Comfort Food Bliss

I’ve been in desperate need of comfort food lately. Yes, for me that is obviously macaroni and cheese. You may be thinking, “But, you eat mac and cheese every day!” While this is true, I haven’t eaten MY mac and cheese in a long time. My favorite mac and cheese recipe is a mix between my Mom’s recipe and a baked recipe I found during my senior year of college. Once I decided to blend the two together, I can’t go back to just one by itself.

Basically I took the base mac and cheese recipe from my mom and then took the topping from the baked recipe, but I added another little twist. Instead of breadcrumbs on the top, I use French’s Onions! Trading these out for breadcrumbs was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life.

Ingredients:

(2 quart round casserole dish)
1 lb. pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
8 oz. sharp cheddar, cubed
8 oz. mild cheddar, cubed
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

1 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup of French’s Onions
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. paprika

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 350-degrees
2. Chop all 16 oz. of cheese and set aside
3. Boil pasta according to directions on package, cook until NEARLY done because you will bake this and it will cook a tiny bit more
4. In a separate saucepan, while your pasta is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt – I like to melt it on low so it doesn’t start to brown
5. Once the butter has melted, add 2 tablespoons of flower and turn the heat up to medium high
6. Stir constantly until you get a thick paste – this is called a roux and it is used frequently to thicken sauces
   
7. Once the flour has dissolved and you have your roux, add about 1/2 cup of milk and stir constantly until your sauce has thickened (it will be the most miraculous feeling once it poofs into a sauce, and I PROMISE that it will)
8. Add another 3/4 cup of your milk
9. Add all of the cheese and stir it in until melted
10. Once the cheese has melted, add the rest of the milk (don’t add it all if it feels runny, and feel free to add more if it feels too thick)
11. Add cayenne pepper. Then add salt and black pepper to your liking. I also add a TINY dash of garlic powder
12. Add your hot pasta to the sauce. I like to add my pasta to my sauce pan so that I can always control saucy-ness. I didn’t end up using all the pasta I cooked because I like mine a little on the saucy side
13. Grease a 2 quart baking dish and pour pasta and cheese mixture in
14. Melt the 1 Tbsp butter in a small bowl
15. Add the French’s Onions to the small bowl and mix until they are coated with the melted butter
16. Add the parmesan and paprikia and mix
17. Sprinkle onion mixture on top of your pasta
18. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered or until the onion topping has browned and your cheese sauce is bubbling

This completely hits the spot every time I make it. First bite, I’m down for the night. I like to eat this in a huge bowl, with an equally huge glass of wine and snuggle on my couch with Molly. Speaking of Molly, I think she wanted to be featured in my blog a little more often. Here she is in all her urban-hunting glory: