Lumberjack Macaroni

 

Lumberjack Macaroni. I am sharing a bit of nostalgia here with you today by sharing a recipe which has been around since 1950.  This is a recipe I first tasted as a child in about 1963, and it is a taste that has stayed with me in my taste memory for the rest of my life.

I must apologize as well for the photos today. I left it so late in the day to take them and so I wasn't able to use natural light as I normally do.

 

My father was in the Airforce when I was growing up.  We lived for a time on a small base in Gimli, Manitoba.  I went to a small local school which was located in the married quarters area of the base.  The townies also attended the same school.

The fact was, there were not enough married quarters for all the personnel and so many lived in the actual town itself.

 

We had enough time to go home at lunch time for our dinner and a bus from the base took the townies home to get their lunch.  I remember once being invited to lunch at one of my townie friend's homes.  

It was very exciting going on a bus for one thing, and also very exciting to be able to eat a meal in someone else's home for another!

 

Her mother served Lumberjack Macaroni, which was a completely new flavor/taste for me!  My mom never made macaroni and cheese. Never.  My father didn't like things like that.  She would never have gotten away with serving something like this to my father, as much as we children would have loved it.

I thought the dish to be absolutely delicious!  Not only did we ever get macaroni and cheese at home, but my mom never used things like Heinz Chili Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or Velveeta.  These were completely new things to me.

I can remember watching her mother make it (ever the foodie even at that age), and asking her about the different things in the dish. For me, it was love at first bite.

 

It was something I was never to taste again, for many, many years, but like most taste memories, it is something which stayed with me and which I often thought of. 

This recipe was one that I found in Lost Recipes, by Betty Crocker. It was one of the recipes published in their very first cookbook in 1950 and was attributed to Mr. James Ford Bell, who was the founder of General Mills. It was said to be his favorite recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

It sounded just like the recipe that my friend's mother had made for us for our lunch all those years ago.  I had earmarked it to try myself one day.

I was feeling very nostalgic today and had all of the ingredients to hand and so I decided to finally try it out to see if it was as good as I had remembered it being!!!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LUMBERJACK MACARONI

This recipe requires very few ingredients. I have sized it for two people, but you can easily double everything to feed more.

• 1 cup (116g) uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 cup (115g) processed cheese, cubed
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• 1 heaped TBS of chili sauce
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• pinch of black pepper

 

Some of these ingredients might be a bit difficult for you to find in the UK, so I will try to give you the best substitutions to use. Your children will love this.

Elbow macaroni is not something that is found very easily in the UK. You can just use ordinary straight macaroni.

You will not find Velveeta Cheese either.  You can use process cheese slices cut up to equal the same amount that is required.

 

Chili sauce is not something which is easily found in the UK either, but you do have some lovely red tomato chutney's. I recommend using an equivalent amount of red tomato chutney. It won't be as smooth as the chili sauce, but the flavor should be about the same.

Chili sauce is a bit like a spicy tomato ketchup.  So its a bit spicy. A bit sweet.  A bit tart.  Its quite delicious actually, but so is red tomato chutney! 

 

HOW TO MAKE LUMBERJACK MACARONI

It really could not be easier. This is a real doddle and goes all together in one pan.  It is perfect for a quick, simple and delicious lunch.

Cook the macaroni in a pot of lightly salted boiling water according to the package directions. Drain well.

Return to the pot and add the remaining ingredients.

Cook and stir over medium heat until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

You could serve this simply with some bread and butter.  Crisp vegetable sticks or a small mixed salad would also go very well on the side.

 

Some other quick, easy and delicious lunch/supper dishes that the children might enjoy are:

HAM AND CHEESE BOW TIES - This is a very delicious mac and cheese type of casserole made with bow tie pasta (Farfalle) and cubed ham in a lush garlicky cheese sauce.  It really is very simple to make and quite, quite delicious!

EASY CHILI MAC AND CHEESE -  This  uses store cupboard ingredients.  In the main boxed Macaroni and Cheese dinner.  Over here you can find it in the shops and its called Cheesy Mac, in North America you can use Kraft Mac and Cheese, or the equivalent. One box will do.  You will also need some cheese and a can of ready made chili con carne. Its fabulously tasty and such a simple make.

MAC AND CHEESE PIE - This is a great dish to make on those nights when you are wanting to make something quick and easy but something that the family will still enjoy.   Macaroni and Cheese is a popular dish with most people, but when its also a pie, that's a win/win!  Plus it all cooks in the one dish. No fuss. No muss.

Lumberjack Macaroni

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min

A simple yet tasty lunch. A bit of nostalgia from my childhood, this recipe appeared in the first edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook in 1950. Double the ingredients to feed four.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (116g) uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 cup (115g) processed cheese, cubed
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• 1 heaped TBS of chili sauce
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• pinch of black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the macaroni in a pot of lightly salted boiling water according to the package directions. Drain well.
2. Return to the pot and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Cook and stir over medium heat until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

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