I love Macaroni & Cheese. There's nothing more satisfying or comforting than a big scoop of bubbling Mac & Cheese when you are sick or cold or just feeling yukky!Cook 4 cups elbow macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water. When the water starts to boil, put the uncooked pasta in, bring back to boil, reduce heat to rolling boil and cook for 8 more minutes. Test the cooked pasta to be sure it is the consistency you want! Drain the pasta and dump into a 9x12 inch lasagne pan. You can use other pastas, just make sure they will let the cheese sauce cling.
Make the cheese sauce. Put 1/3 cup of margarine into a large deep pan and melt over meduium heat. When bubbling, add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour which you have pre-mixed with 1 tsp dry hot mustard, 1 tsp fine herbes and salt and pepper to taste. I use Keene's Mustard, you can use whatever you like. You can add 2 tsp dry mustard if you like a little more bite in your Mac & Cheese.
Mix the flour-mustard into the hot margarine and continue to cook on medium heat until it all clumps together into little segments of margarine-flour bits. This is called a roux and is what makes your cheese sauce thicken.
Now slowly start adding 2% milk, stirring like crazy the whole time. Just add 1/3 cup to start and keep stirring until it is completely mixed with the flour-margarine clumps. Add another 1/3 cup of milk. Keep adding milk and stirring until you have a nice smooth sauce starting to take shape. You will need to add about 3 cups of milk total.
You must keep stirring so the sauce stays smooth and no lumps form. Now add cheeses and stil until cheese melts into the white sauce. I use Colby, Cheddar and Monterey Jack, about 5 cups total. Either grate the cheeses or do what I do and buy the bags of pre-grated! I use about 2 cups Cheddar, 1 1/2 cups Colby and 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta in your baking dish and mix it all up.
Now make large croutons for the top. There are many methods of making the crouton layer. I like to use white sub rolls and cut them into large 1 inch squares. Using a small fry pan, melt 1/3 cup margarine over medium heat and add 1 tsp fine herbes. Reduce heat and toss the bread cubes into the margarine. Turn and coat all sides, and continue cooking briefly until the croutons start to crisp a bit. Then pour croutons on top of cheese-past mixture in baking dish.
Preheat oven to 350' and cook, uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the croutons are just starting to brown.
Serve with a salad and ketchup. Yes, ketchup. Macaroni and cheese is always eaten with ketchup. If you don't like that idea, have it without but you don't know what you're missing.
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