Mom's Mac & Cheese

This is by far my earliest food memory. Before my mom of today with her gourmet cooking ability, there was another version. This was a newly married, green to the kitchen, chasing two crazy kids around while her husband worked and oh yea dinner had better be on the table when he got home version of my mom. Frankly I don't know how she did it & more impressively I don't know how she did it with me in the kitchen in the midst of it all. I was known for a trail of flour, butter smeared just about everywhere, & of course sticking my spoon into whatever I thought the "chef" should taste.

But this dish taught me everything I love about food & cooking. I don't know when the first time I crawled up on the stool to stir the cheesy sauce was, but from that moment on I knew I loved cooking, eating, and of course CHEESE! I remember the ritual always began when my mom walked into where my brother and I were playing or watching TV & asked me to grate the cheddar cheese. Now, in the beginning. I wasn't in it for the long haul. I didn't really care how the cheesy sauce was made; I just wanted to be there when we added the cheese & my mom let me dip a piece of pasta in it & top it with some shreds of cheese for the PERFECT bite before mixing it up and baking it in the oven. But as I got older I knew I wanted to see how the most delicious thing I had ever tasted came to being. So I soon began making a rue long before I knew what it was called, what it meant or even that there was a name for such a simple thing, and sooner, rather than later, I could make the dish start to finish. And of course now, it's still an ultimate favorite. It forever reminds me of my mom and why I love cooking. It's another simple way to make people happy; food, in my life and in my family, has always brought people together whether it be around the stove or around the table and I have my mom and her mac & cheese to thank for that.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) of butter
1/4 Cup of flour
1 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of pepper
2 cups of milk
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

1. Heat salted pasta water, cook pasta, & strain
2. Meanwhile, melt butter & gradually add flour while whisking (making the rue)
3. Add salt & pepper & gradually add milk allowing to thicken as you go
4. When at desired consistency (creamy but not thick), add most of cheese to the sauce (leave some to sprinkle on the top)
5. Put pasta in baking dish & pour sauce over
6. Stir pasta so it's equally covered & sprinkle top with cheese
7. Bake @ 350 for 20-30 minutes