Kids Cookin' Night!

After such a busy day yesterday, I needed something easy for dinner. J came home and said he'd had a really late lunch, so he wasn't really hungry. That made my life easier. I decided to try a recipe for Easy Mac n Cheese. Turned out pretty good, and it was REALLY easy. Next time there are things i'll do differently (see in hindsight) My boys really did make this, I mean, obviously, i got it out of the oven, and drained the noodles, but the boys did just about everything else! Fun, easy, kid friendly, this was my kinda meal!!! No pictures as of yet, we ate in a hurry, but we'll heat it up again for lunch, so pictures will come later today.

What you need

	1 pound elbow macaroni
	3 cups milk or half-and-half
	12 to 18 slices American or Cheddar cheese
	12 Ritz crackers
	salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

What to do

1. Cook and drain elbow macaroni and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13- by 9-inch baking pan or a large casserole dish with butter. 

2. Now have your child spoon a third of the pasta into the pan, then pour in 1 cup of the half-and-half and cover it all with 4 to 6 slices of American cheese. Add two more layers of pasta, milk, and cheese in the same manner. 

3. Next, crush a dozen Ritz crackers in a ziplock plastic bag. Add the salt, pepper, and paprika, shake to mix, then sprinkle the crumbs over the top layer of pasta and cheese. 

4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly.

In Hindsight

Next time I will use half as much milk (1.5 cups), and use half a can of cheddar soup, just to make it a little creamier, and more cheesy. I will also sprinkle some grated cheese (probably 4 cheese mexican) over it with each layer too. And rather than pouring the milk over, i'll mix the milk and cheese soup together and then stir it in with the noodles, adding more milk and soup to it if needed.... Still good, but the cheese didn't seem to make it really cheesy the way we like it.