Favorite Football Foods...Mac & Cheese

Hello Ladies!

Hope you all had a GREAT weekend and are ready for a GREAT week!

Over here, we are super excited for the Super Bowl this weekend.  We are a HUGE football family, and even though none of our teams are in the big game this year, we are still excited for the big game.  Football season is pretty much my favorite, and I love that it is something we all love watching together as a family.  On Sundays during football season I don't make a real dinner, we usually just kind of snack all day while watching the games, and football food, as we like to call it, is definitely our favorite!  

So with the big game coming up this weekend, I thought each day this week I would share with you some of our favorite things to eat as we watch the games!

Some people love going out to a big super bowl party, or hosting one, but for us, we really like keeping it low key, just staying home watching it with the boys.  A few years back we went to a super bowl party, and though it was fun, it wasn't my cup of tea:). A strong love of football is something I share with my boys, and I just love being home watching it with them. 

I find that for the most part, each year we tend to eat the same things...my kids really look forward to "this meal" and there are certain things they just expect each year on Super Bowl Sunday!

Homemade Mac & Cheese is a staple on the table for Super Bowl Sunday.  I have been making this same recipe since I was 21 years old, and it is hands down my FAVORITE!  I always double the recipe, because my kids love it, and we love having it for leftovers during the week!  

The last time I made this was when Kenny was in town visiting, it's his favorite and he always asks me to make it when he comes to visit...#awesomeexwife :). I totally forgot to take pics, but trust me it is delicious, and not too difficult to make!

MACARONI & CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter or stick margarine

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded start cheddar cheese

Handful of breadcrumbs (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat oven to 350.

2.  Cook macaroni as directed on package.

3.  While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.  Stir in milk.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat.  Stir in cheese until melted.

4.  Drain macaroni.  Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce.  Pour into uncreased 2-quart casserole.  Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

(Ligther Macaroni & Cheese: For 10 grams of fat and 375 calories per serving, decrease butter to 2 tablespoons.  Use fat-free (skim) milk and substitute 1 1/2 cups reduced fat Cheddar cheese for the 2 cups regular sharp Cheddar cheese)

Once I pour it into the dish, I always sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the top...that is our favorite part!!

I always double this recipe, so mine does need to cook a bit longer.  I have never tried it with any other type of cheese other than the cheddar, but in my cookbook, it does say it is also great with Vermont white cheddar, or half cheddar and half Monterey Jack.  

And another tip....when the recipe says to stir constantly...do it...I have tried walking away for a minute or not stirring constantly and it either burns or just gets all stuck to the bottom of the saucepan.

Let me know if you guys decide to make this and let me know what you think!  I know we will be enjoy it this Sunday!

*recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

xoxo,

Kimm