Grandma’s Super-Secret Kraft™ Dinner Recipe
aka Macaroni and Cheese
My Mother was a sneaky cook. I don’t think she held out on purpose, she just was a "dash of this and a dash of that" kind of person. Her cooking style was one of the many things that made her unique and irreplaceable. Everything she did was with heart and soul. Her love was like a warm, safe blanket she enveloped all of us in. Her sense of humor was as quirky as her cooking.
But on to the “Recipe!”
Granddaughter home from college: “I can’t understand why your Kraft Dinner tastes so much better.”
Grandma: Shrugging, “It’s just a box of Kraft Dinner. I’m not sure why? I’ll make some now.”
Proceeds to make a box of Kraft™ Dinner. (aka Macaroni and Cheese)
Recipe as per box…
Boil 6 cups water.
Add pasta, and cook for 7 to 8 min or until just tender, stirring occasionally.
Drain; return to saucepan.
Add one tablespoon of margarine, 1/3 cup of milk, and the cheese sauce mix.
Mix well.
THEN as observed by granddaughter…
Adds an undisclosed amount of butter.
Adds an undisclosed amount of cream.
Adds an undisclosed amount of Cheez Whiz™
Adds an undisclosed amount of freshly shredded cheddar.
Mix well.
Grandaughter: 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ “So basically, you’ve been tricking us all this time. What else don’t we know about you?”
Grandma just smiled and shrugged.
My Mother also had an unexpected "Company" version.
Prepare the “recipe” above.
Put into a greased Pyrex dish.
Top with fresh diced tomatoes or use canned if necessary.
Crush a sleeve of Saltine Crackers and pour on macaroni.
Pour melted butter over the top.
Bake until the top is crispy.
But it’s just a box of Kraft™ Dinner!
Another one of her family favorite recipes was Nanaimo Bars. I’m not sure what her secret was, but they were the best, at least to us. At the time, none of us had been to or even heard of Nanaimo, British Columbia, where they were first invented. In our small town in Central Ontario, we called them “Naomi” bars. I was so lucky to be able to take my mom to British Columbia, where we bought some Nanaimo bars from the original, Scotch Bakery in Nanaimo, BC. We all enjoyed them, but I still liked her version better. However, my mom gave her stamp of approval to the authentic ones.
In anticipation of attending a family shower, I went through old cookbooks and pulled out random recipes of my mom’s. I found one for Nanaimo bars. As suspected, it’s not complete, but the basics are here. I will share it, but you'll have to fill in the missing directions. 😊
Filling – Combine butter and milk powder. Blend in using sugar until smooth. Spread over base. Chill for at least 15 minutes. (Notice she doesn’t say what the base was.)
Glaze – Partially melt chocolate with butter over hot water. (I’m assuming she meant to use a double boiler.) Remove from heat and stir until melted. Spread over the custard layer and chill. Store in the refrigerator. Bars keep up to one month in the fridge. Personal note: That's a lie! They never lasted a month unless she hid them from us. 😊
I would feel too guilty leaving you hanging as to what the base was, so I searched other old books for a possible clue. I found an old cookbook with a missing cover, and it contained a little more detail.
Nanaimo Bars – (Side note: the author specified that all dairy and eggs must be from the Oxford Dairy Company of Woodstock, ON. I think she was just being loyal to her community, and the recipe won’t fail without the specific brand.) 😊
First mixture (aka the base) - 1 beaten egg, ½ cup butter, ¼ cup white sugar, 5 Tbsp. cocoa. Heat in a saucepan over very low heat until smooth. Add 2 cups of graham wafer crumbs, 1 cup of shredded coconut, and ½ cup of walnuts.
Second mixture (aka the filling) – 2 cups icing sugar, ¼ cup butter, 2tsp instant custard powder. Add enough milk to moisten, and spread on top of the first mixture.
Third mixture (aka the glaze) – 3 squares of sweet chocolate, 2 Tbsp. of butter. Melt and spread on top of the second mixture. Refrigerate. Bars are ready to serve. Side note: I'm assuming she cut them into squares, although maybe someone ate them all before she had the chance!
This recipe is still a little vague, but I will attempt to make them for the holidays this year. It’s going to be interesting trying to figure out some of these encrypted recipes. Perhaps, my recipes will be as baffling to my kids and grandkids in future years. After all, we must keep the family quirk gene going.
About the Creator
Mary Haynes
Mary Haynes splits her time between a romantic old sailboat in tropical waters and a beach home in Ontario. A wanderer, by fate, she embraces wherever she roams! Mary recently completed her first children’s book, “Who Ate My Peppers?”
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Comments (1)
I will have to try this out. These are cool recipes. I like how you get right to the point and put the recipe first so we are invited to read the story behind it instead of having to hack through the story to get the recipe.