Plain Old Macaroni And Cheese

Recipe Instructions Cook the macaroni. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until butter is absorbed. Add milk -- a few tablespoons at a time. After adding milk each time -- stir and boil until it thickens (it'll be obvious) and then immediately add more until all the milk is gone. Turn the heat off. Add salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of pepper). Reserve 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese -- and stir the rest into the roux (what you made above). Add the macaroni and stir. Put into an ungreased casserole dish -- sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top -- and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes -- until cheese on top is melted and starting to brown. Or cover the top with slices of cheese before baking. To make it more interesting, add (before the cheese): Optional 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder (or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard) 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce a few drops of hot sauce You can also 'Mex' it by using 1/2 cheddar and 1/2 jack cheese and adding either 1/2 cup high-quality salsa or a chopped jalapeno and a diced tomato before the cheese.