Home-Made Mac & Cheese

Matt loves mac and cheese made with Velveeta.  I prefer the type from the box.  You know, add the cheese powder, milk, and butter, and you magically get cheese.  That's what I grew up on, and was my favorite food for most of my life (and is still a favorite, as you can see, I make it a lot) but now, I've branched out and have decided to work on some variations.  Tonight, I made Matt's favorite version, and although I still love my cheese powder, this stuff was not too shabby either.

18 oz. Velveeta (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1/2 cup milk
Pepper to taste

Bring water to boil in a large pot (I always add just a dash of salt to the water before it boils.  My dad always told me that it makes the water boil faster.  I have no idea if this is true, but I do it anyway).  Add macaroni noodles, cooking until pasta is tender.  Drain and return to pot.  Add milk and Velveeta and pepper.  Cook over low heat until the Velveeta is completely melted, stirring occasionally.

If you prefer, you can use Light Velveeta and skim milk to lower the fat and calorie content.

Chicken Alfredo

This is really really basic, and I did almost no cooking for this meal.  1 pound of ground chicken, 1 jar of Cheesy Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce, and a package of fettuccine noodles.  Just prepare the chicken the same way you would ground hamburger for spaghetti sauce, but add some olive oil to the pan, as chicken doesn't have its own grease the way hamburger does.

After cooking the noodles, I mixed the sauce in with the chicken, and poured both the noodles and the chicken sauce into a casserole dish and topped with shredded cheese.  It would probably taste best with Mozzarella cheese, but I only had cheddar in my fridge, so that's what I used.  Bake at 425 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted.

Baked Mac & Cheese

THIS IS SO DELICIOUS!

I got the package of Kraft Homestyle macaroni & cheese, the classic cheddar flavor (I'm not sure if there's more than one flavor, but this is the one I used).  This was honestly the best mac & cheese I've ever had, and Matt agreed with me.  I followed the directions on the back of the bag, finished with the "oven baked finish option."  The only things you need besides the package is milk and butter and, if you want to go the baked route, some shredded cheddar cheese (you don't have to bake it, it's good to go straight from the stovetop if you prefer).  The mac & cheese package includes the noodles, a packet of seasonings, a packet of bread crumb topping, and a packet of cheese sauce.  That's right, no powdered cheese, it's some seasoning mixed with cheddar cheese sauce.  I highly recommend this meal, and the package was only $2.00 at Walmart.  Cheap and great meal, perfect for two people with a little leftover!