Homemade Macaroni and Cheese!

What's more comforting than a big bowl of Mac and Cheese? Absolutely nothing! 

After trying the Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork recipe ( learn how to make that here ) we decided she could do no wrong and opted for trying out the mac and cheese recipe we eagerly watched her make on her show. It turned out absolutely delicious!

To make the best Macaroni and Cheese you will ever eat, you will need:

4 Cups Dried Macaroni

1 Whole Egg, Beaten

1/4 Cup Butter

1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 and 1/2 Cups Whole Milk

2 Teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard

1 Pound Grated Cheese (we used sharp cheddar)

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

* This will make about 6 servings of Mac and Cheese. AKA delicious leftovers! If you want to make less just cut the ingredients down. Not wanting to do math, I used what is called for. 

You will need to:

1. Cook the Macaroni until it is almost ready but not quite. You want the noodle to be a little tough because you will bake them later which will finish the cooking process. I tested a noodle after about 5 minutes and they were close to being ready. In a nutshell from Ree Drummond herself: undercook the macaroni! Also, go ahead and add a teaspoon of salt or so to the water.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl whisk the egg and set aside.

3. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons) of butter. Sprinkle in an equal amount (4 tablespoons) of flour. Whisk the mixture together over low heat until totally combined. Be careful not to burn!

4. Then continue cooking for around 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

It will look like this:

5. Pour in 2 and 1/2 cups of whole milk. Immediately dump in your 2 teaspoons of dry mustard. Now, cook the mixture for about 5 more minutes. Keep up the whisking! It will thicken. After about 5 minutes reduce the heat to low.

6. Now, use a 1/4 cup measuring spoon to get some of the mixture you just made and add it to the egg that was beaten earlier. You want to add this slowly so that the egg doesn't scramble. Keep whisking as you add the mixture to the egg until the mixture is somewhat cooled. This is just to help keep the egg from cooking when you add it to the rest of the mixture. 

7. Now you dump the egg into the pan. Whisk it together until combined. 

8. Now for the cheese! Dump in all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese.

This much cheese = the cheesiest, yummiest mac and cheese ever!

9. Stir the cheese into the mixture until it is completely melted. Once melted, go ahead and turn off the heat. 

 All melted:

 10. Now you want to season the sauce. Garrett and I used only salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper ( to taste. We used quite a bit) but you can use whatever you like. Seasoned salt (1/2 teaspoon) would be great to add as well. Be careful not to under salt the sauce, it needs quite a bit to bring the flavor to it's best!

11. Now you are ready to mix the cheese sauce with the macaroni! Dump the macaroni in with the sauce and stir until it is completely coated. We used a little less of the noodles than we made just to keep it extra creamy but just add whatever amount to get the consistency that you desire!

12. Now, go ahead. Just taste a little. You know you want to! Once you are through with your taste test,  pour the macaroni and cheese into a buttered baking dish. Add the rest of the grated cheese (1/2 cup) left over from earlier to the top of the dish.

13. Bake it for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown!

Like this:

Let it cool and dig in! Man my mouth is watering now!

We hope y'all love this as much as we did. In our opinion, it is the best macaroni and cheese we have ever had! 

If you want to follow or use Ree Drummond's (Pioneer Woman's) website as a reference you can find that here.

Happy baking! : )