Mac & cheese

[Ally]

I found tis recipe on mac & cheese....n i've got a question to ask...

2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups cubed Velveeta cheese
8 ounces cooked and drained elbow macaroni

1) In a medium-size saucepan, melt margarine on low heat.
2) When melted, add flour, salt and pepper.
3) Stir to blend well; add milk slowly and cook until thickened.
4) Add cubed cheese and blend to melt.
5) Add cooked and drained elbow macaroni. Serve.


~> wats velveeta cheese??? and wat type of cheese would be good (if not best) to make mac n cheese

 

[Ishbel]

I think Velveeta is an American processed soft cream cheese - personally, I always use a good sharp Cheddar like, Davidstow or Isle of Mull.

 

[licia]

I suppose my family makes macaroin and cheese differently than most people. My grandmother always made hers with the cooked macaroni, shredded cheddar - some sharp and some mild -, milk and butter enough to encourage the cheese to melt evenly. Her's was always a really good consistency, not to wet and not too dry, so the rest of us have kept up her mac and cheese legacy. I like it leftover almost as good as the first time around.

 

[urmaniac13]

I think Velveeta is an American processed soft cream cheese - personally, I always use a good sharp Cheddar like, Davidstow or Isle of Mull.

Yes Izzy, that's much better than Velveeta!! You know I can't find any variety of cheddar in Italy... they have so many wonderful cheeses of their own but for certain recipes I wish I could find cheddar here, too!!

 

[jennyema]

Velveeta is a soft orange-colored processed cheese product. It melts well but IMO doesn't taste anything like real cheese.

It comes in blocks -- think big block of mild, plasticine orange American Cheese.

What I would suggest is: using the same recipe sub butter for the margerine (better for you and tastes better, esp. with decent cheese) and a good cheddar or gruyere (or a mix) for the Velveeta. I would shred the cheese, too, to help it melt better.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Oprah

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound elbow macaroni

8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta, cut into small cubes

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons of the butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta, and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutritional information: 798 calories, 49.3 grams of fat, 28.6 grams saturated fat, 202 mg cholesterol, 786 mg sodium, 61.0 grams carbohydrates, 27.7 gra

Found this one on Oprah. She said she just loved this one. Does it sound good to you? Everybody has favorite of this. Does anyone just eat this alone or does it always have to be side dish? My family thinks we have to have meat otherwise not a meal. I don't agree. just having some kind of vegetable is necessary. This one has Velveeta in it too. Don't know how to substitute that.

 

[Ally]

thanks a lot...will be goin cheese shoppin soon....

 

[Constance]

We love Velveeta Cheese for cooking...and we don't think it tastes like plastic at all.
Gee, now I have this tremendous craving for tuna casserole with Velveeta melted on top.

 

[pdswife]

I loved Veleeta as a young person... haven't had it in so many years. Now... I'm having a craving for it. I think I'll have to go buy some and try this recipe. Thanks!!

 

[Piccolina]

You know I can't find any variety of cheddar in Italy... they have so many wonderful cheeses of their own but for certain recipes I wish I could find cheddar here, too!!

DH was leery of cheddar at first, but I've served dishes with the Irish cheddars here (quite different from Canadian/American ones in terms of taste) and slowly warmed him up to cheddar. I will keep my eyes peeled for you Licia, as I have two great books all about Italian ingredients. Perhaps there is a similar cheese with a different name available in Rome? Has Cris tried cheddar before?

 

[jennyema]

We love Velveeta Cheese for cooking...and we don't think it tastes like plastic at all.
Gee, now I have this tremendous craving for tuna casserole with Velveeta melted on top.

Plasticine was a reference to the texture, not taste. It's sorta shiney.

I just think it doesn't taste like cheese. But then I am really into cheese.

This thread caused me to make mac and cheese for lunch 'cause I am home. Made it with Manchego and Pecorino.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Velveeta is to cheese what grape juice is to wine = "Sorta kinda only different".

 

[Constance]

That's a very good comparison, Michael.

I started using Velveeta when my children were small and my budget was smaller. (Back then you could get it on sale for .69 for a 2 lb. box.) I must have made a hundred thousand grilled Velveeta Cheese sandwiches. Dip that sandwich in a bowl of Cambells Chicken Noodle Soup, and you've got heaven. I love the way it melts into casseroles or on top of vegetables. Try stirring a slice into your bowl of chili! And it makes great dips.

I am, by the way, a big time cheese lover, and now that I can afford it, we enjoy all sorts of wonderful cheeses. But I still keep a box of Velveeta Lite on hand at all times.

By the way, I love grape juice too. I guess I'm hopelessly plebeian. LOL!

 

[licia]

I'm not a velveeta fan, but my sister makes a really good dip with a chunk(don't know how much)of velveeta and a can of rotel tomatoes(don't remember which variety). I realize this isn't a recipe, but it may be familiar to someone. She says the melting properties is the reason she uses it. It tastes great with corn chips, etc.

 

[mudbug]

I'm not a velveeta fan, but my sister makes a really good dip with a chunk(don't know how much)of velveeta and a can of rotel tomatoes(don't remember which variety). I realize this isn't a recipe, but it may be familiar to someone. She says the melting properties is the reason she uses it. It tastes great with corn chips, etc.

licia, we make this dip every New Year's Day. We use the whole block of Velveeta, and we usually add a tube's worth of cooked crumbled sausage as well as the Ro-Tel.

 

[Ishbel]

We don't have Velveeta here, so I'm still not sure what it TASTES like? Is it a really bland, mild cheese?

And what's Ro-Tel?

 

[Constance]

Ishbel, it is a processed cheese that can sit on the shelf without refrigeration until it is opened. I would say it is mild, but very "cheesy" tasting.
Rotel Tomatoes are tomatoes canned with green chili peppers.

I make the Velveeta dip too, but I use Pace Piquante sauce instead of the Rotel Tomatoes. It's a great appetizer to snack on while your big pot of chili is simmering...then put a dollap in your chili...MMmmmm, good!

Sometimes I put sausage in it too, Mudbug...it's really good that way.

 

[velochic]

We don't eat anything processed. I have to agree that Velveeta (the one time I tasted it) was like putting raw chemicals in the mouth. Disgusting!

The recipe looks great, just substitute real shredded cheddar.

ETA: Constance just put it the right way... "cheese that can sit on the shelf without refrigeration." Say no more... ick!

 

[Ishbel]

Constance, thanks for the info... but I'm with Velochic on this one!

 

[Constance]

I guess it's a mid-west America thing. You don't know what you're missing!