Things you can do with the "Blue Box"

[Constance]

We all like homemade mac and cheese best, but the Kraft "Blue Box" is cheap, convenient, and...let's face it...loved by kids and some husbands.
Recently, DH came home from the store with an 8-pak of the boxes. I had asked for Easy Mac, a micro-wave version in single serving packets that I eat for lunch sometimes, but he thought it rather pricey, and was proud of the bargain he'd gotten.
So, I thought I'd mention some things you can do with the ubiquitous "Blue Box".
Chop up hot dogs and add to pasta the last 5 minutes of cooking. My grandson loves this for lunch.

Add frozen peas to cook in with the macaroni, then add a can of drained tuna after macaroni is done and drained.

And what we did last night...add fresh broccoli florets to cook in with pasta. It made a quick, tasty side dish...great with BBQ chicken.

 

[Barb L.]

My 26 yr. old son loves that little blue box - thanks for all the tips !

 

[Katie H]

I like to drain a can of diced tomatoes and add them to the finished macaroni and cheese. Then heat through.

Another good thing to do is to toast some chopped walnuts and add them, along with some crumbled blue cheese, to the finished macaroni and cheese. Again, heat through. This dresses it up a bit.

 

[TATTRAT]

I like peas and diced ham in mine, then top with bread crumbs and brown off till nice and crispy on top.

 

[auntdot]

Believe it or not have never had the boxed M&C.

That being said, as an obvious ET, just a couple of ideas.

As I understand it the box contains some elbow pasta and a packet of cheese seasoning.

How about reserving the macaroni and incorporating the packet into mashed potatoes?

Might need to add a bit more milk but it sounds like it might work.

Or scramble some eggs, toss in a bit of the flavor packet (and maybe a tad of milk) and make an omelet or scrambled eggs. Could add a bit of crumbled bacon or diced cooked kielbasa.

Course there is always the chili-mac.

Or maybe the packet could be incorporated into chili.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[StirBlue]

Believe it or not have never had the boxed M&C.

That being said, as an obvious ET, just a couple of ideas.

As I understand it the box contains some elbow pasta and a packet of cheese seasoning.

How about reserving the macaroni and incorporating the packet into mashed potatoes?

Might need to add a bit more milk but it sounds like it might work.

Or scramble some eggs, toss in a bit of the flavor packet (and maybe a tad of milk) and make an omelet or scrambled eggs. Could add a bit of crumbled bacon or diced cooked kielbasa.

Course there is always the chili-mac.

Or maybe the packet could be incorporated into chili.

Just a few thoughts.

We call that "Robbing the Box". After a while, you have a lot of macaroni. It is not a heavy product and doesn't far well in other dishes. I mostly donate it for the colored macaroni projects. It cannot be colored very well but helps to make a pretty designed when used as a spacer.

 

[mish]

Connie, you just reminded me -- I have s blue rectangular (sideways) box of the rotini w white cheddar and Broc in the pantry for about a year I've made a faux pastitsio. (You may need two boxes of yours.)

Prepare your mac n cheese. Set aside.

Saute ground beef & onions, drain fat - sprinkle mixture w cinnamon; then mix in about 1-2 tbl tomato paste. (Add raisins, if you like.)

In a large rectangular pyrex dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked mac n cheese, then the cooked ground beef mixture, then the mac n cheese. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top, cover with foil, bake at 350 for about 45 minutes - or till heated through. After you remove it from the oven, let it rest a few minutes before slicing into squares.

 

[Constance]

You all have some great ideas. Perhaps you're like me...we love to cook, but sometimes we just want something that tastes good, fast.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I agree with you Constance. While I do like to make my own mac & cheese, sometimes the childhood comfort of that "blue box" is what I crave.

I've added broccoli florets like you, & have also added cooked ground turkey, peas, etc., for a more "complete" (lol) meal.

Served plain, it's my hands-down favorite side to another childhood comfort food of mine - breaded fish sticks!

 

[Constance]

Served plain, it's my hands-down favorite side to another childhood comfort food of mine - breaded fish sticks!

I can't believe it, Breezy...I just bought some frozen, breaded fish fillets, thinking the same thing. DH just can't go the fish sticks since he read that they were made of "fish pieces".

 

[JoAnn L.]

This is a recipe I have made for years.

1-box of Kraft macaroni and Cheese (Blue Box)
1/2 pound of ground beef
1/4 cup onion,chopped
1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup (do not add water)

Brown the ground beef and onion, then drain. Set aside. Prepare the box of macaroni as directed on package, using all the ingredients. Mix with the ground beef mixture and stir in the Cream Of Mushroom soup. Put into a 2 quart casserole that has been sprayed with Pam. And bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes.

 

[Ali]

I like peas and diced ham in mine, then top with bread crumbs and brown off till nice and crispy on top.

That isn't a combination that I've tried, but it sounds really good.

I like my homemade macaroni and cheese, but the little blue box is still a favorite.

~Ali

 

[StirBlue]

Sometimes I take the blue box and an assortment of other boxes (like dry cereal) and using glue I make a desk organizer. You can cover it with construction paper (or not) and you can label the containers. Sometimes I just put one together for sorting. You can also use this to invent little funny games and mazes (rainy day projects).
You can also decorate one and put it on the bedroom door for messages...etc.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for my blue box crafts.

We totally covered Mac & Cheese in another thread. So this must be the thread for the box.

 

[Michael in FtW]

You mean that little ol' thread we had here StirBlue?

Mac-n-Cheese is really a meal extender (a bulking agent) - it really depends on what you want to use to flavor it.

I swear - if nobody has written a cookbook for this .... I'm going to!