Three Cheese Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Irma came through on Monday. Not the worst of it — the worst went through Florida, and Patricia rode it out in Jacksonville with Wayne, and they lost power for four days but the house held and they are fine, thank God, thank God, thank God. Savannah got the outer bands — heavy rain, wind that knocked branches off the live oak in the front yard, power out for eighteen hours. But we were spared the worst. The marsh flooded. The streets in the historic district flooded. Some people had damage. But we were spared.

Those eighteen hours without power, I cooked on the gas stove by candlelight. The electric ignition doesn't work without power, so I lit the burners with a match, the way Hattie Pearl lit hers every day of her life because the stove in the shotgun house didn't have electric anything. I heated the chicken soup from the freezer. I made grits on the stovetop. I boiled water for coffee. Earl sat at the table by candlelight and ate grits and he said, "This feels like camping." I said, "Earl, you have never been camping in your life." He said, "This is what I imagine it's like." God love that man.

The power came back Tuesday morning and I have never been so grateful for a refrigerator hum. I checked everything — the frozen food held, the canned goods were fine, the garden took a beating but survived. The tomato cages were flattened and the okra stalks were bent, but the collard greens — the collard greens stood straight through the storm, because collards are tougher than weather and always have been.

School was cancelled Monday and Tuesday. When we came back Wednesday, the children were wired — half excited from the storm, half scared from what their parents went through. I made comfort food all week. Mac and cheese. Chicken and dumplings. Mashed potatoes. The food that says "the world went sideways but the kitchen is still here." One teacher came to the serving line and said, "Dot, thank God for you." I said, "Thank God for cheese and noodles. I just assembled them."

The Lowcountry Boil is postponed one week. We'll have it the last Saturday of September. The storm delayed it. The storm does not cancel it. Nothing cancels it. That boil has survived thirty years of Septembers and it will survive this one too.

Now go on and feed somebody.

That week after Irma, when I told you I made mac and cheese for the children, I didn’t mean the kind from the blue box. I mean the kind that takes three cheeses and a slow cooker and fills up a cafeteria line with the smell of something that says everything is going to be all right. This is the recipe I keep coming back to when the world goes sideways — you put it together, you let it cook low and slow, and by the time it’s done, everybody feels a little more like themselves again.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Colby cheese, shredded
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Boil elbow macaroni according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and toss with the melted butter.
Mix the cheeses. In a large bowl, combine the sharp cheddar, Colby, and cream cheese cubes. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese for topping.
Prepare the custard base. In a separate bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, whole milk, beaten eggs, salt, pepper, dry mustard, and paprika until smooth.
Layer in the crock pot. Spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add half the buttered macaroni, then half the cheese mixture. Repeat with remaining macaroni and cheese. Pour the milk and egg mixture evenly over the top.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours 30 minutes, stirring gently once at the halfway mark. The edges should be golden and the center creamy.
Finish and serve. Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over the top during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Let rest 10 minutes with the lid off before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Three Cheese Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese — The Food That Says the Kitchen Is Still Here