The One I Grew up With

When we stayed with my sister over Christmas,

she and I took turns being in charge of cooking dinner.  

We made a master plan to go off at the beginning of

our time together ~ and we shopped!  Did we ever shop.
But, once that was done, we were able to relax and enjoy.

What a wonderful thing it was to have that master plan!

It removed the guesswork out of meal time.

It made things run more smoothly.  Stress-free.  Mostly.

One of my sister's meals included homemade mac and cheese.

The recipe was the one I grew up with.  She did too.  Of course.  ;-)

I didn't remember it being so yummy.  But, it was.

Even Howie, who isn't normally a fan, had seconds.

He also was heard commenting on its many merits.

So, of course, I copied out the recipe.

And, now, I am going to share with you.
You are excited about this, right?  Of course you are.

 ~ The Ingredients List ~

3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper, freshly ground
3 cups Milk (I use whole, raw)
2 cups Medium Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (don't omit...secret ingredient)
1/2 tsp Prepared Mustard (don't omit...another secret ingredient)
2 1/2 cup Macaroni noodles, uncooked
(My sister likes to use the Barilla Brand of
gluten free noodles for this recipe ~ so yummy)
Bread or Cracker Crumbs (for topping)
More grated Cheddar (for topping)

~ The Way to Put it All Together ~

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and set a large pot of water to boil.
Once water is boiling, add the macaroni noodles and cook till just done.
Drain and rinse the noodles.  Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan.

While the noodles are cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.
Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot.
Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper and finally, the milk.
Whisk constantly on medium heat until bubbling and thickened.

Remove from heat and whisk in the Worcestershire sauce,
mustard and grated cheddar cheese.
Stir together until the cheese is melted.  Mix thoroughly.
Pour sauce over the macaroni and stir together lightly
so that all the yummy sauce covers all the noodles.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs and extra cheddar (1/2 cup or so of each) 
over the macaroni.  This will make a nice, crunchy topping.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes until bubbling and browning on the edges.
Serve with a green salad or veggies on the side.

Enjoy! 
Many Blessings, Camille