Not-that-dried-out-potluck Macaroni and Cheese

Ahhh, back into the routine. And my fervent prayers yesterday were answered with a baby that slept WONDERFULLY last night. I know he must've hated sleeping in my parent's laundry room. =) Usually it takes him a few nights to get back into his good sleeping routine after we've been away, but God was gracious...

And since things have been going so well this morning, I decided to try a new recipe that Terri got from her friend, Beth. This is not potluck mac n' cheese where the cheese is all dry and it tastes mostly like noodles. Nope, this is very creamy and cheesy and EASY!

Beth's Oven Mac' N' Cheese

1 c. uncooked macaroni noodles (I used whole wheat)
1 1/2 T. flour
1 t. salt
generous dash of black pepper
1-2 T. butter (I used the canola oil and butter spread I keep in the fridge, and that was fine)
1 c. water
1 c. milk
1 c. cheese (sharp cheddar is wonderful)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2 qt. casserole, and dump everything in it except the cheese. Stir, cover with foil or lid, and then bake for 45 min. Stir once halfway through so the macaroni won't stick. After times up, stir in cheese until melted. Put in the hot oven for a minute or two if it hasn't completely melted from stirring. That's it! It's just that easy.

I buy blocks of cheese, slice them all at one time, then wrap them in paper towels and put them in a plastic bag. I just pulled out some slices, broke them up some, and filled up the 1 c. measuring cup I'd used for everything else. Worked like a charm.

This isn't as cheap as a Kraft box mix, and its probably not as cheap as Annie's either, but it's a whole lot better and far more natural, and it reheats well. We eat a lot of mac n' cheese around here, so this recipe is great! It also doubles easily, and you just use the same 2 qt. dish. If anybody ever breaks down the cost, I'd definitely be curious, so please comment and let me know what you discovered.