Cheesy Mac 'n' Cheese

It's classic time! Want to fill up a room quickly? Spread the word there's mac and cheese in the oven. This recipe is a true crowd pleaser in the circles I travel in. There are many ready made brands available on the grocery store shelves, but with a little kitchen commitment, a few ingredients and undying passion for this classic, you can unveil the REAL deal in 45 minutes!

Level of difficulty - easy

Preheat oven to 350 or 175 (convection fan)

Ingredients

• 1 bag macaroni 500 grams


• mild white cheddar approx 250 grams


• sharp yellow cheddar approx 250 grams


• salted butter 25 grams


• 4 large eggs


• milk 1 &1 /2 pints


• salt 1tsp


• cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp


• olive oil 1tsp

In large sauce pan, fill and boil water with oil and salt, add pasta boil for 12 minutes or until tender. Drain pasta, empty into large bowl and splash a bit of olive oil and toss to keep pasta from sticking together. Set aside. (for gluten free pasta I highly recommend Quinoa pasta (pronounced keen-wa) as a wonderful alternative, which you can find at your local health food store)

In separate large bowl whisk eggs and add milk. Whisk together and you can include 1 more tsp
of salt and add cayenne pepper.

Grate cheese and mix with pasta (i usually use the end of a wooden spoon to stir pasta and cheese (it makes it easier to manage the cheese sticking to utensil) slowly add milk and egg mixture and mix well.

Empty into large oven proof casserole dish. Slice pats of butter and arrange on top and lightly sprinkle with cayenne pepper or black pepper if you choose. For a twist if you like, chop a couple of sprigs of fresh parsley, combine with breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top, melt butter sparingly pour on top and bake! Yummy!

Bake for 45 min to an hour, checking from time to time, as oven temperatures may vary.
Check for doneness by sticking knife through middle, if milk and egg are solid, it is done.

I must warn you: this dish is high in fat and calories, but oh my GOD there's nothing like it!
Allow 50-75 grams of pasta per person for a starter.
75-100 grams of pasta for a main course.

Get back with me if you've any ??s
I wish you LOVE!