Comfort. It's a warm, gooey, cheesy blanket.

There is something wonderful about making comfort food. It's just so, well... comforting. Even better, is making a comfort food from your childhood. Even better than that, is making a comfort food from your childhood that includes cheese. Lots of cheese. Have I mentioned that I love cheese? Cause I do. So this comfort food that I am talking about. This is the stuff of legends. Baked Mac and Cheese. I am sure all of my sisters and my brother know exactly what I am talking about. This is the stuff that would cause epic arguments around the dinner table. I'm not even sure why my mother made it so often, cause the meltdowns it would cause among her 5 children were truly astonishing. You know what the cause of all this was? The top crust of the mac and cheese. It is that good. See? It's all crumbly and brown and cheese and delicious and... oh my god I'm drooling....

So, let me tell you about this mac and cheese. This isn't the type of recipe that comes out of a book somewhere. It's the type of recipe that looks like this:

And that is just one of the signs that it is a totally amazing meal. Another sign, and this is a HUGE sign really, that this recipe is amazing is this:

Cheese! Butter! More cheese! Just look at all that cheese!!  You just know something that requires 2 pounds of cheddar cheese is going to be amazing. There is just no way around that, unless you happen to be lactose intolerant. In that case, I am truly and utterly sorry. More for me!  Wheeee!!!

Continue reading for my Baked Mac and Cheese recipe

Baked Mac and Cheese


What you need:

• 1 pound (500g) of macaroni noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 coup flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 quart of milk
• 1 large handful of breadcrumbs
• 2 pounds (1kg) cheddar cheese, grated, with 3 large handfuls reserved

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (180ºC). Cook the macaroni noodle until just barely al dente, about 10 minutes.

In a large and deep saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from heat, and stir in the flour, salt and pepper, and mustard powder. Stir until smooth. Stir in the milk, and bring to a boil, simmering for 1 minute. REmove from the heat. Melt in the cheese and stir in the macaroni noodles. Pour the mixture into a large ovenproof casserole dish. Take the reserved cheese and layer cheese, breadcrumbs, and then more cheese on the top of the macaroni mixture. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly at the edges.

Enjoy!