Au Pair Recommended Recipes: How to Make the Perfect Mac & Cheese Dinner

Have I ever mentioned how much my girls love macaroni and cheese? Of course, they do. How could they not? If you don’t like mac & cheese then obviously there is something wrong with you. I introduced mac & cheese to them over the summer and they’ve been hooked ever since. At least once a week they ask me if I’m going to visit Kathe to get more “macaroni mit cheese.” Well, I discovered that they sell it at the Karstadt on Munchner Freiheit at 2,50 EUR a pop (which is almost like $3 a box, RIDICULOUS!) The Frau bought some yesterday, apparently she stumbled upon it, and by the end of dinner time we had eaten four boxes of macaroni and cheese between the five of us. The girls had a friend over and she loved it too. Score!

The secret to making really good mac and cheese is to not follow the directions. I stopped following the directions when I was 14 and realized that it always tastes better when made with intuition. The key is to use less milk and to make it taste even cheesier. If it’s too “chunky” (aka, there’s too much powder) then just add milk until you get it to the consistency that you like. Also, be liberal with the butter but mix it in before you put in the milk or cheese. Really grease those noodles, baby. This is how you make really good mac & cheese. None of this 1/4 cup milk crap! Don’t follow the directions!

Also, to make it an even better evening – throw in some cut up wurstl (or hot dogs or wieners, whatever you call them), preferably cooked, and you’ve got the best made meal from your (or maybe just my) childhood. Also, peas make a good flavor additive, too, although I would do this sparingly and maybe just as a side dish. And if you’re into it (I know my dad likes this) you can put ketchup in your mac & cheese. I hear it’s tasty (although I hate ketchup so I’ll take your word for it). Also, my dad makes this mac & cheese, tuna, and corn mixture… but I won’t go there. Not a big fan. But hey, dad… I think of you everytime I see a box of mac & cheese and a can of tuna on the same shelf.

Anyway, that’s a simple way to really, really enjoy a box of mac & cheese. Enjoy!