macaroni and cheese

One more kid-friendly dinner post here:

OK, I might take it back saying that Spaghetti Carbonara is more delicious than Macaroni & Cheese. I guess I've never made a good one... till last night! This is the Macaroni and Cheese recipe from Everyday Food Great Food Fast and it's insanely delicious. Like 3 helpings delicious!

I've tried many different mac & cheese recipes all which were total flops. I even tried to convince myself that Nigella Lawson's quick mac & cheese was good - but it's not. To make a good mac and cheese you must be willing to mess up the kitchen a little, put a bit of effort into it and a lot of time. I made this on a Monday night after work - well, that won't happen again. It was close to an hour and a half before it even hit the oven (then bakes for another half an hour). But then again, I was probably a little pokey taking my time and enjoying the entire process. Regardless, this is better off being made on a weekend and I can assure you, it's worth all the effort because you have enough to last at least 2 meals out of one single recipe (feeding 2 adults & one toddler).

It's rich, creamy and the ham & cheese flavour is so complimentary. I love that you can buy thick slices of cured bone-in ham at the grocery store now which work perfect for a recipe like this. I followed this recipe exactly, even to the very measurement here, (I often just eyeball seasoning measurements) and it really was a total pay off because it's beyond heavenly. So glad I discovered this recipe at the beginning of fall because I look forward to enjoying this for the next 6 months! Did I just say that - half a year of comfort food to come?!