Favorite Comfort Food Recipe

We had a lot of snow days in the town where I grew up in Massachusetts. School would be cancelled if the snow made it difficult for the school buses to make their pickups, not an uncommon occurrence considering many of the town's roads were once narrow cow paths between farms when the town was settled in the 1700s.

Since my mom was a teacher, she was most often home with us on snow days. That meant one thing: food. She'd make cookies, muffins, breads, soups, you name it. So now I associate the idea of comfort from food with snow days and lots of home cooking. A delicious association.

I have a few favorite comfort food recipes like cheese and bacon potato soup, as well as a roast chicken dinner, but the thing I make that makes me feel all warm and cozy inside is homemade macaroni and cheese.

Macaroni & Cheese
1/2 lb boiled macaroni
1 C cheddar cheese

White sauce (or roux)
1 C hot milk
2T butter
2T flour
1/4 salt (I use 1/2)
1/8 t pepper (I use a lot more)
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, add flour (I do so in batches and use a whisk to mix in), milk and seasoning. Mix together over heat until roux is combined and thickened, usually a few minutes.

Mix pasta, cheese and roux together in a greased pan. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes in a 400 oven.

This recipe is one of those things you can experiment with and its always slightly different. I add a little dried mustard and chopped garlic or garlic powder to give it a little kick.

On cheese: I usually used medium or sharp cheddar and will sprinkle some Parmesan on top to get a crusty top. If you only have Colby jack, you want to add something with a bit more zing since Colby jack loses its flavor in this dish. I love to add a little brie or cream cheese to add to the creaminess. Yum.