I made baked mac and cheese for dinner tonight remembering the recipe off the top of my head.
That’s such a funny phrase. Typically it suggests saying something without giving it much thought. You could also say what’s your knee jerk? Or your gut reaction.
It’s like the body is a consultant more trustworthy than whatever well-reasoned sentence might come out of your mouth if you took a moment to construct it. There’s your gut, your knee, or the top of your head saying or doing something totally different. And possibly more believable.
So let’s say instead that I whipped up a baked mac and cheese with a recipe I know by heart. That’s a more accurate idiom.
When you know something by heart, it means it’s part of you, like a freckle, a chipped tooth, or a fond scar. It’s more than a memory for it is not just something past. It is also present in the moment of indelible recall. And future as it calls forth its latest iteration.
Gah. What am I doing? One of my biggest internet pet peeves is wading through lots of words to get to a recipe. I could, of course, go on and on.
I know you’re all ears, but I won’t do that to you.
Baked Mac & Cheese
(A fusion of my Nan’s recipe and Emeril’s … with a little bit of my own laissez flair)
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
3 Cups milk
3 Cups shredded cheese (I use a combination of whatever is in the fridge, but sharp cheddar is excellent, and a bit of mozzarella makes it creamier)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. small elbow macaroni or shells
1-2 tubes of Ritz or other buttery crackers, crunched up
3 Tbsp. melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9X13-inch pan. Cook pasta according to package directions.
Melt stick of butter over medium heat. Slowly add the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in milk, and continue stirring until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add 2 cups of cheese and stir until melted.
Drain pasta and return to the pot. Pour cheese sauce over it and mix well. Spread in the buttered baking dish.
Mix crushed crackers with melted butter and remaining cup of cheese. Sprinkle thickly over the mac and cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and crispy on top.
Enjoy!
Raye S. Leonard 