Barb’s Mac ‘n Cheese with Ham

Last night we dined on a glorious maple glazed smoked ham. One of the many benefits of cooking a ham is the leftovers! And tonight’s fare is my special recipe Mac ‘n Cheese with Ham. Without further adieu…

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of elbow macaroni
2 cups of white sauce
1 # grated Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups cubed ham

Gather your ingredients

Fill a pot 3/4 full of water, salt added and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni,

Add elbow noodles to the boiling water

set the timer for 3 minutes and stir continually until the buzzer goes off. Then turn off the heat, cover the pot and set the timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, drain the macaroni and put it into your greased casserole dish. Cover. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Next you need to make your white sauce. You will need 2 cups. My white sauce is white sauce. Try a number of recipes to see what suits you. And, Joe – do not load it down with butter! Sorry, but I cannot divulge my trade secret white sauce recipe! But I can tell you that whatever white sauce recipe you choose, take your time in making the sauce. Remember that the cheese will thicken it a bit. I use about one pound of Tillamook Medium Cheddar cheese for the entire recipe. I use a few healthy handfuls in the sauce.

Second handful of cheese added

From the maple glazed rotisserie ham that I made the night before, I cut up slabs into bite sized cubes. Mix the ham into the macaroni

Mix the ham into the elbow noodles

and then pour your sauce over. Mix this well.

Sauce is mixed in with the noodles and ham

Then cover with the remaining cheese.

Sauce is mixed in with the noodles and ham

Bake for 30 minutes. The cheese should be slightly browned and bubbly. Once out of the oven,

Right out of the oven!

let this sit for five minutes, then serve!

Dinner is served!

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Coming soon…

I wanted to get your mouths watering, so here is what is to come starting today and going through Monday!

Tonight – A spicy, flaky fish recipe, with a jasmine rice and steamed broccoli

Christmas Eve – Maple glazed smoked ham, sweet acorn squash and cheesy au gratin potatoes

Christmas Day – Barb’s famous Mac ‘n Cheese with ham

Monday – Sopa de Pedos, or “Fart Soup” – this is a bean soup made with the leftover ham and the bone of course!

Comfort food just perfect for the holidays! What are you cooking up?

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Mac ‘n Cheese

Everyone who has eaten my Macaroni and Cheese loves it! It is one of the best comfort foods that I make, and I do make it a lot! One night I had twelve around my table for a Mac ‘n Cheese dinner, and I knew I had a hit as no one said a word because they were all tasting, savoring, and delighting!

And they ask me, “How do you make this?” Well, I am going to tell you the secrets to making a good Mac ‘n Cheese!

First: The thing to making the best Mac ‘n Cheese ever is to make your love for food and the love for those eating it the most important components to your dish. Love the food you are using and love the people who will be eating your dish!

Second: Take your time. A good Mac ‘n Cheese takes time. I give myself about two hours for prep to cooking on the stove top until it hits the oven. If you rush through making a dish it will not settle well in the stomach of those who eat it. “Good things take time,” was what I heard as a child, and this is true not only in all phases of life, but with food as well!

Third: You will need to make a really good white sauce. Experiment. My cooking pal Joe told me he tried to replicate my Mac ‘n Cheese and he said he used about two pounds of butter. No need for two pounds of butter Joe! Test out the different white sauces and see what works for you.

Fourth: What type of cheese to use. A really good Mac ‘n Cheese does not use American Cheese, Cheez Whiz, or Velveeta. If you use a really good cheese and melt it slowly into your white sauce you cannot go wrong! The secret into incorporating your cheese is to add a small bit at a time so that it melts in. You should see it swirl into your sauce, but at the end of adding the cheese, you should just see a smooth sauce with no swirls of cheese.

Fifth: To make the best of your little elbow noodles, and they are the best for a Mac ‘n Cheese, here is the recipe: Fill your pot for the noodles about half full and add five shakes of salt. Heat to boiling. Once the water is boiling add your elbows and turn the timer on for 3 minutes. During the three minutes, do not stop stirring those noodles. When the timer sounds, turn off the heat, throw on the cover to the pot and set the timer for 10 minutes then drain. I do not care what the noodles are, but this works for just about every noodle and they will be perfect every time. And, this is how I make my Mac ‘n Cheese elbows.

The last thing to do when you make your Mac ‘n Cheese is to savor the flavor! I have numerous recipes of Mac ‘n Cheese and each one is so different, and each one is a hit at my table. These are the tricks to the best Mac’n Cheese. The other trick is to try combining flavors that you like and testing to get it right!

My Mac ‘n Cheese recipes include:

*Plain Mac ‘n Cheese
*Mac ‘n Cheese with Ham
*Mac ‘n Cheese with Ham and Peas
*Mac ‘n Cheese with Chips and Salsa
“Mac ‘n Cheese with Blue Cheese and Honey Roasted Walnuts
*Mac ‘n Cheese with Roasted Garlic, Artichoke’s and Baby Bello Mushrooms

On the trial board for future Mac ‘n Cheeses:

…too many to list!

Try making a good Mac ‘n Cheese and if you have questions, reply to this blog and I will help you perfect the recipe that you have!

Eat, drink and be well!

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