home made mac and cheese

I loathe Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. The ingredient list scares me and I dont even think it tastes very good. But apparently the American Public disagrees with me because according to a company spokesperson, "Kraft now sells more than one million boxes of the dinners every day"! Really? A million boxes A DAY? And how dare they call it dinner.

My little kids dont even recognize the famous blue box. We have eaten a few boxes of Annies Organic Mac and cheese in our time, but not enough for my kids to be huge fans. We only eat it about 2 times a year.

I am really trying to stick to a tight grocery budget this month, so I am forced to get inventive. Looking thru the cupboards, I realized I had some stuff that I could use to whip up some mac and cheese. It was really easy and pretty fast. Most importantly, it tasted like food.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces macaroni, cooked and drained (we used whole wheat shells)
  
• 2 cups fresh grated sharp Cheddar cheese (not the preshred stuff)
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not the powdered stuff!)
  
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used wheat flour)
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pinch paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick.
   
2. Combine sauce and macaroni. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
   

I was just googling around for a picture and found this recipe:
http://www.evilshenanigans.com/2009/03/stove-top-macaroni-and-cheese/
I am going to try it next.