I’m not a food blogger. I don’t have pretty plates or the right lighting and don’t stage my food. But I still like to share a good looking or delicious plate of food with my Instagram followers. More often than not, I’m sharing my baking adventures.

The other day I made macaroni and cheese for my kids. No, it’s not from a box, it’s what my family calls “Mommy’s Mac and Cheese”, so they can be sure of what they are getting. And when they know it’s not from a box (not that there’s anything wrong with that), I always get cheers and empty plates.

So, seeing as I struggle most days figuring out what to make for dinner, I thought I’d start sharing the things I make that I know are tried and true in my house.

This recipe originally came from Dairy Goodness and is called Monday Night Mack and Cheese.  I have made some adjustments to it along the way, like changing up the cheeses or using only milk and no cream. You can also increase the recipe, if like my family, it becomes an instant favourite and you need to make more.

I showed this recipe to a nutritionist once and she said that it wasn’t actually that bad for you, especially if I use milk instead of the cream. It contains no rue and no butter. So you make your adjustments as you see fit, you can go back to the original and use cream or half and half, or use milk. I usually have three types of milk in my fridge at any given time, so I use what I have on hand. It’s a really easy recipe and I’ve never messed it up yet. It’s a quick weeknight dinner.

The end result of this dish is creamy, cheesy pasta that the whole family will love. Here’s my version, with 500g of pasta:

Mommy’s Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

3½ cups Water

1½ cups Milk (I use 2%)

500g Elbow Macaroni (one box/bag)

Salt

2½ tbsp All-purpose Flour

1½ tsp Dry Mustard

½ tsp Black Pepper

2 cups Milk (I use 1%)

3 cups Cheese (Mix of old cheddar and marble cheddar)

Directions:

In a large pot, heat water and milk (the 2%) over medium heat until it starts to steam. Stir in salt and macaroni. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring often, until macaroni is tender.

In a large measuring cup, whisk flour, dry mustard and pepper into milk (the 1%). Stir into pot and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes until sauce is thickened.

Add cheese and stir until melted.

Season with more pepper, as per taste.

Enjoy!