a spin on classic mac & cheese

i think i am pretty savvy when it comes to cooking. i know my way around the kitchen and the various tools that i think i do a decent job at creating dinner every night. i have really grown to love cooking and am always looking for new and fun recipes to try.

so when i found this fancy spin on classic mac & cheese i had to try it. i used my babycakes mini cupcake maker for mini mac & cheese cups. and they turned out to be the perfect appetizer size. i served them at our Oscar party last month. after i saw how simple mini mac & cheese cups were i decided to try homemade mac & cheese. the only thing i did different was add pepper jack cheese (Jordan's favorite) instead of cheddar cheese. oh man. it was so good.

it was so much fun to make a classic recipe completely from scratch, expect the noodles of course. much more satisfying than buying the box.

here is the recipe i used for the cheese sauce in the homemade mac & cheese, pictured on the left. (from no one but the best, Betty Crocker)

ingredients: 

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/2 shredded/crumbled cheddar cheese (i used crumbled pepper jack, but you can use whatever you fancy).

take a small pot over medium heat and melt butter. slowly add flour, stirring consistently until the butter and flour are well combined.

now the past two times i made this the flour and butter turned into a paste-like substance when i started mixing the two.

don't freak out! 

it will combine and then melt into creamy goodness once you add the milk.

pour in milk, stirring constantly as it thickens. 

don't stop stirring! 

i used my spoon to separate the paste-like substance as i was stirring constantly. the more your stir the more the paste-like stuff will start to break apart and the more thick your sauce will get. 

once the sauce is smooth and creamy, add the cheese and stir until all is combined. there is a lot of stirring involved in this recipe, but it goes really fast.

now pour your awesome cheese sauce on your already cooked elbow noodles. i drained my noodles once they got tender and let them chill in the pot while i made my cheese sauce.

mix well. i like to add basil and salt and pepper. but you can add whatever you want.

enjoy!