Mamacita says:  I’ve posted before about Velveeta, but I’m doing it again because Velveeta is sponsoring a contest and if you know what’s good for you (seriously, cheese is good for you!) you’ll click right straight on over there and check out the recipes, accompanied by pictures.  And you’ll also notice some familiar – I would hope! – faces and names there,  pimping politely requesting your vote.   Please vote!

I’m not in the contest, because I wasn’t invited I didn’t know about it in time, but that didn’t keep me from putting together my family’s favorite Velveeta casserole, the Velveeta Down-Home Macaroni & Cheese. (Velveeta Crowd-Pleasing Recipes, pps. 72 & 73)

I follow the official recipe closely, except for one small detail: If you look closely at my casserole, you will notice that there are several different kinds of pasta in it. This isn’t an attempt to be artistic; it’s a bit of nostalgia.  A reminder, as it were.

When my children were small, we wuz poor. Poor unto desperation, at times. I bought Velveeta because it was economical and went a long way, and because the children loved it and would eat it daily if I let them. I also relied on pasta to get us through some of the hard times.

There was always a day when I had several bits of pasta left, each one insufficient to make a meal for a family, but too much to throw away.  That day, I combined all that pasta and made my Velveeta casserole.  Often, I threw all the tag ends of cheese that were languishing in the refrigerator, too small to do anyone any good, into the mix, also.

The kids loved finding all those different shapes on their plate, no pasta was wasted, and a good, hot meal was inside my children at the end of the day. Today’s casserole has bow-tie, macaroni, egg noodles, and baby shells.

The weather is getting colder now, and cold weather is casserole weather.  There’s just something about a steaming hot creamy casserole when it’s freezing outside. . . .  Add a tossed salad and some fruit, and you’ve got a lovely winter supper that your entire family will love.

We’ve all got until tomorrow night to enter the Budget Bites Contest, so let’s get over there and DO IT!  Kraft is giving great prizes!

And no, this is NOT a paid post.  I did it out of genuine love of an excellent product, a product that helped get my family through some really hard times, and which my family loves to this day.

I still make this casserole with an assortment of pasta.  My Thanksgiving table would not be complete without it.

This particular casserole?  My daughter is driving thirty miles – one way – tonight to come and get it.  Her friends can’t wait!