42 years ago my mom gave me this Betty Crocker's cookbook. This was the beginning of a three generation line of succession: Her mom had a Betty Crocker cookbook, she had a Betty Crocker cookbook, and back in 1980 it was my turn to carry on the tradition of owning a Betty Crocker cookbook. My girls don't have many cookbooks; they turn to the internet to find recipes. I want this tradition to continue for four generations so Santa will put this book underneath the Christmas tree this year for them. Who knows...maybe they will find a recipe that will carry along with them for 42+ years.
My most used recipe, macaroni and cheese, is on page 117 in that book. I made the mac and cheese when T and I were newly married and lived on a tight budget. That macaroni and cheese gave me calm dinners with my four kids. Every single one of them liked it. No "Eeeewwwww" or "This is gross" when this was on the table. It was comfort food when they didn't feel well. When the kids were involved in sports, I served it at many team dinners. When they went off to college and lived in apartments, I made this mac and cheese to take to the apartment gangs, usually during exam week when stress was high and food was sparse at the end of the semester.
This weekend I made a triple batch of macaroni and cheese to go up to Cleveland to be consumed at a Diaper Party in honor of my son and his soon-to-be-born baby boy. If you're wondering what a Diaper Party is, it's the guys version of a baby shower. The guys supply the soon-to-be dad with diapers and they grill out and drink beer. Smoked meats, mac and cheese, and beer. Life is good. And when my grandson is old enough to eat solid food, I will use this recipe to make macaroni and cheese for him, tell him that his daddy loved it, and hopefully he will love it, too.
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| The ingredients are ready to go. Before you comment on the Velveeta, I like to use it for macaroni and cheese. It melts so easily and is delightfully cheesy. It has been the cheese of choice for 42 years. |
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| The big puddle of cheese sauce. |
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| Mixing the cheese sauce into the macaroni. This huge bowl came from the Sears snack shop when my dad was a store manager. The snack shop closed and my dad bought a bunch of the industrial sized mixing bowls. To this day, I use it all the time with big recipes. |
I haven't cooked with Velveeta in years, I grew up on it. I love Mac and Cheese, I seldom make it, it is high in carbs (problematic for my sweet bear) and my digestion does not cope well with the volume of cheese. But I like it. I mix all kinds of cheese, the stronger the better. I like it baked until crusty more than the creamy that most people like today. For me it is the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, Sweet Bear came with the Betty Crocker.
ReplyDeleteI use Velveeta for two things: mac and cheese and a cheese dip made with Velveeta and Rotel tomatoes. I usually make those dishes when my kids are home.
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