Recipe, S'il Vous Plait (RSVP): Macaroni and Cheese

What kid doesn't like macaroni and cheese? Mine do, but there's a small problem: Game Teen can't have food dyes, so that good old staple of many American pantries is not found in ours.

Still, the kid loves his macs and cheese and would love to have it three meals a day. So, I ended up making my own recipe and if you'd like, you can use one pot to cook the pasta, then make the cheese sauce and dump the strained pasta back in.

If you're a purist, then by all means, use elbow macaroni pasta. We're not picky here-as long as it's got the cheese sauce, the kids are happy.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp salt

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

If you want the color, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric or annatto

12 oz shredded cheddar (I use extra sharp or seriously sharp) **You can substitute swiss, gouda or another flavorful cheese.

2 to 3 cups milk

1 cup sour cream



Boil and drain the elbow macaroni. Set aside.

In the same pot, over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the flour and spices, stirring for two minutes. Add milk one cup at a time until you get a soup like consistency.

Add cheese a handful at a time, stirring until completely melted. When the cheese is all incorporated, stir in the sour cream, then add the macaroni back in and blend.


You can bake it if you'd like, but we eat this as is. In fact, it probably takes a minute or two more than making the boxed stuff.

Don't ask me how many this serves, because I've got three hungry men who will polish this off in one sitting!

**ETA. If you're not a fan of curry or sour cream, you can leave both out, but they round out the flavor nicely.