Paula Munson with her Macaroni and Cheese.
J.D. Pooley | Sentinel-Tribune
When Paula Munson retired as a Bowling Green City Schools teacher, Crim Elementary couldn’t wait to have her back as a substitute.
There may have been an ulterior motive.
Munson’s Macaroni and Cheese is her go-to potluck/sharing dish.
“This is just the best,” she said. “And everyone says it is.”
The key to the creaminess, Munson said, is the butter, milk — and a couple of different ingredients.
Munson said that the original recipe called for cream, but she added 1 cup evaporated milk instead. It was just something that was readily available in her pantry.
The cheddar cheese soup is another unusual ingredient, she said.
“I always put it in. I think that’s what gives it the flavor.”
One other tip Munson shared is to use real cheese and grate it; don’t buy the shredded in the package.
She got the recipe from a Spend with Pennies site on Pinterest.
This time of year, Munson usually has a soup, such as chicken tortilla or seven-ingredient taco soup, simmering on the stove. Her family, which includes husband Mark and children Alex and Sarah, love her Swedish meatballs.
Mark is director of choral activities and a music professor at Bowling Green State University. Alex is orchestra director at the Toledo School for the Arts. Sarah is a junior at BGSU, majoring in violin performance.
The family travels extensively. When the kids were young, they did cross-country road trips for weeks at a time during the summer.
“Our big thing one year was that we did a three-week trip out West. We drove, took the van. The first big stop was Grand Canyon, then we went to Las Vegas,” Munson said.
They visited family in California, then stopped at Bryce Canyon in Utah, Yellowstone and Badlands national parks, and the Wisconsin Dells.
The family also lived for a year in Sweden in the early 2000s.
Munson’s love of traveling was sparked by a Fulbright exchange program in college that led to one year of teaching in Ireland.
“That was a whole different experience because I was single,” she said.
She and Mark had just started dating and he visited her abroad over the holidays.
“We spent Christmas in London,” she said. “When it was all over, I met him in Germany and we traveled all over the continent for … two weeks. We did Germany, Switzerland and France.”
She and Mark are planning a trip to Iceland.
Munson grew up in Ottawa and is a graduate of Ottawa-Glandorf High School. She always knew that she wanted to be a teacher.
“I always loved working with kids: Sunday school, Bible school, babysitting.”
She has her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education from BGSU, along with her master’s degree in elementary education.
She taught for 20 years for Bowling Green schools, spending most of the time in a “looping” class, teaching first graders, then moving to second grade to continue with the class.
Munson retired in 2016, but was almost a full-time substitute for the next five years.
When she’s not on the road, Munson is involved in Bible study and a prayer group at First United Methodist Church. She is also involved in PEO (Philanthropic Education Organization), UWE (United Women Educators) and a book club comprised of mostly retired BGCS school staff.
Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
12 oz dry macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 can condensed cream of cheddar soup
4 cups sharp cheddar divided
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water.
Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and let cook 2 minutes while stirring. Slowly whisk in cream, milk, mustard powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat while stirring until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese & 3 cups cheddar cheese until melted. Add soup if using.
Toss cheese sauce & macaroni noodles together. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake 18-24 minutes or until bubbly. Do not over cook. Cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
12 oz dry macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 can condensed cream of cheddar soup
4 cups sharp cheddar divided
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water.
Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and let cook 2 minutes while stirring. Slowly whisk in cream, milk, mustard powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat while stirring until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese & 3 cups cheddar cheese until melted. Add soup if using.
Toss cheese sauce & macaroni noodles together. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake 18-24 minutes or until bubbly. Do not over cook. Cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
