Baked Mac 'n Cheese

Ingredients:
9 oz dried elbow macaroni
Salt
Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons + 1 Teaspoon Butter
3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 cups of warmed milk
10 oz of shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Ground Mustard
1 Teaspoon Parsley
1/2 cup of Fresh Breadcrumbs

Kandice: We understand that parties are tough to coordinate.

Josh: First, you've got to send out invitations and get everyone to RSVP. Then make sure that the house is clean and has a cool atmosphere. And don't forget about having great music! All-in-all its tough to keep track of everything.

Kandice: So we thought that we could share a simple and delicious recipe that you can use for your next party or get together that's sure to win people over.

Josh: And it's totally not bean dip.

Kandice: Ew gross! No bean dip! It's Baked Mac and Cheese. We got the original recipe from the book that Josh got me for Christmas, but we played around just a little, and changed some of the ingredients.

Josh: First things first, we preheated our oven to 375 degrees.

Kandice: While the oven was heating up, we also brought a pot of water to a boil.

Josh: Pasta dishes are all about multitasking. While the water is boiling you not only have to keep an eye on it, but also prep other ingredients, and watch any sauces for the pasta. So while waiting for the water to boil, I worked on the breadcrumbs. Instead of buying them premade, I took enough slices of bread to make about a 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs. To make the breadcrumbs I tore the bread into bite-sized pieces and then used a knife to cut them into smaller pieces. I took these pieces and toasted them in a skillet on low heat until they were golden brown. Then I set the finished product aside.

Kandice: Meanwhile, I quickly chopped the parsley and prepared the dry ingredients: the flour, pepper, and mustard. Finally the prep work was finished! Once the water had started to boil, I added the pasta so that it could cook while we were preparing the cheese sauce. Next I got out my saucepan for Josh to start melting the butter. Then he whisked in the flour, just a little bit at a time, until it was thick and bubbly. It didn’t take very long; maybe 2 to 3 minutes on medium-low heat.

Josh: I then added the milk to the mixture, and kept stirring constantly until it was thick and smooth. Next I added 7 oz. of the cheese and stirred it until it was melted. Once the cheese was melted, I added the remaining ingredients.

When everything was completely mixed together, I took it off the heat. Finally we added cheese sause to the maccaroni and transferred it into a greesed, baking pan. We then combined the remainder of the cheese and the breadcrumbs and sprinkled it on the top of the maccaroni. Then we popped it into the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Kandice: Once done make sure to leave the maccoroni to sit and cool after you take it out of the oven! 5 minutes will do. We really enjoyed making this recipe.

Josh: We’ve made a few other Mac 'n Cheeses before, but this is hands down one of our favorites! Try it out for yourselves!