Cook Packaged Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is one of the easiest dishes to cook on the stove, especially when you can just make it out of the box.

To make it taste even better, you don't need to take the extra hour to make it from scratch--add a few simple extras to make it more appealing.

Ingredients

Follow the directions on the box, which usually go something like this:
1. Boil some water on the stove top.
2. Open the box, pull out the powder packet, and empty the macaroni into the pot.
3. Bring to boil again, then let it boil for the allotted time (usually around 8 minutes). Stir the pasta occasionally (especially at first) so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan!
4. Strain the macaroni and put it back in the pot.
5. Mix in the powdered cheese, milk and butter. Stir until it's all smooth.
Now, to add some zing:
1. Turn the stove back on at a low setting, put the pot back on, and add your own cheese to the mix. Stir it up as it melts all over your meal.
2. Add seasonings to taste: Simple things like salt & pepper are a start, but you can try others too, such as garlic powder and cumin.
3. Cut up a cooked hot dog into bite-size pieces, and add them to the macaroni. Or pieces of sliced ham from the deli are good too.
Finished.

The box's instructions may say that butter or margarine is "optional", but don't leave it out! The butter (or other substitute) is what makes the cheese creamy and good, so add at least the amount that they suggest.
Mix thoroughly! Keep stirring and stirring and stirring until all the lumps of cheese powder are gone and the cheesy color and flavor is evenly mixed onto all the pasta. It's worth the extra attention to have every bite taste as good as the first.
Just after you strain out the water and the pasta and pan are still warm, this is the best time to add the butter. Mix it all in so the macaroni is covered, then add your milk and powdered cheese.
Whatever other additions you might think would taste good, go ahead and put them in! Chances are you may create a whole new generation of mac 'n cheese.