Recipe: Momma's Mac & Cheese

My Momma makes the best homemade macaroni and cheese.  I have many happy childhood memories that involve this recipe.  I even remember the glass casserole dish she would make it in and how most times we would it eat with kielbasa (yum!).  Since Dan and I started dating I have made this mac&cheese many times.  He is a fan of pretty much any cheese and noodle combination,  so here it is.  This recipe is supposed to serve 4 but those are side dish portions.  We knock the whole thing out in one setting so double as necessary.

The stuff
- 2 cups dry macaroni/elbow noodles
- 2 cups+ grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups of milk
- 3/4 a stick of butter
- salt, pepper, flour (3 tablespoons)

Get cookin'
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Boil pasta until al dente (with a bite).  Drain. Set aside
- In a casserole dish put 1/3 of the cooked pasta topped with 1/3 of the cheese
- Sprinkle salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon flour.  The flour combines with the milk/butter mixture during baking to make a roux which thickens the dish.  It's essential so don't leave it out because it sounds weird
- Repeat layers
- In a saucepan heat milk and butter until the butter is melted (don't boil)
- Pour the milk mixture over the pasta/cheese and bake, covered, for 30 minutes
- Remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top
- Let set for a few minutes before serving.

Disclaimer for the photos below: I accidentally forgot to add the salt and pepper to the layers so I just added it to the milk/butter mixture. 

The original source for this recipe is probably in the depths of the 1950s...wherever my grandma got it and passed to my mom.