It occurs to me, as I contemplate my dinner options for tonight, that I really play fast and loose with recipes. Tonight was going to be macaroni and cheese and ham. This recipe has morphed considerably from the time it came into ours family. Twenty-eight years ago, when my mom was a newly minted cardiac nurse, she got the mother-of-all macaroni and cheese recipes from a patient. The secret to this recipe is that the sauce is based on a roux.

When I grew up and started cooking on my own, I started tweaking the recipe. I used the microwave to make the roux because I was hopeless at making it on the stove. Then I upsized the recipe to make a larger casserole. My mother had been adding ham for years, but I raised the stakes by adding broccoli. Unfortunately, my husband is not fond of this variation. (I will include the original and modified recipes at the bottom of the post.)

The mac and cheese was only the beginning. It seems that I modify almost every recipe that I use. Usually I add ingredients or change the type of fat. Sometimes I swap proportions. For example, when I make brownies, I switch the oil and water amounts so that there is significantly less oil. I also use extra light in taste olive oil instead of vegetable oil in my baking (even scones, but that’s another post). I started making tacos with textured vegetable protein instead of ground meat – easy, healthy, and delicious.

So, how do you approach recipes? Do you wing it, or do you adhere to them rigidly?

Macaroni and Cheese

2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter (I use olive oil as above)
1 cup milk (I use skim)
¾ box of macaroni (~12-13oz)
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese (I use Cracker Barrel 2%)

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box.
2.  Make a roux of the butter and flour. (Don’t ask me how. I always manage to burn it on the stove.)
3.  Stir in the milk and heat until thickened.
4.  Stir in grated cheese until it melt.
5. Mix with pasta in a 1.5 or 2 qt casserole dish.
6. Bake in the oven at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

Sara’s Macaroni and Cheese and Ham

5 tbs flour
5 tbs extra light in taste olive oil
2 ½ cups skim milk
1 16 oz box of whole grain rotini
12-13 oz cubed Cracker Barrel 2% extra sharp cheddar
8 oz ham steak, diced

1.  Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
2. Thoroughly mix the oil and the flour in a 3 qt casserole and cook on high in the microwave for 1 minute.
3. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds, unless you are using a very strong microwave.
4. Stir in the milk and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
5. Stir and microwave for another minute. Repeat until the mixture thickens.
6. Stir in the cubed cheddar and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
7. Stir and microwave for another minute to finish melting the cheese.
8. Stir in the pasta and ham and mix thoroughly.
9. Bake in the oven at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

*Can add lightly steamed broccoli florets.