A blog I found recently and think is super cool, Kitchen Historic, is all antique recipes, which she sort of interprets into current measurements and ingredients. It’s a fun concept, quite different from all the other blogs I follow, and has some delicious recipes. This mac and cheese recipe, for instance, is from 1870!

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces macaroni (I used a 16 ounce package of shells and there was still enough cheese sauce)
• 2 cups milk (I used skim, it’s what we have)
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• cayenne, to taste
• 8 ounces old cheddar, grated

In a large pot, cook the macaroni until tender according to the package directions. Strain, and return the macaroni to the pot.

While the macaroni cooks, mix the milk, flour, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted.

Stir in the cream, mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir to coat.

At this point you’re ready to eat, although my mom would argue it’d be even better if you transferred it to an oven safe dish and broiled for a minute or two until the cheese on the top got crusty. It’s creamy and cheesy, and you can make it as spicy as you’d like with the cayenne. It makes the boxed stuff taste just…orange.

Macaroni And Cheese (1870)

From Kitchen Historic. Do click through to see how the recipe was written originally!

• 10 ounces macaroni
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• cayenne, to taste
• 8 ounces old cheddar, grated

In a large pot, cook the macaroni until tender according to the package directions. Strain, and return the macaroni to the pot.

While the macaroni cooks, mix the milk, flour, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted. Stir in the cream, mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir to coat. Enjoy!