MmmMmm Mac 'n Cheese

I tried this recipe on my family this Christmas and everyone told me they loved it. Well, everyone except my aunt. I'm sure she liked it, but she claims her mac 'n chees is better. Her dish is certainly tasty, but she got hers from the food network. My recipe is orginial. (so there, Aunt Sharon!) Of course, most mac 'n cheese is essentially the same. I just picked some of my favorite cheeses. Feel free to substitute these ingredients with your favorite cheeses. But if you've never had fontina, give it a try. I think you'll love it!

Ingredients:

1 box macaroni noodles

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons butter

2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 to 3 cups milk

about 1 cup bread crumbs

2 big handfuls shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 big handfuls shredded fontina cheese

2 big handfuls shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water liberally. Toss in the pasta and let it cook until al dente and drain. In a medium sauce pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Let the mixture cook for a couple minutes, then whisk in milk. Let sauce simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken a little. Season with salt and pepper. Then pour in one handful each of the cheddar, fontina and parmesan. Stir the sauce until all the cheese is melted. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce and taste test it. You may need to add more salt at this point. Then spread it into a greased baking dish.

Topping:

In a smaller sauce pot, melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter and pour in the bread crumbs. Stir until all the bread crumbs are coated in butter. (the bread crumbs should still be relatively dry, not wet) Sprinkle bread crumbs over the macaroni. Then sprinkle the remaining handfuls of cheddar, fontina and parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top starts to brown.

Try this: Sprinkle some chopped, cooked bacon on top with the bread crumbs and cheese.