Our three kiddos are all in High School but none of our tribe has tired of the dietary staple, Mac & Cheese. Today’s DoAhead Dining recipe offers a twist on this dish. It’s made with a white sauce and French’s Fried Onions. Best of all…it can be done in a crock pot! Without further adieu’…

Homemade Mac & Cheese

White Sauce:

3 Tbsp Butter

1 Heaping Tbsp Flour

3/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

3 Cups Milk

To make the white sauce, melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Stir in milk, slowly. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat.

2 Cups Elbow Macaroni (our clan likes Rotini)

French’s Fried Onion (large container)

3 Cups shredded cheese (we like Sharps Mild Cheddar)

1 Small Package of Cubed Ham

Boil roughly 2 cups of pasta for 5 minutes. Layer in a 3 quart greased baking dish. First use 1/2 of the noodles, 1 cup cheese, 1/2 of the ham cubes, 1/2 of the fried onions and then repeat. Pour the White Sauce over all and then sprinkle with the last of the cheese. Bake at 375 covered for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes.

The dear friend that shared this recipe tried it in a crock-pot as did I. We both found that it works but you have to be careful not to overcook it. I reccommend using the crock-pot method when close to home. Turn the crock-pot on low and let cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t overcook.