Gem-chan's Mm...Mm...Artery Bustin' Mac n' Cheese:
1 box elbow macaroni
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. butter
2 cups milk
shit load of cheese
salt and pepper
Cook as much macaroni as you deem necessary. I usually use about half a box. The smaller box. Cook it according to the directions. You know, water, salt, heat, pasta.
In a heavy saucepan, melt butter. DO NOT ALLOW BUTTER TO BROWN! NO! BAD! Add flour to melted butter and stir together to form a roux. It's French and fancy soundin', but essentially all it is a thickener for the cheese sauce.
Cook the roux under medium heat for 3 minutes. DO NOT ALLOW ROUX TO BROWN! NOOO!
When the roux is cooked BUT NOT BROWN, add milk, stir with a whisk until the roux is assimilated all Borg like. Add some salt and pepper. Cook the milk until it has reduced and thickened.
It is very important to keep stirring it as it cooks to prevent it from scorching or sticking to the bottom of the pan which makes me cry.
Oh, at some point, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
When the sauce is nice and thick, add the cheese. Now, the thing to remember is that the flour and milk tend to bland down cheese. If you want any kind of flavor, you're going to have to use some strong cheese. No wimpy American, no evil Velveeta or mild Cheddar. It won't taste like anything if you do that. While I'm not advocating bleu cheese or anything, I'm telling you that you have to be aggressive. Be. Aggressive. Be. Be. Aggressive.
I use about 2 bags of shredded sharp cheddar. That's oh, like 4 cups. Heh. I really like cheese. You might want to use less. The original recipe this was cribbed from called for 2 cups. But 4 cups puts me in a cheese-induced orgasmic coma. It's a good thing.
So, blend the cheese into the sauce with the whisk. Taste it every once in a while to see if it's lacking anything. Once it's reached that level of cheesy perfection known as cheesevana, then you add the cooked noodles and stir the whole mess together. Pour the mac'n'cheese into a baking dish (line it with foil to avoid cleaning hassels later) and bake that bad boy for about 25-30 minutes, or until the top is nice and brown and the whole thing is bubbling.
Wait for it to cool down a bit, scoop a bunch into a bowl and eat. Ahhh, better than prozac.
The cheese sauce on its own is also fan-freakin'-tastic on broccoli and cauliflower.
