Joni's Basic 1-2-3 Macaroni and Cheese

One of my Facebook friend's, Christiane Marshall, posted a message about a fundraiser to help Darla Brannan, a disabled working mom with two children, raise money to purchase a van with special modifications to help her get to work and other locations.


Darla Brannan Fund on Facebook

My father was tied to a wheelchair or scooter for the last several years after a hip injury from a fall. On my last few visits to Kansas, I helped him get out of the assisted living facility where he lived until his death last month.

It was a joy to take him out to visit friends and see places, but even those little trips were a lot of work.

I don't know Darla personally, but if she is able to work and raise two children with a severe handicap, she has my great respect and admiration.

I encourage people to support this fund.

Here is a recipe I contributed to the cause.

Joni’s Basic 1-2-3 Macaroni and Cheese

This is at least very similar to the recipe that I have been cooking since I started helping my mother make it when I was a kid. I have adjusted and refined the numbers a few times and often add something different (like diced green bell pepper or ham) for variety. But, these ingredients seem to work pretty well for us.

It uses 1 onion and 1 stick of butter, 2 cups of milk and 2 (8 oz) bags of grated cheese and 3 cups of dry macaroni. Hence, the 1-2-3.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

1 stick (1/4 lb) of butter

2 Tbsp of flour

1 tsp of garlic (diced or powder)

¼ tsp of salt

¼ - ½ tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of basil (mostly to add color, it adds a bit more flavor if you grind it between your palms before adding it)

2 cups of milk

2 eight ounce packages of grated cheese (I usually use mild or medium cheddar)

3 cups dry macaroni

3-4 quarts of water

Preparation:

Cut off the ends of the onion and peel it. Then, cut off thin slices and chop them into small pieces. Set them aside in a small bowl. If you like, slice and dice half a green bell pepper and set aside. Also, you can cut 1 or 2 cups of ham into small cubes or just chop up a few sandwich ham slices.

Put the water in a pot and heat to a boil.

Melt the butter in a large pot (I like to use a 4 quart Corning ware pot which has plenty of room and can go directly into the oven) over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes till it becomes soft and translucent.

Add the 2T of flour to the butter and stir vigorously into a smooth mixture. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Stir and cook for a minute or so. You can add the bell pepper or ham now if you wish.

Add the 2 cups of milk to the onion-butter mixture and stir thoroughly so that there are no lumps of flour left.

If the water reaches a boil first, turn the temperature down and keep it hot until you have added the milk.

Now, turn the temperature back up on the water and add the macaroni. Stir it to make sure none sticks to the pot and boil it on medium-high heat for about 9-10 minutes. When it is done (al dente, tender but not mushy), remove it from the heat and drain it.

Meanwhile, heat the milk-onion-butter mixture over medium heat while stirring often till it just starts to boil. 

Add the grated cheese and stir thoroughly to melt the cheese. Continue to heat the cheese sauce until it thickens and boils.

Turn off the heat and stir in the drained macaroni.

Put the macaroni and cheese in a glass or Corning ware pot and bake in a 350⁰ oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!