It is always good to have the help of a 3 year old Grandson, who is now 5. One day we decided to cook Macaroni and Cheese on the smoker. So we started gathering the ingredients.
2 Tbsp - Butter or Margarine
2 Tbsp - Flour
2 Cups - Milk
8 oz - Cream Cheese
8 oz - Parmesan Cheese
8 oz - Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8 oz - Uncooked pasta noodles
2 Tbsp - Flour
2 Cups - Milk
8 oz - Cream Cheese
8 oz - Parmesan Cheese
8 oz - Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8 oz - Uncooked pasta noodles
First we melt the butter and add the flour. You will want to stir that together until it makes a thick paste. Make sure all the flour is mixed in. A good roux is key to a great sauce.
When the flour is completely mixed in you should have something like this. This roux is very wet and needs to cook for a bit. Keep stirring.
Now, this looks much better. Letting this cook will give it a nutty flavor.
Start adding the milk 1/2 cup at a time. KEEP STIRRING. Each time you add milk the roux will thicken, just keep it from burning. Once all the milk is in let it thicken to your taste. You should let this cool for a bit to make sure the cheese doesn't break.
Now we start adding cheese. I like to cut up the cream cheese in 1/2" to 3/4" cubes. If the sauce is too cool you may need LOW heat to help the cheese to melt. Keep stirring.
Next we add the parmesan cheese and keep stirring. Stirring is good excersize. Let each addition melt till you have a smooth sauce.
Finally we add the cheddar cheese and stir. I'm getting hungry telling this story. (off to the kitchen for a snack)
WOW! We made a cheese sauce. Looks pretty good. Now you could add flavoring if you want (Onion powder, Tobasco sauce, etc). I like the cheese just fine
On to the noodles. Boil enough water to cook the noodles you picked for your Mac - N - Cheez.
Drain them well. They may look dry but the cheese sauce will fix things.
Pour the cheese sauce into the noodles.
Give it a good stir to make sure to get the air out. I think this helps the cooking process.
Pour the mixture into the pan. You still want to get the air out of it.
Now that looks good. We are ready to head toward the smoker. No air bubbles.
The fire has been burning for a while and soon we'll have a feast.
Don't that look pretty? I am surprised that it doesn't take on a lot of smoke flavor. We do get a little but I would like to have more.
You can't cook without a sample. My helper and I tried a taste.
Time for the reward. The Grandson is happy and Grandmommy will be too.
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