I think we may have become so used to mac and cheese in a box that I've noticed from many people the question “exactly how do I make it from scratch?” Good question too, our grandmothers made it that way before the packages came out and hit the supermarket shelves, why can't we do the same?!

Some great diners and drive-ins still make it that way but somehow we've lost sight of it as a homemade main course or side dish that's pretty easy to make, appetite satisfying and appealing to our senses, including sight and taste of course.

You can also change this dish up simply with the choice of pasta you use. Of course macaroni is one of those choices, like those neat little macaroni picture frames we'd make in grade school or summer camp and proudly bring them home to our parents with our photo or a drawing painted on the paper plate they seemed to always be attached to.

For pasta, I love to use Dreamfields Healthy Carb Living Penne Rigate. With 5 grams of digestible carbs and 10 fat calories per serving it's a healthy choice for sure as well as 5 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, vitamins and minerals....not too shabby. The glycemic index is 65% lower than most pastas. I love it!

Also Penne takes a bit longer to cook but it holds up well with all that cheese and doesn't get mushy, a big plus there. So that's my recommendation but as always, I encourage you to use your favorite but I love how adventurous so many of you are with trying new things, so I applaud you big time for that! And you can pick up Dreamfields at most grocery stores.

What you will need to serve four people:

2 cups dry penne pasta
2 tablespoons of lightly salted butter
2 tablespoons of melted butter
4 ounces of cream cheese
1/3cup of cottage cheese (you'll never know it's in there but it makes a difference)
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar
¼ cup of pasteurized American cheese
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
¾ of a sleeve of Ritz crackers (plain or garden vegetable is really yummy) or you could also use traditional bread crumbs.

Bring a quart of water to boiling, add a drizzle of olive oil to your water (prevents pasta from sticking) reduce to medium high heat and add your pasta. Cook until tender but not mushy.

Drain water from pasta. Return to pan and add all ingredients except for melted butter and crushed crackers or bread crumbs. Stir over medium low heat until cheeses are melted and pasta is evenly coated.

Pour your mac-n-cheese into a greased pie plate and top with cracker or bread crumbs that have been mixed with your melted butter. Place on lower rack in your oven, with the broiler on, until cheese starts to bubble and top is starting to brown. You can also place this in a 350 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes if you prefer.

Let set for a few minutes before plating. Serve as a side dish or as a main course with your favorite steamed veggies or fresh mixed fruit salad or tossed salad.

I hope you enjoy this classic standard as much as we do. Have a great and blessed week!

Sue