Hearty Homemade Backed Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is without a doubt, one of life's simple pleasures. It is amazing that something as simple as noodles and milk can be so good. The rally great thing about macaroni and cheese is that there are so many different ways to make the dish that you can eat it seven nights a week and still not get tired of the hearty dish. In addition to making homemade Mac and cheese with different types of cheeses, you can also add different types of foods to the mix and see what happens. Mac and cheese is the perfect meal for anyone who likes experimenting with new recipe ideas. In addition to tasting great, macaroni and cheese is a great way to get the calcium you need to promote healthy bones.

Anyone who is interested in a creamy macaroni and cheese recipe will want to try this fantastic recipe for baked Mac and Cheese which will not only taste great, but warm you all the way down to your toes.

Before you begin you will need the following ingredients;

• 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 4-1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup butter, divided
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

The first thing you need to do is get out your cheese grater and grate you cheddar cheese until you have 4 cups (approximately 16 ozs of). The shredded cheese will spread evenly across you noodles, giving every single bite of mac and cheese a full flavor.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Put some water on the stove and wait for it to boil. Once it has reached a rolling boil, you will cook your noodles.

While you are waiting for your noodles to cook, you will want to sauté your onion in ½ a cup of butter. As the onion starts to brown, use your whisk and add the flour. When the onion and flour have been blended together, gently add the milk and allow the whole mixture to come to a boil. Remember milk boils faster than water so you will have to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.

After reducing the heat to your milk/onion mixture you need to stir in all of your cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. You will want to slowly mix the concoction over a low heat until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

When the noodles are completely cooked, you want to drain them and then coat each noodle with your cheese sauce. Pour the noodles into a greased casserole dish (a 13-in X 9-in works nicely) and bake the noodles for 30-35 minutes.

To change the flavor of this particular dish you can experiment with different types of spices and cheeses. You can also add some crumbled bacon or tuna fish when you are feeling adventuress.

-Written by Lilly Babineau