Frugal Food Thursday: Mom's Mac and Cheese

Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

This week, I thought I'd share my mom's recipe for macaroni and cheese.

A few years ago, my mom gathered all the recipes that she's collected over the years - from her mother, from family and friends, and from magazines and cookbooks - typed them up, and put the pages into binders with page protectors.  She gave a copy each to my sister, to my sister-in-law, and to me.  It is a prized possession.

I've since stuffed printouts of my favorite recipes into the pockets of the binder, and one of these days I'll have to arrange them properly and add my pages to her cookbook, to be passed down to my daughters.

Anyway, she never made macaroni and cheese from a box when I was growing up - we always had this dish.  Of course, the boxed stuff is cheaper, but a lot less healthful.  More recently, she replaces the original white noodles with either whole wheat noodles or brown rice noodles, which makes it even more healthful.  I do that, too.

And I usually add a bit of cream cheese to the cheese sauce to make it even more creamy.  That makes it less healthful.  And maybe a dash of hot sauce or dry mustard.  And extra-sharp Cheddar instead of the American.   Mmmm... getting so hungry...

But here is her original recipe.  Enjoy!

MOM'S MAC AND CHEESE

2 cups elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
8 oz (2 cups) American or mild Cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed
Tomato slices (optional)

Cook elbow macaroni in boiling, salted water till tender; drain.  Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter; blend in flour, salt, and pepper.  Add milk; cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.  Mix cheese sauce with cooked macaroni.  Turn into a 1-1/2 quart casserole.  If using, place tomato slices on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal Follies.  Click here for the list!

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