Odd Mixings

Cheater’s Macaroni

I like to make things from scratch. I also have four kids who like to eat… NOW! So sometimes I cheat and start with something in a box or a bottle and improve on it. I add crème sherry and sautéed red peppers to bottled alfredo sauce. I use milk instead of water and add sour cream to boxed mashed potatoes.

And I use boxed macaroni and orange powder… ah, cheese, I mean. So, by request from Susie, here’s how I make salted library paste palatable to adults.

1 lb ground beef
2 boxes of “macaroni and cheese”, preferably with real cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup (about) of Velveeta, cubed

Brown the ground beef in a skillet with salt, garlic, onion powder, paprika, whatever, to taste. Drain and set aside. Put the pasta in boiling, salted water. Heat milk and Velveeta in microwave until Velveeta melts (about 5 minutes); stir until smooth and set aside. When the pasta is tender, drain and return to pot. Pour in the “cheese” powder and the melted Velveeta and stir until smooth. Add the ground beef, stir, and serve.

You can leave out the ground beef if you like, but reduce the amount of liquid unless you like runny macaroni.

Bonus Feature

I buy ground beef in large packages because it is cheaper; but then I have to freeze it to keep it from going bad. I hate cooking frozen ground beef, and I hate even more trying to get it to thaw just in time to use (I am just not that organized). So my solution is to buy a big package of ground beef and cook the whole thing at once, adding my favorite blend of salt, garlic, onion, and whatever other spice comes to hand that smells good. I also usually add some red or port wine – because I like it that way.

Then I drain it well and let it cool. I divide it into manageable lots – about 2 lbs – and put it in quart freezer bags and freeze it. When I need ground beef for a recipe like my cheater’s macaroni, I stick a package in the microwave until it crumbles and toss it in.

In fact with the macaroni, I just throw the frozen block in the boiling water with the pasta without using the microwave. When I drain the pasta, the beef is nice and hot and already mixed in!

posted by Odd Mix @ 5:13 AM