

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  87. Without the oven? No way. My mama taught me the good ol' southern way! Lol

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  88. Where can u get the blue box American Cheese? It"s no where in Mississippi. I miss it when making Mac/Cheese, and Pimento Cheese.
    Love this receipe.. Its the best I seen so far.I do use alittle white mustard in mine.!!

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  89. Have never tasted mac and cheese as good as my Mom made. She used American cheese and would crumble crackers, mix it in then bake. Looked all over to find a recipe that had crackers mixed in it but never did. Asked my sister about it and she seems to think Mom added crackers to make the batch bigger to save money. Anyone else out there ever heard of someone else doing this?

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  90. Thanks so much for posting this! I have looked all over for a recipe for baked mac and cheese for a long time, that would taste like the kind I used to have as a kid down south. None of the recipes ever sounded quite right, but this one does! Can't wait to try it!

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  91. I LOVE Baked Mac & Cheese. I will give your recipe a try. It sounds delicious. I use several types of cheese in mine. I use cream cheese too. Mmmm

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  92. We still bake ours...some ur ingredients we dont use but it looks yummy! #bakedisthewaytogo!

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  93. Kathy,how can I print this recipe off without having to write it down always mess up writing and also can none of your post be shared.Thanks Helen

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  94. Helen, if you go to the top of the post, there is a little green box that says "print friendly". Click on that and it changes the post to a pdf document that prints very nicely. You can even click on 'remove images' and take the pictures out to save ink and paper. My posts can be shared. You can click the share option on Facebook and share them or pin them on Pinterest. There is also a 'share on facebook' option over on the left hand margin of this site. I appreciate when the recipes are shared with one of those methods.

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  95. Well I read all the comments..I saw someone layered the dish..that is the correct way..REAL cheeses is used...block and shredded...I hate creamed mac and cheese so i add blocked pieces and shredded cheese on my layers...Try several Cheddars and mozz (not alot will make it too stringy)...with patted butter and seasons..after layers are done pour half and half or can milk mixed together with your eggs over dish..as the kids say..The BOMB...

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  96. My kids and hubby love the Box Mac and Cheese. I HATE it. As a little girl I lived down south,GA,KE. I remember my foster mother baking her mac and cheese. I will have to try this recipe and share it with all my friends and family. Thank You for sharing. Love your story too.

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  97. Very similar to what we do except we use smoked gouda, gruyere and goat cheese instead of velveeta, which is not even real cheese. Thanks for the recipe and story!

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  98. I can't wait to try your recipe! I still bake mine in the oven and it is a very good recipe, but I like the idea of yours being almost custard-like with the addition of eggs. Mine is a very creamy, smooth macaroni and cheese and I do use several cheeses, Velveeta and Cheddar. I am anxious to see what the Swiss cheese adds to it! Thanks for posting this!

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  99. Didn't Know That There Was Anything Except Baked Mac And Cheese... Don't Do Boxes That Well...

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  100. I always bake mine and have a similar custard recipe, but I love the Swiss cheese variation in this recipe and cannot wait it try it. I once was making my recipe and an older gentleman was over repairing an appliance. He loved to cook also (southern Mac n cheese his favorite) he shared with me that his grandmother topped her layered recipe with Crumbled Chicken and a Biscuit crackers and melted butter on top of the last layer of cheddar. It is very, very good!

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  101. Just made this tonight, tasted great! Makes a lot so I would cut the recipe in half next time since I'm only cooking for 3. Thanks for sharing.

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  102. I still bake mine in the oven. It is different than yours but still good ole'mac & cheese. My son loves it. Whenever he needs a dish to take somewhere he always comes to me and ask me if to make my mac & cheese for him to take.

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  103. Delicious! I want to lick the computer screen. I make something very similar to your sauce, minus the salt and add white pepper and a big pinch of cayenne, and mustard. Miele brand Dijon or even hot dog mustard. Hot English mustard powder if I have that on hand.

    Oven baked mac n cheese vs Blue Box (or worse, generic brand) is like comparing a just picked perfectly ripe peach to a canned peach, generic brand.

    Keep posting these fine recipes please!

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  104. I have been looking for a good Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe like my Mama used to make. I grew up in Mississippi, and this is the way we used to make it...not out of the blue box! Thank you...you are an answer to a prayer!

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  105. I'm born and raise in NC. I learned to make it like this. Cook and drain noodles, add butter, cheese packet from box, then one cup of milk add 2eggs,salt,pepper,accent then beat together then pour over noodles add some cheddar cheese stir then cover whole top with cheese then bake @ 350° for 30minutes or till edges are brown and bubbly.

