Mac & Cheese

My husband never ate mac & cheese before marrying me. He had assumed that mac & cheese was something that you buy in a box and either zap in the microwave or make on a stove using a packet of powder and bad quality noodles. Boy, was he pleasantly surprised when I introduced him to homemade mac & cheese! I think that this is the ultimate in comfort food, and a wonderful part of American culture/cuisine. I like using a blend of white cheeses, and top it off with seasoned bread crumbs and shredded cheddar in the oven. What type of mac & cheese do you prefer?

Mac and Cheese recipe:

1 carton of 1/2 and 1/2

1/2 a stick of butter

touch of flour

teaspoon of cayenne pepper

teaspoon of ground tellicherry pepper

teaspoon of kosher or sea salt

1 lbs block of grated pepper jack cheese

1/2 lbs block of grated white chedder

1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 a cup of chopped jalapeno

1/2 a cup of shredded cheddar

1 lbs of your choice noodles, I like using elbow macaroni or rigatoni

• Fill a pot with water, and heavily salt the water. Once the water boils, put your noodles in it. I time it one less minute than the time required on the bag because I like the noodles to be al-dente. Drain noodles and put in a deep oven pan.
• Melt the butter in a pot. Keep the fire medium. Toss a small amount of butter in once it's melted, and stir rapidly with a whisk until a roux starts to develop.
• Once the roux is developed, add in the 1/2 and 1/2. Raise the heat on the stove and let it come to a boil. Add all of your dry spices and stir. Some people use milk, I like to use 1/2 and 1/2 because it's creamier and has a wonderful smooth taste to it.

• Take the 1/2 and 1/2 mixture off the flame, and let it cool for a few minutes. Now you can start adding your cheeses. slowly mix it in until everything is mixed in together. It is very important to make sure your cheese is entering a warm, not hot mixture, so that the cheese will melt and blend into that perfect sauce.

•  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

•  Once your sauce is done, you can pour it into the pan with the noodles. Add the chopped jalapeno and stir it in.
• Sprinkle bread crumbs and shredded cheddar on top of mixture. 

• Pop it in the oven at 375 degrees, and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the top is bubbling.
• Serve in a bowl, by it self or as a side dish. I hope you enjoy :-)