"Over The Rainbow" Macaroni and Cheese

I have been wanting to blog about this dish for a very long time. This is my go-to mac-n-cheese, and it comes from Patti LaBelle, a popular R&B singer from the 60s to the 80s. The recipe calls for 5 different cheeses, lots of butter, and half-n-half. Also, there's no need to make a roux for the cheese sauce.

On a similar note, here is the Christmas dinner my mother and I had. Since it was just the two of us, we didn't have to make loads of food, but it still turned out to be much more than we could handle because we still have leftovers of everything but the gravy.

My mom made potato salad and green beans. (Notice out traditional, holiday drink: Welch's Sparkling Red Grape juice cocktail! YUM! I can drink a whole bottle w/o the use of a glass!)
I brined and roasted a whole chicken (the only way to roast chicken and turkey in my opinion). I also made yeast rolls (not pictured), the "famous" crockpot dressing, "Over the Rainbow" Macaroni and Cheese (recipe below), and chicken gravy (chicken drippings + roux + salt to taste). (Do you see the standing globe in the background? That is the present I gave my mom for Christmas. She was so excited about it that she wanted it in almost all of my photos haha.)

For dessert, I made chocolate peanut butter tarts, which I will blog about next.

I hope you try out this macaroni and cheese dish. It is fabulous. Please grate your own cheese instead of buying the already grated kind for a cheesier, creamier result, and don't be afraid of the Velveeta. :D

"Over the Rainbow" Macaroni and Cheese

adapted by LaBelle's cuisine: Recipes to Sing About.
Recipe posted on Oprah.com (here is a video of her making it with Oprah Winfrey)

1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 lb elbow macaroni (454 grams) or any other small-shaped pasta
8 Tbsp (1 stick) plus 1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese (Use more of the other cheeses in place of this if you don't have it)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta , cut into small cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp seasoned salt (I use Lawry's)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 6-7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons (one stick) of the butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta (all of it), and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges for approximately 30-35 minutes.