Mac and Cheese

We're throwing a baby shower for my nurse tomorrow.  She's due 2 days after I would have been due if IUI #2 had worked.  Crazy.  This will be her second boy with her high school sweetheart, and she's only 23.  Also crazy.  But she's very happy, her two year old is absolutely adorable, and my nurse is wonderful, so whatever makes her happy is good with me!

Our showers and parties are always potluck, and usually I bring a dessert (I love to bake) or a fruit tray or cheese or something that requires no effort on my part.  But I got the sign up list last, and all the easy stuff was taken.  Which led me to decide to break out of my comfort zone and make homemade mac and cheese.  I searched the recipe sites for a recipe that sounded appealing, and finally chose one from allrecipes.com called Four Cheese Macaroni.  It says that it serves 6 and since we have 16 people in the office, I decided I'd better double it.  And then I read in the comments that people recommended increasing the cheese, so I prepared to do that, too.  I picked up the ingredients at the grocery store after work, but didn't get enough half and half, so I had to alter the recipe yet again.  Then I read how much butter was in there, and decided (with all my cooking experience) that it was too much.  So I decreased that.  The final product made enough for two casserole dishes, and a little small dish for me to sample for dinner tonight before serving.

And OMG.  Chiquitita and I love this mac and cheese!  Here's my somewhat altered recipe, which really serves more than 6, unless your main course is mac and cheese.  And then it might serve 4!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

16 ounces elbow macaroni

8 tablespoons of butter

3/4 cup shredded Muenster cheese

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup half and half 

approx 10 ounces of cubed Velveeta (or as the recipe site called it:  processed cheese food)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the oil and the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons butter; stir into the macaroni.
3. In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Add the half and half, all but 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture, cubed processed cheese food, and eggs to macaroni; mix together and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture and 1 tablespoon of butter.  (I added extra shredded cheese on top, because it just didn't seem like enough, and did about 1/2 tablespoon of butter.)
6. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges; serve and enjoy mac and cheese heaven.          

I'm now going to roll myself to bed and hope the heartburn isn't too bad.  If it is, I guess I'll just get up and eat more mac and cheese.