A Haven for Vee

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Oh I have such exciting things to tell you...  Sure! Believe me at your own risk.

Dismantling Christmas means that I have stripped the tree of everything except the angel top and the lights. We will enjoy it this evening and tomorrow. I must think of a good Epiphany Supper. Last year, as I recall, I gathered the Nativity Set and plenty of candles and we ate by candlelight. I remember looking up at Nan as she ate her meal quietly and she smiled back at me. It was her first celebration of Epiphany and, quite frankly, she found it unusual and said so, but once she got into it, all was well.

Today I am babysitting for my little sister Molly (the poodle). Mother has a luncheon invitation. Molly can't stay behind at my niece's because my niece has a killer cat who has nailed poor Molly on a daily basis for over two weeks. Molly is quite the nervous wreck over the whole thing with my mom right behind her. Mother and her granddaughter are going to have to figure out a plan. So far, they've tried separate rooms with Molly whimpering incessantly and the cat yeowling. Not pleasant.

Friday, the baby grand (I've got to stop calling him this as he's nearly four years old and it makes him sound like a piano) is coming for the afternoon. I will pick him up at school after going through a security check even though I will have visited twice before...I'm going along for the pick-up run tomorrow afternoon as well. Believe me, if anyone took my baby grand, it'd be The Ransom of Red Chief all over again. He's a handful that baby grand. I already know what I'm serving him for supper. Every single time I ask him if he'd like something to eat he responds hopefully with "mac and cheese?"

So on that note, I'm sharing our favorite recipe for Macaroni and Cheese with Ham.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Ingredients:

* 3oz uncooked macaroni  (cook and drain)
* 3 Tbs butter
* 1 heaping Tbs flour
* ½ cup evaporated milk
* 4 oz grated cheese of choice (I use several or whatever is on hand)
* 2 eggs (beaten)
* 3 oz chopped cooked ham

Method:

* Heat butter until bubbly
* Stir in flour
* Whisk in milk
* Whisk well and cook until slightly thick stirring constantly
* Stir cheese into slightly thickened mixture until melted.
* Add a small amount of mixture to the beaten eggs to temper and then add the remaining cheese mixture and stir in until smooth.
* Stir ham and macaroni into the cheese sauce and heat until warm without boiling on top of the stove. (This is the way I prefer it; although, the ingredients may be baked in a casserole dish for 20 minutes at 325F)

To clarify, since Robin is questioning the 3 oz of macaroni... Yes, this is correct. This recipe serves four, if you are the type who sticks to such things. If not, it serves two. Sorry that I didn't share that earlier. (If you're dieting, a serving, one quarter of this recipe, equals 2 proteins, 1 bread, 1 fat, and ¼ milk.)

Printable Recipe

ETA Again: Oh my this was sooo good! I thought that I should whip some up because, truth to tell, it's been a few months and I was second-guessing myself. We don't have this often because it is too good...so creamy, so delish. It's hard to keep to a ½ cup serving. I did, but just barely. There's no way that John could though. He's getting the other 1½. For Friday's supper, I'm making a meatloaf, serving vegetables, leaving out the ham, and using this recipe in place of potatoes.  

32 comments:

  1. Good morning, Vee! At least it's morning here in the midwest! Mac and cheese sounds good to me. I will be busy today and that sounds like something good to fix for tonight's meal. I have some leftover ham from Christmas in the freezer. Thanks for the idea! I will try out your recipe which is similar to mine. Have a great day! ~Cheryl

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  2. My sons are in their 20s and their hands down favorite meal is mac & cheese with ham. The preferred recipe around here uses rigatoni noodles, sharp cheddar and dry mustard in the creamy sauce. We've decided it is best with Honey Baked ham.
    Have fun with your baby grand :).

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  3. Mac and cheese. Perfect for this chill in the air. I am making chicken soup since gearing up for a colonoscopy in a few days. Is that TMI? Enjoy that grand. Mine are all grown out of sight. Too busy with social stuff. Blessings
    QMM

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  4. your recipe sounds great. i make the one on the back of the muellers elbow box, but change it up a little by adding different cheeses.

    love the icicle picture in your header.
    xo
    penny

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  5. This sounds like the perfect recipe for some of the leftover ham from New Year's Day, plus my son loves, loves, loves mac & cheese.

    I hope you and Baby Gran have a wonderful visit and give Molly girl some extra XOXOs... the poor dear.

    Rhonda

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  6. Your day sounds pleasantly full of homey delights - mac and cheese, mmm.

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  7. Mmmmm, I love Mac and Cheese-no ham!! This recipe sounds fantastic! I'll have to try it soon. :)

    I hope that everything works out with the cat and dog! I bet your Mum is really upset. :(

    Have fun with "Baby-Grand" on Friday! ;p

    ((Hugs))
    Laura

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  8. I love mac and cheese too, who doesn't?
    Have a fun day.

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  9. I still call Matthew "Baby Matthew" from habit, even though he is now three and has a baby sister!

