What’s not to love about noodles and creamy melted cheese? With the holidays coming up, many people are coming together to celebrate. One dish that is almost at every event is mac and cheese. Many have their recipes with their own twist. For those who may not know how to cook mac and cheese from scratch, these tips and tricks are going to help you out.

Generally, mac and cheese is a simple dish to make for beginners. The Pioneer Woman is very accredited because of her time on the Food Network, so her recipe would be a good one to use. This Pioneer Woman Recipe for mac and cheese is straightforward to follow for beginners and even has pictures to follow. The recipe contains a lot of butter and cheese which makes for creamy recipe. She also has a short guide that answers basic questions that you could have.

Students at Woodhaven High School have different opinions on going about making good mac and cheese. Some students have decided to share their tips and family recipes. This useful information can be used to enhance your mac and cheese, no matter the occasion. 

This is a homelike recipe from mac & cheese connoisseur Elizabeth Henegar, is another beginner-friendly recipe to use. This is definitely for the cheese lovers because of all the cheese in the recipe. 

Ingredients

Half a stick of butter 

3 tbsp of flour

 2 cups of milk

 8 oz of softened cream cheese

1/2 tsp of salt 

1/2 tsp of pepper 

4 oz of Velveeta cheese

a bag of shredded cheddar cheese

4 cups of elbow noodles

1/2 cup of breadcrumbs 

1/4 stick of butter melted 

Melt it all in a pot. 

Cook 4 cups of macaroni, drain, and add to the sauce. 

Put in a casserole dish. Add 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs with 1/4 stick of butter melted together on top. Cook for 16 mins”. 

If you like spicy mac and cheese with a little bit of crunch, use WHS student Yusuf Khan’s recipe listed down below. 

Ingredients

1 lb dry Macaroni 

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) 

4 cloves garlic minced 

2 jalapenos minced (with seeds for spice) 

1/2 cup flour 

3 cups milk 

1 tsp black pepper 

1/2 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp salt or to taste 

2 cups half and half 

1/2 cup Velveeta or 5–6 slices American Cheese 

2.5 cups cheddar cheese 

2 cups pepper jack cheese Panko Breadcrumbs or Hot Cheetos. 

A tip from fellow mac and cheese lover Hayden Vella, “If baking mac and cheese in a larger pan, you want the edges to be slightly browned, this means the outside has a perfect crunch but the inside is nice and gooey.”

 According to a poll sent out to Woodhaven students, Kraft macaroni and cheese is a fan favorite for people who don’t make it from scratch. When making Kraft mac and cheese Ashlyn Blair mentions mixing melted butter, powdered cheese, and milk to make it more creamy. This tip should also work for the mac and cheese cups that Kraft also has. 

Butter and types of cheese are the most common things that matter to students when it comes to this dish. But, mac and cheese isn’t always just cheese and noodles, sometimes it can be spiced up with different ingredients that you may have never thought about before. Some additions that would be popular amongst students according to survey respondents, are Dorito crumbles, buffalo chicken, brisket, pork/ bacon, and BBQ. While things like tuna and peas, vegetables, jalapenos, and seafood were the least popular. Mrs. Kerns is very adamant about “ No onions!”

With the right tips and tricks, mac and cheese is not that hard to make. Around 70% of WHS students have made it before according to a purple pulse survey sent to students. When using their tips or even recipes maybe you can come up with your own recipe to bring to a gathering or even to just eat on your own time.