Macaroni and Cheese

You will never be able to open the boxed stuff again after sampling this easy to prepare recipe.

You’ll Need

• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 splash extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups pasta
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• ½ cup half-and-half
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1(+) cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions
To a medium sauce pan
Add the salt and olive oil to 4 cups of water.
Bring it to a boil, and then add the pasta for about 6 – 7 minutes.
The pasta should be almost, but not quite, tender when you strain it off.

While the pasta is boiling melt the butter over medium heat in a second saucepan.
Add the flour, mix them thoroughly together, and allow the roux to brown only slightly.
Add the half-and-half, bring to a simmer with the salt and pepper.
Let these flavors bubble into each other for a few minutes.
Remove the and whisk until smooth.
Then add the grated cheese to complete the sauce, and let it simmer until the pasta is done.
Correct the seasoning.
To finish it off, just drain the pasta and then throw it back into the sauce.
Turn them into each other over medium heat for ~2 minutes. That’s it!

Time to the Table: 15 minutes

Tricks of the Trade
The only real trick to this is to remove the pasta from the water a bit underdone. It finishes cooking when you add it back to the sauce.

Play With Your Food!
Try ½ cup of Parmesan instead of the cheddar.
If your kids are like most, they turn up their noses for the weirdest reasons– like the color of the cheese sauce. If this is the case, try white cheddars, or yellow, or a combination. You could even let your child decide which is their “favorite”.