Extra Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Welcome to day three of kid friendly foods week here on Cookin’ Mimi. I was going to post this yesterday but I babysat my nephew until around one and he was not going to let me do anything that required much focus and then after he went home the poor dear fell and busted his lip open bad enough that they went to the emergency room just to make sure he didn’t need stitches. I was too worried about him to even think about posting yesterday evening. He’s fine but he looks just pitiful.

This is one of Punk Monkey’s favorite foods in the entire world along with tomatoes, ham, grapes and bananas. He could live off those five foods at home. Now if we pass fast food he starts hollering for a kid’s meal but those are his favorite at home foods.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of milk
• 4 ounces of processed cheese, broken into bits. Just take your fingers and tear it. Smaller is better but don’t get hung up on it.
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese. I used mild cheddar
• 1/2 pound of small cut pasta- ziti, macaroni, shells, wagon wheels etc…
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a sauce pan over medium heat melt butter or margarine and add flour. Stir and cook until just golden brown. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly to keep from lumping. Cook, stirring often until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. A great way to tell if it is thick enough is to dip the spoon in the mixture then take your finger and draw a line through the mixture. If it stays separate it’s thick enough, if it runs back together cook it a bit longer. Remove from heat and add process cheese stirring until melted. Add the shredded cheese and whisk that in until it’s melted placing over low heat if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix together cheese sauce and pasta. Serve and enjoy.

Extra Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Printable

Linked to:Ingredient Spotlight at Eat at Home

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Here is a bonus picture:

When I was photographing my plate of macaroni and cheese, Punk Monkey brought me his plate and asked me to take a picture of his food. Of course I had to oblige because he is just too darn cute. Look at those little fingers.