Extra Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese #PresidentsDayRecipe

Extra Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese

The other day, Dude came home and requested that I make homemade mac & cheese.

This was shocking for several reasons. 

#1: Dude claims to hate cheese…unless it’s on pizza, cheese sticks, alfredo sauce, parmesan, feta, boxed mac & cheese, or any recipe where he can’t actually see the cheese (yeah, he really “hates” cheese)

#2: Both kids act like they’re dying anytime I ever make homemade mac & cheese.

But…uh…ok, I guess I’ll make homemade mac & cheese!  I’ve wanted to try this recipe for quite some time (but avoided it for obvious reasons).  The difference with this particular version is that the pasta is boiled directly in milk (and not drained), then all sorts of cheeses are stirred in!

For my version, I used mostly white cheeses, since I have Dude mostly convinced that it’s only orange cheese he dislikes, but I think this recipe would be amazing with a whole lot of cheddar cheese instead!

I recommend shredding the cheese yourself, since pres-hredded cheese often include an anti-caking agent that can cause grittiness.

In the end, the boys (shockingly) ate their mac & cheese.  Spud (who actually does like cheese, but likes to copy his older brother) put up a fight, but eventually ate what he was supposed to.

And now that you have that long story, I should also mention that it’s President’s Day, so the participants at Holiday Fun with Our Blogging Friends are celebrating with presidential recipes!

How does mac & cheese fit in, you ask?

According to my research, mac & cheese (or pasta in general) was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson!  Though he is not the one who actually introduced mac & cheese to the United States (as he’s often mistakenly credited for), he is likely responsible for popularizing the dish!

Therefore, the humble mac & cheese is actually quite presidential!

Fun fact: looking through favorite recipes of the presidents often include very humble dishes.  Perhaps harkening to many presidents’ humble beginnings?

But without further ado: the recipe!

Happy #President's Day We are sharing recipes that honor our past presidents and their birthdays.

• Bush Family Cowboy Cookies from Palatable Pastime
• Country Sausage from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Extra Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• President Nixon's Secret Meatloaf Recipe from Frugal Pantry
• Presidential Blueberry Bundt Cake from Cooking with Carlee
• President's Day Cherry Almond Squares from Family Around the Table
• Washington's Cherry Breakfast Cobbler from The Tip Garden

Extra Creamy Stovetop Mac & cheese

Adapted slightly from Spend with Pennies

2 ¾ cups lowfat milk

¼ cup water

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp butter

2 cups uncooked pasta, I used mini shells

½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 oz cream cheese

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Put the milk, water, garlic powder, and butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring just below a boil.  Stir in the pasta and reduce heat to low.

Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender and much of the milk had been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Note: if all of the milk has been absorbed, stir in an additional ¼ cup before adding the cheeses.

Stir in the cream cheese and shredded cheeses.  Stir until the cheese is melted.  Add pepper, to taste.