Who doesn’t love a nice gooey, steamy bowl of real Mac n Cheese on a cool fall day? The Calef’s Snappy old Mac n Cheese recipe, using our famous Rat Trap Cheddar is a simple winner every time. We have been selling this from our freezer for years and now we share the recipe with you.
Calef’s Cheese & Deli
We feature many varieties of “Snappy Old Cheddar”. Our most popular is Rat Trap Country Store Cheddar hand-packed in 40 LB wheels, creamy and delicious. We have several degrees of Sharp Cheddars beginning with our basic Sharp, Extra Sharp, 2 Year Old Super Sharp, 3 Year Old Wicked Sharp, and for the serious both 4 and 5 Year Aged Cheddars that will make you stand up and take notice.
Additionally, we have a wide range of flavored cheddars, Maple Bacon, Steakhouse Onion, Roasted Garlic, and Buffalo to list a few. All are sold by the pound and ship year-round.
Cheese Storage Tips from the experts:
- Keep it Cold – Like any natural dairy product, cheese should be kept cold, store in the coolest part of your refrigerator.
- Don’t freeze it – Properly refrigerated cheese will keep for many months without freezing. Freezing can affect the taste and texture of good cheese.
- Wrap it tight – store cheese well wrapped in plastic or cheese paper for longevity
- Cut of any moldy bits – Exposure to air can cause surface mold to develop, cut that portion away and the rest of the block is fine to eat. Eat it soon though as the mold may reappear.
- Serve at room temperature – Cheese like many other things develops more flavor, aroma and creamier texture at room temperature. Remove your cheese from the refrigerator and couple of hours before serving.
Start with our basic cheese sauce, Basic Cheddar Cheese Sauce add to your favorite cooked pasta, top with breadcrumbs, and bake until bubbly. Simple, easy, and delicious. Make a big batch so there will be some left for tomorrow.
Here are some variations from our Chef Andy for the more adventurous Mac n Cheese aficionados:
Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese: Spicy chicken and blue cheese crumbles
Spinach and Feta: Sautéed spinach with feta
Diced Smoked Ham: Our famous smoked ham
Chicken Cordon Blue: Chicken, smoked ham and Swiss cheese
Cheeseburger Mac n Cheese: Spiced ground beef
These are all available in our new Grab n Go cooler in single serving or family size.
Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing Macaroni and Cheese to the US at a State dinner and the rest is history. Everyone has a childhood favorite of this comfort classic. Some swear by Kraft out of the box, others insist it must be made with Velveeta, still others insist it must be homemade with sharp cheddar. My family always tossed breadcrumbs with crumbled cooked bacon as a topping and my mother would grate any cheese she had on hand so the recipe was never the same but the topping always was.
Every cookbook and cooking web site has the BEST Mac N Cheese recipe, you could spend a lifetime making them all and perhaps find one that you like better than the one from your childhood. It is worth a try.
