Hellobee

This post comes to you courtesy of the comfort that is warm milk fat. Let’s start with a snack, shall we?

When Ashley over at Edible Perspective made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the waffle maker, I knew I wanted to do something similar except with a grilled cheese instead. Sometimes when I see ideas like this floating around on Pinterest I think: Yeah, it looks cute, but is it really better/easier/whatever than just making it the regular way? But it’s true – the sandwich seemed even crispier on the outside than frying it in a pan!

Zane and I just had these as a snack, so we used slices from a soft baguette. Just butter one side of each piece of bread and sandwich slices of cheddar cheese between the two non-buttered sides. Add to a waffle iron preheated to medium-high and remove once golden-brown. They only took a couple minutes and no flipping required. I was about to type that these were satisfying but that’s really not quite the right word. You know how cotton candy pleasantly melts like magic on your tongue? The way the crispy, buttery toast gives way to dreamy melted cheese is a similarly addictive experience. Eating these grilled cheese snack sandwiches just made me want to make a meal out of them.

So how about we move on to a real meal then. I often find myself preparing the kinds of foods my mom cooked for us growing up. Sure, I know how to make a lot of “fancy” things, but many weeknights you will find me sautéing onions and ground beef or simply roasting a chicken for dinner. One meal my dad used to make for us was Kraft macaroni and cheese mixed with frozen peas and canned tuna. To this day, if I feel under the weather or homesick, I crave that meal.

This recipe is a homemade version of my comfort food. The powdered cheese is swapped for a béchamel cheese sauce and the canned tuna is replaced with brinier, more sustainable sardines. The frozen peas remain. It still has all the components I love, particularly the contrast of warm, creamy cheese and the pop of sweet peas. This is another one of those generously adaptable recipes, so feel free to change up the cheese and add-ins to suit your family’s tastes or your own nostalia.

And now I’m curious: What are your favorite childhood meals? Anyone else a Kraft macaroni and cheese kid?

As written, the recipe uses two pans. You can make this a one pot meal by boiling the pasta first and re-using the pan to make the béchamel, but I find the time saved by cooking the pasta and cheese sauce simultaneously is worth the extra clean-up.

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 heaping c frozen peas (optional)
4 oz sardines packed in olive oil, drained (optional)
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 c milk
2 c shredded Gruyère (or other melting cheese, like cheddar)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Add the peas (if using) and cook for one more minute, then strain out the pasta water. (Alternately, just follow the instructions on the pasta packaging, adding the peas during the last minute of cooking.)

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook for a couple minutes, just enough to cook off any raw flour flavor but not enough that the roux (the butter-flour mixture) begins to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. It might look clumpy at first but it won’t take long to smooth out. Return the pan to medium heat and switch to stirring frequently with a spoon. Cook until the béchamel is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 5-10 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted, then turn off the heat.

3. Stir the pasta, peas, and sardines (if using) into the cheese sauce. Serve warm. To reheat, place in a pot over medium heat with a big splash of milk.

(The photographs were taken before adding the sardine because…well, you can guess why right? I’ve actually been wanting to post a sardine recipe our whole household loves but am afraid it will look unappealing in photos. Stay tuned!)