Mac n’ cheese did not always come in a box.  In the 14^th century it was made with hand-cut pasta sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese. Make Cosmo’s favorite mac n’ cheese recipe for dinner tonight with your family.

Believe it or not but back before the 18^th century macaroni and cheese was considered an upper-class dish.

Cosmo’s Favorite Mac n’ Cheese
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 C. dried elbow macaroni (or your favorite variety of pasta)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper to taste
2 1/2 C. milk
10 slices of American cheese
1/2 C. crushed Ritz® crackers or Goldfish® crackers

Directions:
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, for cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese slices, stirring until melted. Stir in cooked macaroni. Transfer mixture to a 2-qt casserole. Sprinkle crushed crackers on top.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Short on time? Skip the crackers and omit the baking step.

Fun fact: In other countries macaroni and cheese is called “macaroni pie” because it is cooked like a casserole.

We would love to hear how your batch of Cosmo’s Mac’ n Cheese turned out by leaving a comment.

Recipe provided, tested and loved by KidzWorld
Information on macaroni and cheese from Wikipedia

Macadamia nuts are not sold in their shells because it takes 300 pounds per square inch of pressure to break the shell.

Tug of war was an Olympic event from 1900-1920.

On May 1, 1952 Mr. Potato Head was born. The original toy cost less than a dollar and contained all the parts to make Mr. Potato Head, except the potato. Parents had to provide their own potato which children could stick the various pieces.

The shortest Old Testament book is Obadiah. It has 1 chapter with 21 verses.

850 peanuts are needed to make an 18oz. jar of peanut butter.

The lava lamp was invented in 1960 by Edward Craven-Walker. The glass filled container with blobs of colored wax is fun to watch move around forming different shapes. Your family can make your own lava lamp with these easy instructions.

Making a Lava Lamp

What you need
plastic bottle
water
baby or vegetable oil
food coloring

Steps
1. Mix up water and food coloring.
2. Fill the plastic bottle ¾ of the way with oil.
3. Take your water mixture and pour in to fill the rest of the bottle.
4. Close the lid tightly.
5. Turn the bottle on its side and watch the colors move through the oil in funny shapes and blobs.

How does this happen?
The water and oil do not mix because the water has more density than the oil. So the oil moves around in the water.

We would love to hear what you discovered from this experiment by leaving a comment.

Experiment credits kids-science-experiements.com

There aren’t any words that rhyme with orange, purple, silver or month.

Want to find out more about the Big Idea and have fun doing it? Visit studio252.tv for videos, games and music that go along with our teaching in KidzWorld. It has lots of ideas for kids and parents. Ask one of the KidzWorld staff how you can get a free subscription to the website.

Percy LeBaron Spencer, an American Engineer, invented the microwave in 1945. His inspiration came when he was standing in front of an operating magnetron (you can look up what that is), and his chocolate bar melted in his pocket. In honor of this invention look down for a microwavable S’Mores recipe.

Percy LeBaron Spencer changed the way we cook by accidentally standing in front of an operating magnetron. The first microwave named, the ‘Radarange’, was first sold in 1947. It was almost 5 ft 11 in tall, weighed 750 pounds and cost about $5000 each. That is like the size of a refrigerator. In 1967 the first popular home model, the countertop Radarange, was introduced at a price of $495.

Microwave S’Mores

Ingredients
2 graham cracker squares (per person)
½ plain chocolate bars (per person)
1 large marshmallow (per person)

Directions
1. On paper towel place 1 cracker square.
2. Top with chocolate and marshmallow.
3. Microwave on high for 15 seconds or until marshmallow puffs.
4. Remove from oven and cover with other cracker.
5. Eat like a sandwich.

Fun fact: Althaiophobia is the fear of marshmallows.

We would love to hear how your S’More turned out by leaving a comment.

Recipe provided by food.com
Information on Percy Spencer from Wikipedia