Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

John and I eat a lot of healthy food. We rarely eat meat (something that has motivated us to be creative with food) and we almost never buy cheese because both are so expensive in Canada. I'm not justifying the mac n' cheese, but I am explaining it. Sometimes I get a craving for something really cheesey, or salty, or what have you.

The this recipe came up on my google reader last week. At first I ignored it, since I figured we didn't have any of the right ingredients on hand.

But then...
















we did! I remembered that we had everything I need to halve the recipe (a good idea anyways). I had an odd amount of pasta (a 7 oz package) and just the right amount of cheese. I also like that this recipe doesn't call for half and half. The bread crumbs are a mix of old bread pieces from our freezer, not the Panko like in the original recipe.
The problem now is that I know how easy it is to make really good, church-potluck quality mac n' cheese.*


Mac n' Cheese
adapted from Tasty Kitchen, i.e., Pioneer Woman
*Note - I'm posting the measurements I used, which are halved versions of the original ones.

• 8 oz small shape Pasta (slightly Undercooked)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/8 cup Flour
• 1 1/4 cups Milk
• 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (more To Taste!) Salt
• Black Pepper
• 8 ounces Cheddar Cheese, Grated (or any other cheese you prefer...lots of cheese would work)
  
• 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs (I estimated this, but 1/2 cup seems about right)
  
• Salt And Pepper For Sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta until al dente.

Melt butter in a large skillet (or pot). Sprinkle in flour, whisk to combine, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it deepens in color. Pour in milk, whisking constantly. Add mustard, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking until it thickens, 4 minutes or so. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour in cooked pasta and stir to coat. Check seasonings and add more salt if needed.

Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Top with 3/4 of the crumbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 10-15 minutes.

*Is it really a problem? After eating some of this for 2 days in a row I feel like my body isn't used to this kind of food anymore. It doesn't give me heartburn exactly, but I can feel it trying. It'd be better if I could take it somewhere and leave the leftovers.