Homemade MAC-N-CHEESE; serves 4+:1/2 lb. elbow/macaroni pasta
1 lb. block of medium sharp cheddar cheese (shred it yourself!)
1 pint of 2% milk
2 teaspoons of REAL butter
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
2-3 minced garlic cloves
bread crumbs
mustard
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 350.
Boil the pasta al dente; perhaps for 5 minutes depending on how hot your stove is. Drain the pasta and rinse with cool water. Set aside your pasta in a baking dish and focus on creating your rue.
Rue, aka gravy, and cheese (medium heat): In a frying pan, saute the onion with butter until lightly browned. Stir in the flour until it lumps together with the onions. Stir in half a pint of milk, mix well, and then add the other half. Continue to stir until the flour mixes with the milk. Add the garlic, a healthy squirt of mustard, and salt to taste, and stir until your rue is gravy-like. Add the shredded cheddar and stir until the cheese melts and your rue becomes an oozing cheese sauce.
Remove the cheese and pour over the macaroni. Stir the cheese in with the pasta and cover with a decent layer of bread crumbs. The bread crumbs keep the mac-n-cheese moist while baking. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the bread crumbs turn a light brown.
Serve with greens; keep it Southern.
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