The other night we ran into an especially busy scheduling conflict. Kids coming and going and parents needing to take them there. Working late and teacher conferences and trips to the doctor. It was a doosey of a day.
But I knew it was coming and planned for it. Good Grief!! - I had to, nobody was going to get anywhere they needed to be unless I planned the whole thing out before hand. But this particular day - like most days, in most of our lives, everybody still had to be fed! (Do you ever feel like... what is UP with all this Eating!?!?) Throwing an extra added level of difficulty to the equation was that I wasn't going to actually be home to feed anybody, I needed something that everyone would eat, and that the kids could essentially feed themselves without destroying the kitchen, lighting the house on fire or fighting over who got the last tupperware of edible leftovers from the fridge.
Here it comes to Save The Day........ Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese!!
It honestly does NOT get easier than this recipe. You don't even cook the pasta before hand. Give it a stir ever couple of hours (or when you pass though the kitchen in your day filled with chaos). My kids went bonkers for it, they raved about the taste and declared me (once again) the best homemade macaroni and cheese maker in all the land. Bellies were all filled, children knew they were loved, teenagers dished up bowl for little siblings and after all the running I sat down to a hot bowl of the ultimate comfort food and was..... comforted! It was a beautiful thing.
Crockpot Mac and Cheese
Throw five ingredients into a crockpot for five hours and dinner is served!
Serves: 8
Total time: 4-5 hrs
Ingredients:
16 oz. elbow macaroni
2 1/2 cups milk
12-oz. can evaporated milk
8 oz. cream cheese
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Place the macaroni, milk, evaporated milk, cream cheese and cheddar cheese into a crockpot. Set heat to Low and cook for 4 to 5 hours, or until pasta is cooked through. Stir occasionally.
Sorry the pictures aren't so beautiful, I was taking them very late at night.
And there is not photo of the beautiful finished dish, but somehow this pot of half-eaten macaroni and cheese is beautiful to me, because it fed my family and let them know how much they were loved and how I enjoy taking care of them even though I couldn't be there.
