Mac N Cheese 

Homemade mac n cheese. Super simple. Super delicious. Super comforting. I'm not saying this is the best mac n cheese ever or anything but it will be easy, please everyone, end fights, prevent tears, and you will become known as the friend who make the best mac n cheese ever. Its good. Really good. You need it. I take it back, this is the best mac n cheese.  

Ingredients 

16 oz elbow macaroni noodles

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese 

2 cups milk (2% or whole)

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp salt 

2 tsp of black pepper  

I need to talk to you about ingredients for a minute. First of all keep it simple. 6 ingredients (really just 4 main ingredients and salt and pepper). Do not use bread crumbs.  You don't need flour to make a rue. Do not for the love of all things good use sour cream. There are people in Indiana who put breadcrumbs AND sour cream on their mac n cheese. DON'T DO IT. My southern soul is a little sensitive about this, I'm sorry. Fancy cheese is nice but I normally use good ole Kroger brand. DO NOT USE KRAFT. It is crap and won't blend and ends up a separated clumpy mess. Don't do it. You will cry. Same goes for milk. 2% or whole milk. Just buy normal milk for this. Tonight I used trader joes organic 2%. Do not use ultra-filtered or weird milk. Normal milk. Normal cheese. Normal noodles. Normal, perfect, wonderful mac n cheese. 

Bring water to a boil and add your noodles. Cook for 7 minutes (or 1-2 minutes less than the directions on the box say). When you add the cooked noodles to the hot cheese sauce it will continue to cook and you don't want to end up with cheese noodle mush. 

After your noodles cook, drain them and set aside. In your pot add your butter and milk and cook of medium heat until the butter is melted. 

Once butter is melted slowly whisk in your cheese. Keep whisking the entire time until it is completely blended. Whisk until it is smooth and creamy, not clumpy or stringy. If you stop whisking to soon the cheese will separate from the milk and get weird. As the cheese melts add your salt. 

Add your noodles back to the pot with all that melty creamy cheese sauce. Don't worry if your cheese sauce doesn't look very thick yet. Mix over medium heat with the noodles and it will thicken perfectly. Serve in bowl with fresh cracked black pepper over top. 

ENJOY!