Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Eating from the pantry and a favorite recipe

We have been experiencing a cold rain in our part of the Midwest most of this week.  Except for one day when the rain was more steady, it has been mostly sprinkles or a misty rain.  With temperatures only in the upper 30s or around 40, the cold goes right through one's bones!  I feel colder with this weather than when it is well below freezing and snowing.

Except for a quick trip to the grocery store for produce, dairy, and a couple items I needed for Holiday cooking, I haven't done much shopping this week.  When I did, everything was well stocked except there were less packages of flour and sugar one usually finds in December.  It is definitely a good thing to stock up before the Holidays the way the world is right now.

What continues to surprise me, even though I read about it all the time, is the continuing spike in the cost of food.  I came home from Meijer with just a few bags... those small plastic bags... and the cost was over $90.00.  Even then, I gave the young woman at the self check out line a box of Tylenol to put back on the shelf.  I could wait...

My son and his family came over for dinner this week, I gave both Mr. & Mrs. Christopher their birthday gifts after dinner.  When we had pulled food from the deep freeze to use soon, I found two packages of beef bones and one package of a small chuck roast that I could use for soup.

I always make soup stock, whether beef or chicken, a couple days ahead of time so I can easily strain the fat off the top.  This time, since I had so many bones, I simmered the "bone broth" all day before cooling it and putting it in the refrigerator.  The next day I skimmed the fat and simmered the rest of the stock with carrots and an onion.  I also added the chuck roast with the bones to simmer for a few hours.  Then, I removed the cooked beef and strained the rest into a smaller stock pot before it went back to the refrigerator.

The afternoon I was going to serve it, I added two cans of tomatoes and the vegetables along with the cook beef I had shredded and simmered until the vegetables were soft.  It seems like a lot of work but it was over three days and until I had to chop the vegetables the final afternoon, I didn't have to do much but watch to see when I needed to add water.  It was delicious!

Because the weather has been so raw and I thought perhaps the kids wanted something other than soup, I also made my favorite macaroni and cheese casserole.  It is so good!  

I only make it when I have extra people here to eat it or I would eat too much of the pasta. It is also a good pantry meal because everything is usually what I have on hand, anyway.  I will add the recipe below.

One thing I have done for decades to stretch our budget is to shop Goodwill and thrift stores.  Most of my clothes come from Goodwill and I am always getting compliments on them.  That is how I can wear the highest quality for next to nothing.  Not to mention, I can find brand names there that I  no longer can find at the Mall, like Alfred Dunner tops.

Because I know God cares for even the smallest details, He knows our every need, I was not all that surprised (well, just a little) when I went to Goodwill to drop off some items last week and when I looked around, found a very good quality high chair just when I had been thinking that we needed to buy one since the baby is sitting but not able to eat at the table, yet.

I washed it off, even though it already was very clean and he looked so cute eating in it.  We were all thankful for that much needed and inexpensive find.  I love it when God does that!

So, here is the macaroni and cheese recipe I use.  It is very similar to the Beverly Nye recipe that she said her mother gave her, which means it was probably from the 40s, 50s, or perhaps the 60s. Somewhere along the line, I had found this recipe and it is almost the same amounts. Although, her crumb topping is not sauteed in butter.

It does require making an easy roux and for new cooks, there are how-to videos all over the Internet on how to make a roux as a base for multiple sauces.  This is an easy recipe, it just requires close attention at times.

Macaroni and Cheese with a Buttered Cracker Topping

• 2 Cups elbow macaroni (Pasta shapes like shells would work, too.)
  
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons butter
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Cups milk (I have a little extra available if the sauce needs more)
• 2 Cups shredded cheese, I use mild cheddar
  

• Topping: 1 sleeve Ritz style crackers crushed, 3 to 4 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni in salted water per instructions for Al dente, drain and set aside.  Melt butter in saucepan and add flour.  Cook stirring constantly about a minute until flour is cooked.  Watch carefully because it can easily burn at this point.  It has happened to me!

Slowly add the milk, stirring until it thickens into a sauce.  Add the shredded cheese and stir until cheese melts.  If the sauce is too thick, add a little milk at a time until it loosens up a bit.

Melt butter in small skillet and add crumbled crackers.  Stir to make sure they get evenly coated with butter.  Like the roux, this can burn easily so don't walk away.  Keep stirring until slightly golden brown.  Set aside.

Butter or grease a casserole dish.  I use a 9 x 13 but a square dish works fine, too.

Pour macaroni and cheese into the dish and bake about ten minutes.  Then pull out of oven carefully and spread buttered cracker crumbs over all the top.  Bake another 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.  

You probably can put the crumb mixture on in the beginning but you will need to watch it carefully that it doesn't get too brown before the macaroni and cheese is cooked.

It can be served immediately but it is very hot.  I have found letting it sit about ten or fifteen minutes helps.

This is quintessential comfort food and better than anything from a box.  Although... I did make plenty of the boxed mac and cheese for lunches when I had young children.  At one time, Christopher liked it even better!

Image:  A blog friend created this a number of years ago.  I have always loved it.