Homemade "comfort food" meals were invented for crummy Mondays. I believe this with my whole heart. Yesterday shouldn't have been a crummy day -- but I had very little (and restless) sleep, took too long to get going in the morning (due to reading my FB status feed), had some awkwardness at work...it was just a long, long Monday, and by the time David and I settled in to decide on dinner (around 6:15 PM), all we could think of was baked macaroni and cheese.
I've been honing my mac and cheese for about two months now, and I think I've finally found a combination that I really like. I use chili powder in my mac and cheese, because I like my cheese spicy (like taco cheese). David is not a fan of overly-spicy food (having had an unfortunate red pepper incident as a child), but I make it just spicy enough that it's got a kick, without overpowering his senses.
A couple of friends asked for the recipe on FB, so I'm writing it down here.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1 box of pasta (your preference -- I like to use rotini)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbs. flour
1 cup of 2% milk (I use 2% but you can substitute any kind)
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. ground pepper
2 - 3 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Grated cheddar cheese (for garnishing)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta as directed on stovetop.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add the flour, stir until it bubbles slightly (stop before it scorches).
- Add milk and cheese and stir constantly until cheese melts and sauce thickens.
- Add the salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste.
- Drain pasta. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and mix well until it is coated evenly.
- Pour the pasta into a non-stick (or sprayed) casserole dish. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and bread crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until the top is browned and crusted over.
