i'm thankful for...mac & cheese

I volunteer to make baked macaroni & cheese for Thanksgiving with my family every year.  For the past couple of years I've tried different ways, from simple to fancy gourmet recipes. I think this is the best so far, and I'll be sticking to it for Thanksgivings to come. I took direction from this recipe, but I made several changes and made it less fattening.

My family typically eats Indian food around Christmas time. But for all those who eat more traditional American foods during Christmas, be sure to add this to the line up for your holiday feast!

And by the way - I'm sharing this recipe with a caveat: it's rich and delicious and you can't stop at one bite. Enjoy :)

BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. unsalted butter for breadcrumbs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 lb. macaroni
6 tbsp. unsalted butter for macaroni & cheese

3 cups 2% milk

2 cups half & half

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. red chili powder or red pepper flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder
bay leaf

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (1/4 tsp. if fresh)

2 cups white cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 340. Keep half & half and butter at room temperature.

Set a large pot to boil for macaroni. [Later, once water has boiled, salt the water then add macaroni and cook al dente. Add some butter to the pasta so it doesn't get sticky. Set aside till cheese sauce is done.]

While waiting for water to boil:

Melt butter (6 tbsp) in a large saucepan (enough to hold 10 cups) over medium heat. When butter melts, add flour. Cook, whisking, for 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in milk and half & half. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, nutmeg and bay leaf. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Discard bay leaf. Remove pan from heat and stir in 2 cups of white cheddar cheese, 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup of Swiss cheese, and 1 cup of parmesan. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir well.

Combine breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp. of melted butter and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. Set aside.

Pour mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the bread crumbs on top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. I turned on the broiler for a little just so the top would get a little golden brown touch (it made all the difference!).  Let it cool for 5 minutes, and serve.