Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

The ultimate comfort food.  Macaroni and Cheese.

When I was six, it was one of the few things I would eat.  Besides hot dogs, beans and a peanut butter sandwich, Mac and Cheese was all I would eat.

Mom would make a batch of Mac and Cheese with the Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup, then slice in some hot dogs and serve it to the munchkins.

There was never the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, AKA Kraft Dinner, AKA Kraft Krap.  Sorry folks, I'm not being a food snob here, but I've never liked the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  I have nothing against it, no agenda against the Man or anything.  To me, it tastes like plastic stale Cheeto shavings melted over miniature pasta.  My wife likes it, I feed it to my kids, I personally don't like the taste.  And in a pinch for a quick meal for my kids, I'll cook up a box.

But if I'm craving the good stuff, I'll make this Macaroni and Cheese.  Yes, there's a lot of cheese in this recipe.  That's what makes it gooooooooooooooooooood.  But there are two secrets to the recipe.  First, you're not just relying on the cheese to thicken the sauce.  You're actually going to create a roux, which is a great way to thicken any sauce without creating lumps.  If you dump flour directly into a liquid, like milk or meat drippings, it'll congeal up like little tennis balls.  But if you mix it into a little fat, like butter and cook it for a few minutes, the flour and fat will intermingle.  The resulting roux will allow the flour to loosen up and thicken any liquid without flour clumps.

Second, adding the cheese slow is vital.  By adding the cheese in small batches and allowing it to melt into the sauce completely, you'll prevent the cheese from separating and getting too oily.  Just add 1/4 of the cheese each time and you'll be just fine.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

1 8 ounce package of elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
32 ounces (by weight) grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Fill a stockpot with one gallon of water and set it on the stove to boil.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or saucier.  Sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk it together.  Cook it over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.  Pour in the milk and the spices and stir until to reach a simmer.

At this point the water should be boiling, so add the macaroni to the water and cook according to the package's instruction.

Back to the sauce... Slowly add the grated cheddar cheese to the sauce.  Add 1/4 of the cheese and slowly stir until it's completed melted in.  Repeat until all the cheese in incorporated.

Drain the macaroni and shake out as much water as possible.  Pour the macaroni back into the stockpot, then pour the sauce over the macaroni.  Stir until well combined.  Pour out in a large baking dish of your choice and cover with the bread crumbs.

Place the dish into the oven and cook for 30 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes and then serve to the horde.