Cracker Barrel Macaroni N’ Cheese

So, if you have not been fortunate enough to visit a Cracker Barrel before, you need to put it on your list of places to go.

I don’t remember the first one I went to… but I know it was down south as there are no Cracker Barrels that I know of on Long Island… where I am…. so sad!

You can shop for quirky, country things… buy those penny candy sticks… find those birthday cards with the almanac of what happened and what things cost the year you were born… and get some wicked good mac & cheese! (The chicken and dumplings are awesome too… FYI).

The results came in from my testers and  this is the best mac and cheese recipe so far!  It even beat Ina’s Grown Up Mac & Cheese! GASP! I know! I know! But my fellow Barefoot Bloggers, it’s true… it’s true…. we all liked this one better than Ina’s Grown Up Mac & Cheese! Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Here is the recipe… I got it from another cookbook that my mother in law sent me… This one called More Super Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur. It’s got some great stuff in it… as you will see in posts to come. I made this as part of a football watching party…. since I don’t watch football I needed something to do… So I cooked! I made this with some honey mustard wings so keep your eyes open for the post on that one!

 

From: More Super Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur

Makes 4-6 side servings

  

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Colby cheese

How to pull it all together:

• Pre-heat broiler to Hi
• Cook pasta in 4 cups of boiling water for 8 minutes or until tender; drain off water
• Melt butter in 10″ skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue whisking until bubbly. Add milk, salt, and black pepper and stir until the milk begins to bubble.
• Add cheese, and then turn off the heat. Whisk sauce until cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Stir in the macaroni, then set skillet under broker for 2-3 minutes, until several browned spots appear on the surface. Remove pan from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Cheese will thicken as it rests.

Note: I didn’t use a skillet as I doubled the recipe for 4 of us for a main meal. I made the sauce in a pot, then mixed the sauce and the macaroni in a baking dish. It worked out fine!