Winter finally came this week, and with the drop in temperature I was in need of some comfort food. What better thing to do on a lazy Sunday than dig out an old family recipe. This one came from my grandmother (Nanny) many years ago as one of a handful of recipes I requested when I left home, and there is a story.

When I was young and my grandparents came for a visit, we always knew that dinner that night would be Nanny's macaroni & cheese. We all loved it! My mom was a stay-at-home mom back then and this was her mom's way of helping out. She would make the macaroni that morning and wrap it in newspaper for the hour long drive to our house.

At some point we asked Mom if she would make it. So she got the recipe and made it but it was never the same. We weren't sure of the reason and she insisted that she followed the recipe. This was something we puzzled over. Later, we discovered it wasn't the same when we had it at Nanny's house! Finally someone asked how it was different. It was drier. And that's the reason my recipe says to keep it in the oven on low for 20 minutes OR wrap it in newspaper and take it for a car ride!

Nanny's Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

3 cups of macaroni (750 mL) boiled in salted water

Sauce

1-1/2 cups whole milk (375 mL)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) corn starch in a little water
salt
pepper
onion salt
1-10 oz (284 mL) can of tomato soup
7 oz (200 mL) cheddar cheese, grated

Bring the milk to a boil CAREFULLY.
Thicken it with the cornstarch and water mixture.
Add the seasonings.

Stir in the soup.

Stir in 3/4 of the grated cheese.

Mix with the drained macaroni and place in a casserole dish.

Cover the top with the remainder of the grated cheese.
Place under a broiler until the top is browned.

Mmmm...

Now cover the casserole dish with tinfoil and return it to the oven for 20 minutes at 200°F (90 C) OR wrap it in newspaper and take it for a car ride!

It's done!!!

Note:
Like many of my oldest recipes, there is no mention of container sizes. I made this in an 8" x 8" x 2" (20 x 20 x 5 cm) casserole dish which works out to 2 quarts, roughly 2L . I would also make it in a 9" x 9" x 2" (23 x 23 x 5 cm) which is 2-1/2 quarts, roughly 2.5L.

Quantities of salt, onion salt and pepper were not given in the original recipe. This is when we say "to taste."

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's not fancy but it's good and kids love it.