My Mom's Mac and Cheese

This is a recipe I learned from my mom for one of my favorite foods. Mac and Cheese. Everybody asks me to make it when we go to watch a game, or visit with friends. I even like to make it before we go camping and heat it in foil over the fire. It probably is about the same as everyone else's but I thought I would share it anyway.

You will need;

1 stick of butter

6 tablespoons of flour

3 cups of milk

Salt and Pepper

3 cups of good Cheddar Cheese (I usually put more in)

½ pound of macaroni

Some Cheese It crackers or bread crumbs

I like to add about ½ cup of pepper jack cheese.

Tabasco or hot sauce.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. I like to cook in a cake pan but you can cook in anything you want. Make sure you butter your pan all the way up the sides to keep from sticking. Cook the macaroni with a little salt and drain very well. Next melt 6 or so tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan. Add the flour to the melted butter stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Be careful not to let the flour burn, it will turn brown. Start adding the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture is thick and smooth. Next I remove from the heat, add Salt and pepper to taste. Add about ¾ of the cheese, and the Tabasco or hot sauce to taste. The hot sauce is not necessary, it is just the way I like it. I also add in the pepper jack at this point. That is also optional. Stir all those ingredients together. Add the noodles, stir and pour into prepared dish. The last step I like to do is crush up some Cheese It crackers, mix with the left over Cheddar Cheese and bake a crust on the top. This is also not necessary but very good. I usually bake for about 15-20 minutes. The last couple on broil, to make the top crunchy. Make sure you let it stand for a few minutes before you serve.