Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

About a dozen years ago, I got a job teaching summer school at Mayfield Jr. School, here in Pasadena. I taught a cooking class to kids from 4th to 8th grade. The food had to be easy and fast since there were 13 students that I had to teach a kitchen skill to and how to prepare a dish in an hour every day. Your mom probably made homemade macaroni and cheese starting with a bechamel sauce, (cook flour and butter and add milk, then you add the cheese etc.) This way is so much easier! But the best part is adding whatever kind of cheeses you want. Cheddar? Classic.Goat cheese? Why not? Bleu cheese? Even better! This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated, one of my favorite cooking mags. The family loves macaroni and cheese night and were thrilled this week when I had to make it twice because I didn't like how it looked the first time. I guess that's the up or down side of blogging depending on your perspective! So, if a 5th grader can make this macaroni and cheese, so can you!

Fast and Easy Macaroni and Cheese
2 large eggs
1 can of evaporated  milk (not sweetened condensed- hey, you never know!)
1 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 pound macaroni ( I used elbows)
6 Tbl. butter (I use unsalted)

12 oz. grated cheese, about 3 cups (I used sharp cheddar)



  Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix eggs, evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt, mustard in a measuring cup or bowl.
2. Boil  macaroni in salted water until nearly done. You want to drain when it's  al dente, because you're going to continue cooking it on the stove for a few more minutes.
3. Returned drained macaroni to pot and add the butter to melt and coat the pasta over a low heat.
4. Add egg mixture and part of the cheese and stir constantly over low heat, about 7 minutes. Gradually add remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper. (Try a pinch of white pepper if you have it)



If you want to, you can top it with bread crumbs and bake it, but around here, the forks are usually in the pot "testing", before I can get it on the plate.