My Perfect Homemade Mac and Cheese

As I searched the internet one day I came across a homemade mac and cheese recipe by Martha Stewart.  It claimed it was "perfect" mac and cheese ever created so I decided to try making it at home.  Little did I know that Martha was going to use over 7 and 3/4 cups of cheese!  Three different cheese at that!  Where did she think I, living in secluded Northern Ontario, was going to procure all this cheese?!  And where was I getting my mountains of money to afford all this cheese!?  Needless to say I have drastically altered the recipe.  I think thought that you will find some of my techniques still have the Martha touch.  If you are interested, you can find Martha's Original Recipe here.  I hope you enjoy!

Here is the entire recipe (detailed pictures will follow):

Ingredients
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 c flour
...
1 1/2 c milk (or soy or lactose-free)
1 tsp salt (Martha specifically says "Kosher salt" but table salt will work too)
1/8 tsp pepper
...
2 c uncooked macaroni elbows (or any pasta on hand really)
...
1 1/4 c shredded white cheese (I like the "Pizza Mozzarella" for it's tasty stringy cheesiness, but you can use white cheddar or any other white cheese you like.)

How-to
1. Add butter to a small/medium sized pot on medium heat.  Once butter is melted and bubbling add flour.  Continue to cook and mix for 1 minute.
2. While butter is melting start a second medium pot, half full of water, on high to boil.
3. Once butter and flour are melted and mixed, whisk in milk, salt and pepper.  Increase heat, whisking occasionally, until sauce thickens or bubbles.
4.  While white sauce thickens, add noddles to the boiling water.  Cook until "El Dente" (approx. 7 minutes).  Baking the noodles will finish the cooking.
5. Add 1 c of the cheese to the thickened sauce.  If you like a cheesier mac and cheese you can add up to an additional 1c of grated cheese.  Stir cheese into the sauce until melted and combined.
6. Grease a 2 quart oven-proof dish.  Rinse noodles under cold water to halt cooking and add to dish.  Pour white cheese sauce over noodles.  Stir to coat all noodles.
7. Heat over to 400F.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c of cheese over noodles.  Cook 20-30 minutes.

Butter and flour in my smallish pot.

Shred white cheese.

Add milk, salt and pepper to melted and mixed butter and flour.

Add the cheese to the deliciously thickened sauce.

Grease a 2 quart dish.  I like to grease with a stick of butter but you can use sprays, lard or whatever you prefer (as long as it's edible!).

Pouring the white sauce over the 2 c of cooked pasta.  If you cook the pasta through (instead of leaving it "El Dente") you could eat it as is --especially if you're pressed for time.  But baking makes it "perfect".

Sprinkle remaining cheese on noodles before baking.

Delicious!

(My family dug into the Mac and Cheese as soon as it was ready. 

I almost didn't get a picture!)

Thank you for taking time to visit my blog today!