Permit me a few moments of fangirldom: Pioneer Woman is coming to Charlotte in May! Willow Bird Baking reader Jennifer M. told me about it a few days ago and my family’s been all abuzz since then. I was bummed that she didn’t swing by this-a-way on her last book tour, so I’m pleased as a plum that she’ll be here this time around. My mom, dad, and I are already planning to make some t-shirts, grab some dinner, and make a night out of going to see her. Mike has politely declined, citing the possibility of standing in line for hours. His loss!
In the meantime, I’ll make some macaroni from the PW blog. I was not actually in the market for a new macaroni and cheese recipe (except I would like to get the one Mike’s mom makes . . . mmm!). I have an old family favorite that I could eat every day. It’s more custardy than creamy, though, and Mike’s a creamy guy. So I thought I’d give the P-Dub’s recipe a whirl. (Can I call her that?? To her face? What do you SAY to Pioneer Woman, anyway?? Probably something gushy punctuated with a nervous laugh. We’ll see!)
Mmm, and is this mac and cheese creamy! It starts with a roux (cooked flour and butter), but actually isn’t that fussy. You add in some milk, dry mustard, and spices of your choice, cook until thickened, add your cheese, and voila: a rich, thick, creamy cheese sauce in which to dunk those little noodles up to their elbows (get it?). The creamy macaroni then goes into a baking dish, is topped with cheese, and bakes for 20-25 minutes. Pretty simple, very luxurious.
If you’re a creamy macaroni and cheese fan, this recipe’s for you. Just don’t undersalt! Pioneer Woman charges you with this command at least three times in her post, but I still undersalted mine. Go for it with that salt shaker! You don’t want to feel like you just took in a gulp of ocean or anything, but you do want to enhance the great flavors of the dish.
Pioneer Woman’s Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe by: Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Yields: 9 x 13 in. pan of baked macaroni (4 to 8 servings)
Ingredients:
4 cups dried macaroni
¼ cups (1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons) butter
¼ cups all-purpose flour
2-½ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons (heaping) dry mustard, more if desired
1 whole egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated
½ teaspoons salt, more to taste
½ teaspoons seasoned salt, more to taste
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot (about 5 minutes). Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, whisk until smooth, and turn heat up to medium-high. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Temper eggs: Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT (Would you believe I still undersalted mine, even with this warning? Don’t undersalt the macaroni and cheese, y’all!)
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and a sprinkle of paprika, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.
Enjoy!
P.S. Looking for something adorable for Easter? How about Chocolate Chickie Cake Balls or Lemon Burst Fairycakes?
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Megan
April 1, 2010 at 8:22 pm (15 years ago)Can’t beat homemade mac and cheese! I don’t know what you should say to the Pioneer Woman. I kind of feel the same way because Molly from Orangette is coming to the Boston area. I’m debating going to meet her and wondering what I would say. When I met Ruth Reichl, I was pretty much speechless and realized all these things I could have said afterward.
Julie
April 1, 2010 at 8:24 pm (15 years ago)Eek! I would feel that way about Molly too! But actually I have a friend who’s friended her on FB and I think talked with her a bit . . . she seems totally down to earth and friendly. Not that that helps the jitters 😀
Jennifer M.
April 1, 2010 at 9:10 pm (15 years ago)I’m honored to see my name mentioned in one of your posts. Thank you! I’m so glad I could share such exciting news with you! I can’t wait to hear ALL about it!
When it comes to what do you say to PW, cute story (to me, anyway)…my daughter and I went to PW’s booksigning together. I was so nervous when it was our turn. But not my daughter! She explained to Ree that both her parents are good cooks, and she found that intimidating at times. So she thanked Ree for posting all those recipes with the photos, because it gave her the confidence she needed to try cooking new things in her own kitchen. (She’s a great cook now!)
Ree listened to my daughter so attentively, it was as if Heather was the only person in the room right then. And then Ree thanked her for telling her that and said, “Keep cooking!”.
It was such a sweet moment. First of all, I was so proud of my daughter for keeping calm and expressing her gratitude to Ree (yes, we’re on a first name basis now) in such a heartfelt way. And secondly, I was so thankful to Ree for being so kind to my daughter. That’s important to a parent!
So tell her whatever you want! She makes everyone feel comfortable!
That Macaroni and Cheese looks delicious! It’s one of PW’s recipes that I haven’t considered making, but I will now! Yours looks great!
Julie
April 2, 2010 at 10:12 am (15 years ago)That is SUCH a sweet story! She sounds like such a nice person!! Thanks, Jennifer!
Maranda
April 2, 2010 at 12:57 am (15 years ago)Yum! I’ve never made homemade mac & cheese before but I’ve been itching to try it. It’s looking like it might be time. 🙂
kathy
April 2, 2010 at 1:24 pm (15 years ago)It looks delicious. My husband will like this. Thanks for this simple yet yummy recipe. 🙂
Amelia
April 2, 2010 at 9:49 pm (15 years ago)You should try the mac’n’cheese from The Best Recipe sometime…it’s almost *too* rich, but it’s so, so good. 🙂
Julie
April 3, 2010 at 1:21 pm (15 years ago)Ooh, I want it!!
Karly
April 3, 2010 at 11:23 am (15 years ago)I met Ree at BlogHer and that was exactly what I did…gush, nervous laugh, and then I went ahead and added in a little bit about the big crush I have on her husband. Ha! She’s super nice and very easy to talk to, though. You’ll love her!
Julie
April 3, 2010 at 1:21 pm (15 years ago)Isn’t he handsome?! Ha! Thanks for the reassurance, Karly!!
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella
April 9, 2010 at 3:55 am (15 years ago)That looks fantastically creamy. And lol how you said that you weren’t in the market for a new mac n cheese recipe! That’s such a cute way to put it! 😛