mac and cheese

I have to come clean about something-- this is actually a photo of reheated mac and cheese. I got so excited about eating the night I made it, that I completely forgot to take a picture. I'm surprised that hasn't happened more often.

This recipe uses half of the proportions of the one I found online. If you make the full recipe you end up with one of those extra large 8x16 pans. The half version makes a smaller 8x8 pan, which is still enough for dinner and leftovers.

ingredients:

1/2 box of pasta (I like whole wheat rotini or penne)
4 tbs butter or futter
1/8 cup flour
2 cups milk
I tsp spicy mustard
cayenne, salt, pepper, to taste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook your pasta. I wont insult you with pasta boiling directions.

In a heavy saucepan melt butter or futter on low heat

Add flour and whisk. Let this cook for about 5 minutes to get out the floury taste. Congratulations, you just made a roux!. Now it's time to make up some roux puns. Your freebie is, 'I roux the day I ever bought mac and cheese in a box'.

Ok fine, moving on...

Start adding your milk in small sections (about a 1/2 cup or less). Keep whisking to avoid letting the milk burn. Your milk will start to thicken up and turn into more of a cream sauce. Each time it thickens you can add another portion of milk. Continue this until all the milk is added.

Season your cream sauce with mustard and spices, tasting as you go. The recipie I use says 'mustard seeds', which I never remember to buy and keep using spicy mustard every time. I don't see any intensive to change over now.

Add your cooked pasta to the cream sauce pot if there's room (or use a large bowl). Mix in chedder and parmesian.

Pour mac and cheese into casserole dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and a few more slabs of butter or futter (yes, more butter).

Bake until breadcrumbs get brown and the sauce is bubbling.