The Macaroni and Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3 boxes of macaroni noodles
• 2 cans of evaporated milk
• 1 pack of cheese slices
• Velveeta cheese
• Italian sausage
• Salt/pepper

Preparation:

Before anything is done, cook the boxes of noodles. When the noodles come to a boil stir until they are as soft as you want them. Strain all of the water from the noodles, Trust me, they won't be dry. That's what the milk is for. Grab a long, deep pan and pour all of the noodles into it.

Granny always uses a disposable aluminum pan unless she is making a small amount. When she makes the casserole it's normally during the holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving, the most memorable time for me was always Christmas. When the noodles were done she would pour them into the pan.

"Time for a break," she would say after being in the kitchen for hours preparing the food for the holiday.

We always would joke about anything. My grandparents loved having the radio on, so Christmas music was a favorite for everyone in December. My grandad would be sitting at the kitchen table singing a Christmas song, probably a song by The Temptations. We really couldn't help but joke about his singing. There was nothing but happiness in the house during these times of the year.

After her break, Granny would continue cooking the meal, therefore, the cans of milk are poured all over the noodles so they aren't dry, nor will they be when the cheese goes in. I always thought the fact that I was eating evaporated milk was disgusting, but when it's put in with the noodles, I'd know what's soon to come.

The best part of the dish is the cheese, but before that comes the salt and pepper. You know how much salt and pepper you like, so it's up to you how much you add. When adding the cheese, first cut the block of Velveeta into chunks. Add the chunks to the pan and mix it until the cheese is melted good. If it doesn't seem cheesy enough, don't worry, we're not done with the cheese just yet.

While the sausage is cooking, I would continue to sit at the table and chat with my grandad.

"Paw Paw, did you know that all the planets move around the sun? Or that Earth spins on it axis all day everyday and we can't even feel it?"

He'd say, "Nope, I didn't know any of that stuff. Where you learn that at?"

"School, I made all A's too!" I'd say.

"Boy why you do that, you're supposed to make all F's. I thought you were smart!

Thinking he was serious, I'd ask my grandma,"Granny, Paw Paw don't know nothin' do he?"

Now that the sausage is done, mix it with the noodles and cheese. I would always sneak a handful of sausage to eat separately. Make sure the top of the noodles are as even as you can get them. Once that's done, grab the cheese slices. Granny always makes it as cheesy as possible, so when adding the slices on top of it, cover every single centimeter of the top of the noodles.

Now comes final step. Put the pan into the preheated oven at 350 degrees. The reason for this is to let the newly added cheese melt. That doesn't take long at all. Once the cheese is melted, pull it out and enjoy as my family does every Thanksgiving and Christmas!