Macaroni and Cheese is Comfort Food at Its Best

When it comes to macaroni and cheese, there are probably as many ways to make it as there are seeds on a strawberry. I found this recipe about 30 years ago and recall making a pan of it for a church potluck. It was so well-liked, all I brought home was an empty casserole dish. This recipe makes enough mac and chees to fill a 9 by 13-inch glass casserole dish and will feed four to five people. It also reheats nicely in the oven as leftovers. The cheese sauce begins as a basic white sauce and using a rotini or corkscrew pasta give the gooey cheese sauce something to cling to. Warming the milk helps to speed to process along. Give this recipe a try and see why it has become one of my household's favorite cold-weather dinners.

1 pound box of rotini or corkscrew pasta

6 Tablespoons of butter or margarine

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

5 ½ cups hot milk, not boiling however

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided-reserve one cup for topping

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided-reserve one cup for topping

Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta for three minutes less than manufacturer's directions; rinse with cold water and set aside.

In large pot melt margarine; add flour and stir with a fork or whisk for one minute. Slowly add hot milk and stir for 8 to 12 minutes, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and all but one reserved cup of each of the cheeses and stir until well combined. Add cooked and drained pasta; mix well and turn into greased casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then add reserved shredded cheeses on top and bake for five more minutes.

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