Yes, drool.

Yes, drool.

Macaroni and Cheese. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it.  I made this from scratch last night, took an awful long time, but I figure it was worth it for this 9×13 size pan of warm, melty, cheesy goodness.

It’ll be even better when I decide to try Alton Brown’s Fried Mac and Cheese for Superbowl Sunday! (aside: I am so lazy, I type in www.foodtv.com rather than www.foodnetwork.com just because I know it’ll route me there anyway).

Okay, the recipe off the top of my head:

1lb of elbow macaroni (or other curly pasta)

Salt for water

6 tablespoons of butter

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 crushed medium clove of garlic

1 teaspoon mustard powder

6 tablespoons of flour

3 1/2 cups of milk (preferably whole, but I used 1%)

1 3/4 cups of chicken broth (I used veggie)

16 ounces of colby cheese (I kid you not)

8 ounces of sharp cheddar (both cheeses grated)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees, then boil the water for the noodles in a dutch oven (I used a pasta pot, smallish). Add pasta and salt and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, wipe pot clean.

Add the butter to the pot and melt. Then add the garlic, cayenne and mustard powder until fragrant. Then add the flour, whisking until golden. Slowly add broth and milk, whisking constantly. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer, with bubbles forming on the top- the mixture should have thickened a bit (mine didn’t thicken that much)- about 7-8 minutes.

Remove from heat, and slowly mix in the cheeses until smooth, season to taste. Add the drained pasta and combine well until all noodles are coated. Pour into a 9×13 inch shallow dish (I used pyrex). Top with panko/melted butter mixture (I just eyeballed it) and bake for 25-30 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Voila!

I’m pretty sure my amounts are correct, but I’ll check at home later to make sure.