Grandma's Way

Okay, so you start by cooking some elbow macaroni...let's say about 1 lb. (oh, it doesn't need to be elbows, whatever shaped pasta you have will work)

You brown some ground beef (lean is what I prefer) and yeah, maybe 1 lb. maybe closer to 2 if that is what you have. You add 1 quart of marinara sauce...if you use jarred sauce, fine, if you have homemade- even better!
Spice it up a little. You know what you like. Some oregano- how much? A pinch...you know, grab some between your fingers and throw it in...a few shakes of dehydrated minced onion (if the sauce is not seasoned) and some garlic (gotta have garlic) and again- it depends on your tastes...

Add shredded cheddar cheese. I don't know how much. How much do you like? 4 ounces? 6? extra cheesy would be about 8...

Stir in the macaroni...(sorry for the out of focus picture) and you get the idea...in one pot you have dinner.

When I first started to write web content, this was the first article I did.

Beefaroni Recipe

I read where you should write what you know. Well, as a mom of 5, and someone who enjoys creating recipes, my beefaroni recipe is what I was most sure of.

Growing up I picked up how to cook from watching my godmother, my Aunt Elsie and my grandmothers and of course, my own mother. No one measured. No one even used a recipe book.

When I cook, the only time I measure is when I bake (and technically that is baking not cooking)

So when I started to have to put my recipes on paper to teach others, it was hard. I had to measure so I could accurately share my creations with others. No easy task! Anyone who cooks like I do knows what I mean.

My little "demonstration" of how to make beefaroni shows that. Depending on how much ground beef I would have at home or how many people showed up for dinner, I would add more sauce or pasta to feed how ever many I needed to. That is the beauty of my beefaroni recipe. It is easy...kind of like adding more water to the soup!

For some, cooking comes natural. You just know how much to add. I love sharing my recipes with others but it is a challenge to "talk" someone through a recipe and remember that they may not share the same "gift" of knowing.