Great Grandma Schaefer Mac and Cheese

This recipe should have been posted shortly after my baby shower. My mom was in charge of the food and did a fantastic job putting together a brunch feast. One of the recipes she made was this mac and cheese. I have plenty of mac and cheese recipes but this one is my mom's. To be more specific it is my Great Grandmother Schaefer's recipe. My mom refers to it as Grandma Schaefer's mac and cheese. 

I never posted it after the baby shower because, well, being pregnant is a lot of work. Then my mom came again after the baby arrived and made us lots of food including this dish of mac and cheese. Although it is hot and steamy outside and mac and cheese probably isn't on the top of your mind for dinner I thought it was fitting to post this around Mother's Day. Of course the original plan was to post before Mother's Day but babies are a lot of work too. 

The recipe comes handwritten in my grandma's handwriting complete with her memories of the dish.  They were Catholic and this was their Friday meatless meal.  She remembered roller skating to the grocery store to pick up the cheese, 10 cents at the time, during the Depression. 

My earliest memories of cooking and baking are with my mom, who learned to cook from my grandma, who learned from my great grandma.  I am lucky to come from a long line of home cooks who loved to share their creations with their families. I cannot wait till Olivia is old enough to be in the kitchen as my little helper and keep the tradition alive. 

Great Grandma Schaefer Mac and Cheese

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake cheese pasta

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Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 8 oz elbow macaroni pasta
• 3/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 cup whole milk
• salt and pepper

Crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Ready a 9X13 pan by lightly spraying with cooking oil. Set aside.

Cook elbow pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking melt butter in a medium saucepan on low heat. Add flour, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Do not let the flour brown.

Add milk and seasonings. Continue stirring until thickened.

Remove from heat. Add 1/2 of the shredded cheese and stir until incorporated and melted smooth.

Mix melted cheese mixture with the elbow pasta. Add half of the pasta to the prepared cooking pan. Add remaining shredded cheese keeping just a bit for the top. Cover with remaining pasta mixture. Top with bread crumbs and cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the crumb topping is beginning to brown.

For the crumb topping:

Mix the melted butter and panko bread crumbs until the crumbs are moistened through.

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