8 oz. + macaroni
3-4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dry mustard
¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika ( preferably smoked)
2 cups milk + ½ cup half and half cream
3-4 cups cheese, grated or I just cut into small chunks ( I used Monterey Jack, Colby, and mild-medium cheddar
½ small onion chopped
4 small cloves garlic, chopped
Optional: 4 strips bacon chopped into very small pieces
½ lb. very lean ground beef
Maple flavoring
Boil macaroni, drain when al dente, add small amount butter or olive oil to keep from sticking together, set aside
Add small amount olive oil to a skillet and saute onion and garlic until clear and set aside
Optional: fry 4 strips of bacon and chop into very small pieces
Cook ½ lb. lean ground beef and set aside
Pre heat oven to 375 F
In a medium sauce pan add butter and melt, after melted add salt, flour, pepper, paprika, dry mustard and wisk or stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Add milk in small stream and wisk until sauce is thickened
Add cheese and continue to stir until completely melted
Add in onions and garlic at this time and stir in.
Optional: at this time add bacon and/or ground beef and mix into sauce
In a casserole dish add ½ of the pasta and place ½ of the sauce on top
The add the remaining pasta and on top of it place the remaining sauce.
Bake 25-30 min at 375 F or until the mac and cheese is getting slightly dry and a tiny bit of brown on the top.