The Family Motto

"Everything's Beddar with Cheddar"

...("Better", for those of you who don't read "Wilson")...

And really, most everything could use some more cheddar, when a recipe calls for 1 cup, 2 cups will be better...

With a motto like this you can assume that we eat a lot of cheese over here at the ChambersMade household, and you would be correct...
We love cheese on eggs, cheese on English muffins (thanks to my college roommate, Susan), cheese with nuts, cheese with fruit, cheese on veggies, cheese and crackers, grilled cheese, and of course Mac and Cheese.  With all the cheese in our life/menu you'd think I would have discovered the best mac and cheese recipe. But, you'd be wrong, the kids still prefer the kind in the blue box (oh, don't judge, you know you have a box in your pantry!)

So how come I can never find a homemade Mac & Cheese that we all like...

Well, the search for the ChambersMade Shells & Cheese is over...
I found the recipe and I'm sticking to it.  I took a different recipe that called for 1 jar of store bought Alfredo Sauce and modified it, changing a few ingredients, making my own Alfredo and I found it...
the best Shells and Cheese that we as a family have EVER had...
and sadly, no leftovers!  It was THAT good...I really wanted some the next day for lunch and we had scraped the pan clean the night before...possibly a ChambersMade first!

ChambersMade Home-Style Shells &Cheese

10 oz Shells (or macaroni, whatever you have on hand or your kids like better)

1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

1 recipe Alfredo sauce (recipe follows)

3 cups Cheddar Cheese (I've already doubled the amount, so although our motto is "Everything's Beddar with Cheddar," doubling this amount might put your family into major intestinal cramp-age!)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup bread crumbs

1.  Preheat oven to 375 & grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

2.  Bring water to boil add chicken bouillon and shells, cook following package directions.  Prepare Alfredo sauce (recipe follows) while shells are cooking.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining shells.

3.  Transfer the shells to the casserole dish, add the Alfredo sauce, 2 cups of the cheese, the reserved pasta water and salt & pepper, and stir until the ingredients are will combined.  Cover the shells with the remaining cup of cheese, scatter the top with bread crumbs.

4.  Bake until the shells and cheese are bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned, 25-30 minutes, serve at once.

Alfredo Sauce
2 Tbl Butter

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the cheap stuff)

1 cup cup half and half (or milk will do in a pinch)

1.  Melt butter in a saucepan add cheese and half and half, stir until all is melted...3 minutes.

(don't you just love the casserole dish...thanks Julie, it looks great holding out Shells & Cheese.)

Serving Suggestions

I steamed some brussels sprouts (and yes, I googled it and brussels has an "s" on the end...I've been saying it brussel sprouts all these years!) seasoned with butter and salt, yummy with the cheese sauce from the shells.  other veggies that would be good; Broccoli or Cauliflower