Recipe 40: Macaroni and Cheese (so good I prefer the name Macaroni and Jesus)

This comfort food recipe comes all the way from the armpit of America to warm your bellies and help you help the government keep the floundering cheese industry on it's feet.  Or something.  

Anydoodle, this one is courtesy of Xandy "Brown Thunder" Brown, a New Jersey native who does not own a Bumpit.  I've included her slightly modified (because I was missing some ingredients) recipe below.  She recommends adding in veggies or even some ham or other meats to dress this one up.  I've had her recipe many times, both with and without fixin's and can assure you, your mouth will shout "HOLY MACARONI AND JESUS" either way.  Or something.    

Cheesey goodness!

Recipe:

Xandy’s So Good You’ll Poop Your Pants
Macaroni and Cheese Jesus

Ingredients:
- 2 Tbs Flour (whole wheat flour will work in a pinch)
- 2 Tbs Butter
- 2 C. Milk (2%, and slightly less if you are not mixing in ingredients; you can always add if you find you need more liquid)
- 1 small tube of plain goat cheese (4 oz)

- 1 bag preshredded sharp cheddar (if you are lazy like me; if not, grate a brick)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 box pasta ( big shells)

Cheese Sauce:1.  Melt the butter in a sauce pan until it's a little bubbly. 
2.  Add the flour and whisk the two together until they form a roux, probably 2 to 3 minutes.  3.  Microwave the milk until it's warm while you're making the roux - 1-2 minutes - don't overdo it or you'll have to clean the bloody microwave again.
4.  Add the warm milk to the roux, stirring until the two are fully incorporated.  Heat the milk and roux until you seem small bubbles forming around the edge of the pan, but don't bring to a boil.  When you see the small bubbles, turn the heat down.
5.  Slowly add the cheese to the pan, stirring with a whisk continuously, allowing a handful of cheese (or dollop of goat) to melt before adding the next.  Reserve about a quarter cup of cheese to sprinkle over the top when you bake.
6. Add the mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
7. If your sauce is too thick, add more milk.  Too thin, just keep cooking it and it will continue to thicken...or you can always add more cheese! 
The Pasta:1.  Boil water.  Cook pasta. 
2.  Prep any veg you want to mix in.  If you're using frozen vegetables, make sure you defrost them and dry/drain them a bit, they emit a lot of water which can thin the sauce.
All together:
You do not need to  bake it, but it does firm it up a bit, so Xandy and I both recommend the next step:

1.  Mix the pasta and any extras in your Le Creuset. 
2.  Preheat the oven to 325.
3.  Pour cheese sauce over the pasta.  You may want to use a spoon to make sure it gets all around.
4.  Xandy recommends mixing panko with parmesan cheese and black pepper and then put that on top before baking.  I recommend using your reserved cheese to sprinkle across the top
5.  Bake for about 20 min, or until you see the noodles on the top getting a little brown or crispy.  (Turn on the broiler for approximately 2 minutes if the recipe is not browning quickly enough.)
6.  Serve!  Yay!!

YUM.