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[quote=Anonymous]I usually make it up as I go.  Here is roughly the recipe:
Make 1 lb of macaroni of choice (I use WW rotini, but any will do).  Cook al dente.  According to package, if it has a range, e.g. 9-11 min, cook NO MORE than the the minimum amount, e.g. 9 or fewer min.  Drain.  Melt 1 stick of butter, change heat to medium,  sprinkle flour over butter and stir until you get a smooth paste-like roux.  Add milk (I use 2%, but depending on how rich you want it, any milk will do), slowly stiring so that the roux slowly dissolves and you end up with a sauce with no lumps.  Sprinkle shredded cheese of choice into the sauce.  I usually use at least half finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sometimes use the italian blend cheeses, sometimes monterey jack (because it melts smooth).  Love the flavor that smoked havarti or smoked gouda give, but they're expensive.  I use at least 4 cups, but sometimes just empty all the shredded cheese bags from the fridge from the last month or two of cooking into the pot.  Blend in the pasta.  Season to taste.  I like the way paprika and garlic powder taste so often add a touch of that.  A little salt (because I use unsalted butter).

It sounds more complicated than it is.  I just made a batch on Sunday and it took about 45 minutes from start to finish and part of that was because I added chicken chunks (cooked in the pan first with olive oil, and minced onion and garlic) and some chopped broccoli (lightly cooked right after the chicken).  Would have been about 30 minutes without that.

Oh yeah, if you like baked macaroni, increase the amount of butter, flour and milk and make the sauce thinner rather than thicker.  Then pour the more liquidy mac and cheese into a casserole, top with your favorite topping (I love crushed ritz crackers, but french's/durkee fried onions, bread crumbs, etc all work) and then bake until the sauce is bubbly and the topping gets toasty.  I use roughly 30 minutes at 375 or 400 and then watch to see when it's "done"  [/quote]

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