Comfort Food Mac and Cheese 101

My daughter's favorite dish of mine I think. The reason why this simple recipe is so good, is that I use imported sharp white cheddar cheese. I buy it at Costco. (When I recently made it with domestic less expensive cheddar, it was not as good.)

Here is the recipe. Mac and Cheese 101

Make a roux of 2 T butter and 2 T flour, cook stirring constantly, medium heat, for a minute or until incorporated, then slowly add 2 cups of milk, I used non fat milk, stirring all the while in a thick bottom saucepan. When the mixture begins to slightly thicken remove immediately from the heat. Then add 1/4 tsp of each of these: onion powder, garlic salt, and a cayenne or similar dry hot pepper and 1/8 tsp of ground white pepper.

Very slowly incorporate 11 of the 12 ounces of the grated cheddar cheese, stirring constantly. When the cheese is incorporated pour over cooked and drained pasta in a greased casserole, I used small shells. I saved a little of the cheese to add to the top and also put a dusting of paprika on it. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, do not over bake or the cheese will separate. Turn off oven when it begins to bubble around the edges. Let sit 5 - 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

I served this dish with a salad of fresh Kale, arugula and thinly sliced sweet onion topped with a bottled Poppyseed Mango salad dressing.

If there are any left overs, warm in microwave on a medium setting for about a minute.