Frieda Schulz’s Macaroni & Cheese
My Grandma grew up in Shorewood, Wisconsin. It’s a village in Milwaukee County, where she lived in a house with four generations. Unfortunately, my great grandma Lorraine had to sell the house in Shorewood when her no good Dutchman husband was able to get part of her estate in the divorce. It was between that house and the lake house, and I think she made the right decision. Anyways, Frieda Schulz was a friend of the family in Shorewood. Besides sharing her killer macaroni and cheese recipe, she also was enchanted and would “pray over your warts” during a full moon after burying bacon in your yard. Nona Mae once had 9 warts miraculously disappear under Frieda Schultz’s guidance.
My favorite meal to have with my grandparents began with corn and ended with a veal roast with macaroni and cheese. My granddad would baby the roast on the grill and baste with Pabst Blue Ribbon. My brother and I would sit on the grass at the edge of the lake and shuck the corn. And my grandma would boil the corn and make her famous macaroni and cheese. I will never forget those nights- usually once a summer- when everyone went to bed tired and full and in love with our home and family.
Two days ago, we were joined by some dear friends and their daughters for an afternoon barbeque. The work in our yard is close to finished! At least close enough- in the last two months, we took out a 70-foot pine tree, took a stump grinder to the stump, built four raised beds, filled those beds up with the mulch from the giant stump, had a cement patio put in, leveled the ground, and the last step of laying 664 square feet of sod was completed last week. It’s been so much work and we’ve almost killed each other a couple times… but we’re reaping the rewards now! Friday was perfect.
Because of all the kids coming we wanted to keep the menu simple and delicious. I decided to go completely Wisconsin. Johnsonville brats boiled in PBR and grilled, grandmas’ way of boiling corn with sugar, and grandmas (well actually Frieda Schulz’s) macaroni and cheese.
The first smell that filled the air was that of warm Pabst. It’s a funny thing to like or even to recognize Pabst cooking meat but it’s something indelible in my memory. Granddad only used bottled Pabst to baste, but we don’t get it in a bottle in California so the cans would have to do. I stabbed each brat with my three-pronged fork and threw them in the pot for about twenty minutes.
There were now two pots on the stove before our guests came, the noodles were cooking for the mac and cheese and the beer was boiling the brats. After our hellos, I put the girls to work shucking the corn and put them in the corn pot. Basically, just cover all the corn with water and maybe a third of a cup of sugar. Cover and turn off when the water starts to boil.
Everyone loved everything! All the kids had seconds on corn and mac. Teddy gobbled up the mac too. Thanks Grandma, Granddad, and Frieda!
Frieda Schulz’s Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients:
2 cups elbows
1 stick butter
1 small pack Velveeta
2% milk
Pepper
2-quart casserole dish
Preheat 325°
Boil and drain the elbow noodles. Layer macaroni first on the bottom of a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Dot with butter, put layer of Velveeta and pepper well. Repeat- end with a layer of macaroni. Fill with milk until you can see it. Cook ½ hour covered, ½ hour uncovered.
