HOMEMADE MAC & CHEESE

I have searched high and low for a good macaroni & cheese recipe, and I found this one last month in "Taste of Home" magazine. Jamie and I made it the other night and it is truly comfort food. Perfect for a chilly evening.

DOUBLE-CHEESE MACARONI
Prep 25 min. Bake 20 min. Yields 12, 1 cup servings

16 oz elbow macaroni*
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder*
3 cups half and half*
1 cup milk
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups (24 oz.) 4%cottage cheese( this makes it super creamy - trust me)

topping:
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

Cook macaroni according to package directions. meanwhile, place cottage cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flur, salt, white pepper and onion powder with a wire whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain macaroni; transfer to a large bowl for mixing. Add the cheeddar and processed cottage cheese to the white sauce. Pour over macaroni; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 9 X 13 baking dish. (dish will be full)combine bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle over the top.*

Bake, uncovered, at 375degrees, 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

From Taste of Home, January 2009, page 18

***This recipe is easy to adapt to what you have on hand. We didn't have cottage cheese so we used whipped cream cheese and it was still delcious. Also, we used all milk and no half and half. It is super creamy with the half and half, so you could use however much you want or none at all. The original recipe called for garlic salt, but the first time I made it there was more of an alfredo taste to it, so we switched to onion powder. I think I would add another 8 ounces or more of macaroni, or if I cut the sauce in half maybe only use 12 ounces. We cut the sauce in half and it was just right, but the leftovers weren't as good the next day. We had some potato chips so Jamie processed them and we used those instead of the breadcrrumbs for the topping, but first we sprinkled extra cheese on top of the macaroni, then the chips. It was really a taste treat You can tweak this to fit the tastes of your family. We saw a Paula Deen this week add ham, chicken and smoked sausage to hers.( She called it 3 Meat Mac & Cheese). And on an old Rachel Ray show, I've seen her cook broccoli along with the macaroni, and then add in some cubed, cooked chicken. ENJOY!