I can only imagine this was from my maternal Great Grandmother, whom I never met (which would make this card roughly 70 years old). While my Mom called her Mom ‘Mother,’ Grandma never referred to herself that way. I find a lot of amusement in this little card. To me it says, “This is easy, you should know this or at least be able to figure it out. I am typing this out for you as simply as possible, but I am somewhat annoyed, hence the period at the end of ‘Mother,’ for emphasis.”

Really though, it is my understanding that my Great Grandmother was a lovely woman.

Here is an example of assuming all cooks know what used to be considered basic skills. I’ve removed the mystery, and added some butter, for no other reason than that is how I am accustomed to making a white sauce:

Ingredients:

* 1 qt Milk
* 1/3-1/2 C Flour
* 2 Tbsp Butter* (not included in original recipe)
* 1 lb Tillamook (Cheddar) Cheese, diced
* 1 lb cooked Macaroni

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat and blend flour into the melted butter. Slowly add milk, mixing as you go to avoid lumps. Continue cooking slowly until smooth and thickened.

Place cooked, drained macaroni in a 13x9x2 Pyrex dish and pour the white sauce mixture over noodles. Add cheese cubes and stir gently to distribute. Place uncovered in a 350 degree oven. After 10-15 minutes, gently stir to distribute melted cheese, then let cook an additional 15-20 minutes.

Total cooking time 30 minutes.

Notes:

I like to stay true to these recipes, but often there are lessons learned in trying them. I’d say overall this is a pretty good recipe. If you like more lively macaroni and cheese, I would suggest incorporating an additional type of cheese to add complexity. I found the lack of salt and/or pepper notable. I will definitely be including the next time I make it. Also, I left mine in the oven longer, until bits of the top started browning.