Mac and Cheese Coffins

A creepy spin on a classic favorite; bread hollowed out to resemble a coffin and a plastic dollar store find make this Halloween lunch extra special. If you are short on time you can use boxed mac-and-cheese or even your favorite frozen variety. I found a garland with four skeletons strung along it at my dollar store which was perfect for my family of four. But if you can't find them at your dollar store I have also seen the skeletons sold at megamarts such as Target and Walmart. I included a bread recipe that will give you four mini loaves that are ideal for this purpose but you can also just pick up small loaves of bread at your local bakery to shorten your time in the kitchen and get your little gremlins fed faster.

Serves: 4
Start-to-Finish: 1 hour 30 minutes (45 min prep time + 45 min bake time)
Recipe By: Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 cups elbow macaroni
2 TBSP onion, finely grated
3 TBSP butter, divided
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
2 cups milk
3 cups American cheese or cheddar cheese
4 mini loaves bread (small loaves approx 6 inches long. For a recipe to make your own mini loaves click here)
4 plastic skeletons

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 375°F.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain.
3. Grate or cube the cheese.
4. For the white sauce, in a small pot melt 2 TBSP butter.
5. Add the flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, whisking briskly.
6. Add milk; cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.
7. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes more.
8. Place half the cooked macaroni into an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish.
9. Sprinkle with half the grated onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, and half the cheese.
10. Repeat with remaining macaroni, onion, salt, pepper, and cheese.
11. Pour your white sauce over the casserole.
12. Dot with 1 TBSP of butter.
13. Cover and bake 30 minutes.
14. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.
15. Meanwhile, cut the very top off you bread loaves and hollow out the bread on the inside to resemble a coffin and lid. (You can get quite close to the edge of the loaf because you want the "bread bowl" to be able to hold lots of macaroni and cheese.)
16. Spoon the macaroni and cheese into the bread loaf coffins and top with a plastic skeleton.
17. Serve of a bed of baby greens or with other green vegetables. (For a particularly gruesome effect a ketchup for blood.)