homemade mac and cheese

Word on the street is that mac and cheese season has officially arrived in blogland and as I'm always game for a little pasta throwdown, I'm going to throw my recipe in the ring. I actually have a whole list of unhealthy recipes I'm planning to share this fall and winter. I'm trying to decide if they get their own label in my side bar, something along the lines of *call your cardiologist* or *heart attack on a plate*. It's sad, but it's how we eat on a pretty regular basis. Gooey, cheesy, creamy, hearty, casseroley. That's how we roll. Throw in a salad a couple times a month, and we're good.

This recipe hails from my sister....a fabulous cook if there ever was one. It's a dangerous one for me to make because I eat twice as much as I should and end up in pain for the rest of the evening. But...it's worth it.



Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups macaroni - boil 8-10 minutes
6 T butter
4 1/2 T flour
2 1/4 C milk
6 slices American cheese
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar
1 tsp salt - adjust to your taste - we like things salty
1/4 tsp pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and stir till bubbly. Stir in milk and continue stirring until thickened. Add cheeses and salt and pepper.

Stir in cooked macaroni and place in a casserole dish.

Topping
2 slices bread, crumbled - I like to use whole wheat and I crumble it in the blender
1/2 cup grated parmesan
3 Tbs melted butter
Combine and spread over macaroni and cheese.

Bake 35-40 minutes at *350. I usually put foil loosely over the top for the last ten minutes or so as the topping gets pretty brown.

I also usually dice a ham steak and stir that into the macaroni and cheese. I get the ham steaks from Costco - they come in a three pack and are wonderful to have on hand in the freezer.

Oh, invisible friends, this is good stuff.

Serve with a Lipitor chaser and you're good to go.