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  106. I'm a southern girl and still make Mac n cheese home made, but i talked a family size box ofmac n cheese boil noodles till done drain, add butter then in a bowl add 1 cup milk and 2 eggs beat together add salt, pepper,accent and mix then . I then add some cheese to noodles stir then add the milk mixture and stir then Put raining cheese on top and bake. So good.

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  107. This made me truly laugh out loud! Guess I'm a little different too! I make my Mac and Cheese pretty similiar to yours. I refuse to degrade to a powdered cheese product! One thing's for certain, as long as others keep making the pre-packaged goo our REAL Macaroni and Cheese will always be a hit!

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  108. I still bake mine - always! My recipe uses macaroni, butter, evaporated milk, red pepper flakes (or black pepper depending on my mood), eggs, velveeta and cheddar. I over bake it so it's nice and brown and bubbly on top (the best part!). I hate boxed mac and cheese or the stuff you just pour sauce over (without baking).

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  109. I still put my mac & cheese in the oven. So do my girlfriends so it's not a lost art (thankfully). I don't use Velveeta though, I like the real stuff. I'll sometimes use three different types of cheese. My friend likes to throw in some pepperjack sometimes too.

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  110. You know, this thread made me stop and look back....I don't believe I have EVER bought or used any boxed macaroni and cheese. Mine is mild and extra sharp cheddar, eggs, lots of butter and milk. Mixed with cooked macaroni and baked. (It makes its' own sauce:)! Oh, and I always top with grated mild cheddar, and my folks rave about it.

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  111. You really made mac & cheese with Velveeta in it?

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  112. I am country bred from Selma, Alabama and I still bake mine in the oven and my grand kids love it!!!

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  113. I made your macaroni and cheese recipe and it was absolutely wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing! Im a big fan of your blog by the way and have made several of your recipes which have all also turned out wonderfully :)

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  114. Try spicing it up with white American cheese and pepper jack cheese.

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  115. I'm from the South (born and raised) and have never put that much stuff in my mac and cheese ... Layer elbow mac, sharp grated cheddar, butter and salt/pepper (several layers) ... mix milk or half and half (about 2 cups) with 3 jumbo eggs (beat thoroughly) and pour over layers. Bake at 400 degrees until top is browned ... Very simple and delicious

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  116. I DON'T USE FLOUR-----I USE EGGS 2-3 DEPENDING ON THE SIZE, GOLDENS SPICY RBOWN MUSTARD A LITTLE FRESH LEMON JUICE AND CARNATION MILK, & HOT RED PEPPER POWDER(JUST A DASH)---I USE SEVERAL CHEESES---MOZZARELLA, PARMESAN, SHARP AND EXTRA SHARP AND AMERICAN CHEESE (SOMETIMES BLUE CHESS IF I HAVE ANY LEFT OVER THAT I HAVE NOT EATEN)....BUT I WILL TRY THE VELVETA NEXT TIME---I LIKE TO USE MAC MEDIUM SIZE SHELLS, PENNE OR ZITI.........YOU CAN ALSO COOK THIS IS THE CROCK POT AND/OR SLOWCOOKER---I PUT MINE IN AN ALUM PAN..................ROSLYN

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  117. No mention of eggs under the picture of what you will need. I LOVE baked Macaroni & Cheese . . . and have ever since at least 1954 . . . Bright Star Restaurant in Bessemer, AL, and the restaurant is still there today. The recipe that I have been using for years is from an old Fannie Farmer Cookbook . . . awesome! I do have to admit, when having hot dogs, or hamburgers, for a quick meal . . . I do cheat and use dreaded blue box.

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  118. I make a really yummy version, but throw all the ingrediants into the hot pasta after i have drained it...mix well, and then put more cheese and bread crumbs on top. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Its faster than making the cheese sauce. I use 1 stick of butter, 4 cups of cheese, velvetta, sour cream, 1/2 & 1/2; eggs, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Yum

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  119. I still prefer your Slow Cooked Triple Cheddar Mac & Cheese from April 4, 2012.

    Steve Grizzle

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  120. I always bake mine in the oven but I use cheddar cheese and sharp cheddar cheese, canned milk, and whole milk, I also throw in a can of stewed tomatoes..yum!

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  121. I also like baked mac and cheese but my grandchildren like the boxed cheese; that is fine for them. I am from the North so my recipe is different. But then everyone should make it to their taste. I read Jo Jeffries comment about the stewed tomatoes and had to say that they make a great side dish with fish and the mac & cheese. YUM.

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  122. I didn't read every comment so I apologize if someone else asked... Is this recipe crockpot friendly? I would certainly broil the top at the end... Just curious. Thanks!

