(no subject)

[axelrod]

I am looking for an easy, made-from-scratch mac&cheese recipe.

I'm also open to more complicated recipes with more than the bare minimum of ingredients, but the priority is something that is dead easy, for those times when everything seems overwhelming and just too complicated - not that physical tiredness isn't a problem for me sometimes, but it's the mental-level stuff that really becomes the obstacle, you know?

I strongly prefer something made from scratch, because that works out to be cheaper and I want to make mac&cheese one of my staples, but if there's a mix that you adore feel free to toss that out (I like Annie's, myself) since sometimes it is a choice between something premade and just not eating an actual meal.

I do not like cheddar cheese-based mac&cheese. Monterey jack cheese is already one of my staples but I am all about the dairy products and am not opposed to regularly buying another kind of cheese as well.

Ways of adding animal protein which don't make the recipe much more complicated would be awesome too. I don't think of mac&cheese as something you put meat in, but I'm willing to experiment.

I'm also interested in different ways of seasoning mac&cheese - I've used nutmeg and paprika in the past.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

ETA: I, personally, do not eat pork, though including recipes and variations which do for the sake of other members of the comm is fine with me. 

Comments

[lilacsigil]

I also have problems getting enough animal protein (and I just don't eat enough of other kinds of protein to make up for it) so I find having some sausages in the freezer to be good. If I'm planning on cooking, say, pasta in the next few days, I can cook the sausages, leave them in the fridge for up to a week, then chop them up and throw them in. Lamb sausages are very popular where I live, but beef, beef/kangaroo mix and chicken are available too.

[axelrod]

I mean, I eat a lot of dairy and eggs - but I find that I have more trouble with fatigue if I don't eat meat a few times a week.

Sausage is a good suggestion, but cuts of chicken are more economical for me. That said, I'd love to try kangaroo sausage ...

[lilacsigil]

Yes, I prefer other kinds of proteins but my thyroid issues have finally taught me that if I don't eat at least a small amount of meat a few times a week I'm going to pay for it in fatigue.

Chicken is much more expensive than sausage where I live! Kangaroo is supposed to be similar to deer in tast, but it's usually mixed with beef or pork in sausage because it can get very dry.