Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese

I love this macaroni and cheese so much that for a while I was eating it every single weekend. That was before this little thing called my health intervened. But finally I had it again and wow!: just as good as I remember. Here it is for everyone to enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked Smart macaroni (or other white macaroni)

2 individually-wrapped thick slices of Velveeta cheese

2 splashes of skim milk

you'll also need:

small pot of salted water

pasta strainer

spoon

medium microwave safe bowl

plate

microwave

1. cook the macaroni according to package directions until it's just al dente.

2. meanwhile, break up the Velveeta slices into small pieces and put them in the microwave safe bowl. Cover with the splashes of milk.

3. when the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the bowl. Stir it a little so everything is mixed together.

4. put the bowl in the microwave covered by the plate. Cook it for 50 seconds on medium power. Remove the plate from the bowl, stir the pasta; replace the plate and cook for another 50 seconds on medium.

5. after the second heating, remove the plate and stir the pasta again. With the plate off, cook it 50 seconds more on medium power. The cheese will puff up and form a bit of a skin. The fact that the cheese puffs up so much is the reason you need a bowl larger than your pasta. The amount of pasta will seem small for the bowl, less than halfway up. But I digress.

6. your macaroni is done! If it seems a bit watery, just zap it a bit longer. I have a pretty powerful microwave.

This recipe is adapted from the cookbook that came with my mother's first-ever microwave. The cookbook is long gone: the recipe lives on in our hearts.