Holiday Favorites: Mmmmacaroni and cheese

This is a recipe I modified from Kraft Food and Family magazine. Again the recipe is super quick to put together since it uses shells and cheese, but with the added ingredients produce a wonderful product that tastes more like homemade.

Mmmmacaroni and Cheese

1 box shells and cheese, any variety

8 oz sour cream

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 c crushed crackers or bread crumbs (I use crushed French's fried onions)

Preheat oven to 325. Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain well. In large bowl combine cheese sauce packet, sour cream, cayenne pepper, and shredded cheese. Spoon into sprayed casserole pan. Top with cracker crumbs. Bake until cheese melts and crumbs are lightly browned, about 20 min.

For those of you who have extra time and prefer not to use the boxed stuff:

1 1/4 c macaroni

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 c milk

8 oz sour cream

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c crushed crackers or bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Cook macaroni to al dente. Drain. Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in flour and spices. Wisk in milk. Return to heat and cook to boil. Stir in sour cream and cheese until just melted. Pour into sprayed casserole dish. Top with your crumb of choice. Bake 30 min or until crumbs are golden.