Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

As you might be able to tell from the photo, this was not really our favorite dinner. It wasn't terrible, in fact, is was actually pretty good, just not great. For anyone who likes to customize recipes, this might be just your thing. I'm sure with a few adjustments it wouldn't be hard to get some awesome Mac-n-cheese. I'll even suggest a few things I had in mind as we ate it: add some broccoli or spinach, or even diced ham if you don't mind adding some meat. Definitely use a good, firm cheddar. And if you're going to put breadcrumbs on the top, I'm afraid the only way to keep them from looking like sand on top of your pasta (and tasting a bit that way too) is to combine them with some butter so they can get golden and toasty.

I'll write the recipe pretty much as I made it, and you can make your adjustments from there. Happy cooking!

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 box bowties or other pasta
1-2 T olive oil
1-2 T flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese
1/3 cups seasoned bread crumbs
cooking spray

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until just short of al dente.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat olive oil and add flour. Cook for a few minutes to create roux, being careful not to let it burn. Whisk in milk, then add cheeses. Stir until no lumps remain in cheese sauce.

Stir cheese sauce into slightly undercooked pasta, then pour pasta into greased baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top of pasta and coat with cooking spray. (Yeah, that was the fatal flaw. Got to have butter in those bread crumbs, I'm afraid.)

Bake in oven preheated to 350 F for 10-15 minutes, until bread crumbs are toasty. Makes 4-6 servings.