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  123. I have to admit I am a 46 year old Texan and I have never once seen a baked mac and cheese dish at any home. My Mom and as far as I know my Memaw too always used the box lol. I thought that baked was restaurant specific. But this looks really good and I am up for a baking challenge. :)

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  124. I have never *made* mac and cheese before. The only mac and cheese I like is Stouffer's cooked in the microwave. BUT after reading this blog post, I am going to give your mac & cheese recipe a shot. Your hilarity drew me in. (-;

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  125. This is similar to how I make it but love the idea of making sauce in microwave. Can't wait to try it!

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  126. I have been baking Mac n Cheese for years - I even make my cheese Sauce on the stove! ^^ I live in Germany, and they DO NOT HAVE/EAT Mac n Cheese. I have made it for my German in-laws...they say it's very American. (That means, it tastes good, but I will have to ride 30km on my bike tomorrow.) My husband LOVES it, and it is on our table for every Holiday. I have to make everything from scratch here...I even make pumpkin pie from REAL PUMPKINS - not a can - it just doesn't exist here. Whats funny is, that we also don't have any yellow cheese - so I use a mixture of Gouda, Emmentaler and Esrom (stinky cheese - but tastes wonderful) and add either Food coloring or tumeric powder, because I can't enjoy it if it's not the 'right' Color!! I love your Posts and recipes...greetings from a california Girl in northern Germany. (please excuse the german auto-correct that capitalizes nouns.)

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  127. I remember my mom baking mac and cheese! You are so right, the box stuff just doesn't cut it. Though I sheepishly admit to using it because I've gotten quite lazy and never really learned to cook in the first place! I will be trying this, now that I have a good recipe! Thank you!

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  128. i'm wondering if you can make this the day before and then bake it?

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  129. Michele K "A Southerner trapped in Minnesota"July 28, 2014 at 10:01 PM

    Oh my goodness! I am so thankful for your blog and your recipes. I am from South Carolina and when my husband and I got married there, we had an awesome catered rehearsal dinner complete with Southern fried chicken and REAL mac and cheese. He is from Minnesota (I know) and had never had traditional Southern Mac and Cheese. Well he wouldn't quit talking about how great it was so I looked high and low for a good recipe. I tried some that claimed to be the real deal, but they weren't! It wasn't until I found this recipe that I had the perfect outcome! Thanks for posting this great recipe. I make it about once a week now (picnics, cookouts, ham dinners, etc. etc.), I never have any leftovers, and everyone always asks me to bring it for potlucks. Thanks!

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  130. Made Mac and Cheese today for the first time, this was the stuff that had onion and beef and peppers and whatnot in it also. Put breadcrumbs and cheese on the top and baked it. Seems only logical that the finishing touch for any pasta bake is to..well...bake it. Delicious with a wonderful crunchy texture on top. If I'm different and ocd for making food properly, then so be it. All those other people can eat their microwave style dinners.

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  131. Always baked mine in oven.. using recipe similar to this.. My grandma put the diced tomatoes in when i was a kid... now make it for my grands..I was born in the north but have lived in the south more than 1/2 my life..raised my family here..

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  132. Hysterical! Wish I liked mac and cheese, but then I've always been a little different! :) And my mother made it the right way, too! Scalloped potatoes, I'll eat all day long' but y'all can have the mac and cheese!

    Alex said when she was around 12 that her grandmother made it from the blue box and she loved it, so I bought several boxes to keep on hand for her. I'd never ever made it for her! Then I heard Martha Stewart brag about her recipe and decided to show Alex what real mac and cheese tasted like.

    Went out and bought three types of cheese and spent an hour making her complicated recipe (aren't ALL of Martha's recipes complicated?); and when I proudly asked what Alex thought about it that night, she curled her lip and said, "It's ok. I like it from the box better!" !!!

    My one and only foray into making mac and cheese the RIGHT way! ; - )
    Sharon E

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  133. PS Your friends are funny, too! I laughed out loud when I read the comment that your recipe made one of them want to lick the computer screen. Good potato salad, or broccoli salad, or Seven Layer Salad or BBQ recipes have that same effect on me! Hint, hint! ; - )

    Oh, and my mother always added a little Velveeta to her mac'n cheese, too; so ignore that incredulous little comment above about Velveeta! My mother was one of the world's best cooks, and she always had a yellow box in her fridge! Probably used it in those scalloped potatoes I loved so much! :)

    Sharon E

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    1. Thank you, Sharon! I think Southerners speak our own language on many things...the box of Velveeta, might be on of those...lol.

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  134. This is the best Mac & Cheese! My entire family and friends love it and it's always requested at family and friend events and holidays.

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