Macaroni And Cheese Recipe

It is absolutely impossible to talk about macaroni and cheese without getting hungry, A fork full of creamy noodles bathed in cheese, and with It probably wouldn't be on the menu for your mother-in-law's first dinner visit, and it isn't exactly gourmet fare, but macaroni and cheese is one of the most popular--if not the most popular--American comfort foods. Nearly every soul food cookbook and many Southern cookbooks have recipes for the American favorite, with few differences from one to the next. Fragrant steam escaping just makes the tongue curl! Macron and Cheese is a food of regression, a preschool delicacy and modern day comfort food all at the same time.

Some believe the dish was created by founding father Thomas Jefferson, known for his great interest in food, and in a 1996 "Restaurants & Institutions" article, Barbara Bell Matuszewski wrote that Jefferson served the dish in the White House in 1802. However, noted food historian Karen Hess claims Jefferson did not invent the dish, though he did return from a trip to Paris with a macaroni mold. In the Featured Recipes, you'll find a recipe for the dish from Mary Randolph's (Jefferson's cousin) "The Virginia Housewife," first published in 1824.

According to John Mariani, author of "The Dictionary of American Food and Drink," macaroni and cheese was first made in the nineteenth century, but it took on a even greater popularity when Kraft Foods introduced the Kraft Dinner (macaroni and cheese) in 1937. According to a company spokesperson, Kraft now sells more than one million boxes of the dinners every day! The Kraft dinners are so popular, in fact, that children and some adults have been known to turn up their noses when offered a rich and delicious homemade version.

Homemade macaroni and cheese can be a simple layering of cooked macaroni, shredded (or sliced) cheese and salt and pepper, or it can be made with a white sauce-cheese base, topped with more cheese and buttered crumbs before baking. This ever-so-humble dish is delicious and satisfying as is, but you can jazz it up (homemade or package version) with the addition of chopped vegetables, meat, fish or poultry, or your favorite herbs or spices. Try one of our featured recipes or one of the recipes on the Net links page. Don't hesitate to add your own special touch!

In times past, fresh macaroni with grated cheese was considered an extravagance. Here is a bit of history on the dish; It appeared on the tables of Italian and French Royalty, as well as before American Diplomats, in 1798.

Thomas Jefferson imported European cheeses and macaroni to have the dish prepared.

In 1824, Mary Randolph was responsible for introducing the first macaroni and cheese recipe to America in the cookbook, The Virginia Housewife.

In 1896 Fannie Farmer published a baked macaroni and cheese recipe which was covered with buttery breadcrumbs. Large-scale pasta productions began in 1914 in the U.S. James Kraft discovered cheese-pasteurizing to provide macaroni and cheese for U.S. troops overseas.

In 1928, the Kraft Food Company introduced Velveeta Cheese for those children with fickle appetites. In 1930, during the Great Depression, Kraft introduced the first instant Mac-and Cheese, a meal for four people in nine minutes for 19 cents. Soon afterwards, Stouffers, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc followed Kraft.