Hey! We made macaroni and cheese, too!

So, I was trying to decide what to make for lunch that wouldn't require a trip to the grocery store, so I settled on ada[ting a recipe for macaroni and cheese found in my book choice for this week, The Complete Guide to Country Cooking, from the kitchens of America's Best Cooks, Taste of Home. My changes basically made it a new dish altogether.

I'll give you the recipe first, then my review:

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

7 ounces (2 cups) macaroni
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
2 cups of milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
paprika, optional

Directions:

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, slat and pepper; cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk; cook and stir until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Drain macaroni; add to cheese sauce and stir to coat. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Things I changed:

• I didn't use the paprika, but used a few grinds of red pepper flakes (mine are in a grinder, like a pepper grinder)
• I used marble cheese because that's what we had
• I added in some cooked meatballs to the finished dish because, well, Chloe loves them.
  
• I used penne because we didn't have elbow macaroni
• I added a clove of garlic to the milk before I added the cheese
  

The verdict:

This recipe was OK. Chloe liked it, although it did take some convincing to get her to try macaroni that wasn't a deeper orange like she is accustomed to. Note to self: Next time, use cheddar. Preferably sharp. The recipe needs a boost of flavour and colour, even with my changes and additions. It looks more like an alfredo sauce than cheese sauce.

To sum it up, this recipe was OK, but not great. I'll stick with my usual macaroni and cheese recipe.