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  10. Mac and cheese is true comfort food! Enjoy your grandson's visit
    :)

    I will also be celebrating the Epiphany tomorrow evening and then all the decorations will be packed away. For some reason it always takes longer to take them down than out them up.

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  11. nothing says comfort food quite the way home made mac & cheese does, thanks for sharing your recipe...can't wait to try it!

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  12. I loved the Ransom of Red Chief mention. I know exactly what you mean. I used to tell Michael that if anyone grabbed him they'd soon return him. Baby Grand indeed!
    We also celebrate as the Feast of the Magi, or Little Christmas. I'll be preparing ham and mac la Vee. Sounds like just the thing~January 6th of course...
    hugs and thanks so much for the concern and never feel as if you are interfering if you check on me from time to time, it's why you're my friend!
    love
    Sandi

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  13. Oh...that just sounds too good. Would you believe that I have never made chess and macaroni from scratch? I'm going to try this. :)

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  14. LOL...I have a killer cat too so I can relate. Shadow makes life miserable for poor little Flynn but he does a good job avoiding her.

    Thanks for the recipe! I will for sure make the mac & cheese! LOVE comfort food :)

    Hugs,
    Robin

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  15. Hi Vee dear,

    Well heck, I slave out in my garden (loving every second of it) for 7 months a year. Then, when we're in Maine I have only a couple dozen pots and some windowboxes to tend.

    I still can't believe that we're on the front cover. I hope Country Gardens stays in business because we seem to be losing so many magazines nowadays.

    Thanks for stopping by. We will probably give your mac and cheese a try tomorrow after we run out of my pot of chili. I've never made it with evaporated milk, but maybe that is why it is never that good.

    Love,

    Take care of your baby grand,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  16. Vee...this recipe calls for 3 oz pasta...am I correct in assuming it's a small portion?

    I usually use pasta by the lb...lol.

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  17. Dear Vee, Your recipe sounds delicious! I wanted to pop over to tell you how much I've enjoyed blogging with you. You are a very special lady. I have learned a lot from you. I hope you and your family have a wonderful New Year.
    Much love, Carol

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  18. Happy New Year Vee!! Your mac & cheese sounds sooo good! I've got to get back on my diet, or shall I say "livit" and it's sure hard after all those Christmas cookies.

    So glad to hear you are taking care of Molly. Those killer cats are too stressful!

    Blessings to you and yours, Sherry

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  19. Mac and cheese sounds great to me, what is it about this dish that all grand kids love, ours would eat it everyday. Thanks for sharing the memory of Nan, Vee. Memories are one of Gods greatest gifts to us!
    I still haven't taken our decorations down, this sinus infection and vertigo just won't let me. lol
    Thanks for sharing.
    HUgs,
    Sue

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  20. hee hee! the baby grand does sound like a
    piano!

    good luck with the security search. what
    is this world coming to?

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  21. Yum, I am so trying this recipe, we still LOVE your delicious chicken recipe! My husband loves mac and cheese and I don't have a good recipe.

    I love the nick name "baby grand" so cute! He will be thrilled to have his fav meal with his fav grandma.

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  22. When Nana comes to visit, she makes two meals each place she goes to stay. One of the meals? Meatloaf. The other? Macaroni and Cheese. I may be ten times older than "baby grand" but I still love it when my grandmother makes the king of all comfort foods. Enjoy your time together!

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  23. Does drool have calories? If so, I will blow my weight watcher points for today! Yummo!

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  24. You are in rare form today. So many witty things woven through this post. I love it!!

    That mac and cheese looks scrumptious!

    Enjoy that visit with your "baby grand". In my tired mind I was trying to make him into a piano but that just didn't fit. Glad you clarified. I would have gotten it eventually. lol

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  25. I love that name! We get so see our Baby Grand twice this week - we are so happy.

    It was another salad night here but I can't wait to make this.

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  26. OH you did have wonderful things to share. I hope you have that baby grand all tucked in already. .
    That mac and cheese looks fantastic. .I will be trying your recipe next time my grands show up at the door.

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  27. Baby grand how sweet is that...all that pick up hoopla, babysitting doggie, and making favorite meals...sounds like Vee has got her spring back in her step. Yeah!

    My tree is still up...I have been spending a couple of hours a day with Dan's folks. I have been thinking of you as we are now in the middle of Dan's mom serious health issues. Heart breaking stuff to watch loved ones give up. Very hard to know what to do.

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  28. The mac and cheese sounds like my recipe...except for the ham! I would love to sit down with the whole pot and 'pig out'! lol Comfort food indeed! ♥

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  29. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. We froze our left-over ham and this will be great.
    Love,
    Marie

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  30. Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. I've got foofie recipes that call for $20 of fancy cheese. As you can well imagine they don't appear on my dinner table very often. Thanks for your version, I'm going to make it tonight.

    I love the storiesw of your baby grand!

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  31. All right -- I am going to try this (minus the ham) soon, maybe even for supper tonight. Sounds so scrumptious! I don't buy ham, but if I wanted to add ham to this I think a can of the chunk ham would work pretty well.

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