Macaroni and Cheese

This is my all time favorite mac-n-cheese. Homemade mac-n-cheese beats the box every time! Its a Martha Stewart recipe I've been using for years. I like to use a medium white Vermont or Tillamook cheddar. I also like to add a little medium yellow cheddar, and fresh parmesan. Gruyere is nice, but its a little pricey. Use what you like. Be aware that yellow cheddar gets stringy while white cheddar melts to a creamy consistency. Don't panic when you pour it into the pan to bake...there will be a lot of sauce that will cook down. This dish is good to make ahead and reheat later.

On one of our visits to my parents, they had a frozen macaroni and cheese dish that came from one of those quick dinner stores. This recipe converts well to something like that. See below for freezing directions.

Macaroni and Cheese:
9 Tbsp butter, divided
3/4 cup bread crumbs OR potato chips
5 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup flour
4 cups(about 16 oz) white cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup (about 4 oz) yellow cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup (about 4 oz) parmesan cheese, grated
4 cups (about 16 oz) uncooked elbow macaroni

1. Using 1 Tbsp of butter, grease a 9"x13" cake pan. In a small bowl, melt 2 Tbsp butter and combine with bread crumbs. Set aside.(Skip the butter and bread crumbs if using potato chips...just crush and set aside.) 
2. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook 2-3 minutes less than manufacturer recommendations. Drain and rinse with cold water. 
3. In the same large saucepan, melt 6 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour and whisk. Continue to whisk and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the flour turns light golden brown. 
4. Add the milk, whisking constantly, until there are no lumps. 
5. Remove from heat, add the salt, pepper, and cheeses. Stir well with a large spoon or spatula
6. . Add the macaroni to the sauce. Mix well and pour into buttered cake pan. 
7. Top with the bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. 
8. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Freeze:
This is a great dish to make in bulk and freeze. I use foil lined bread pans...you could use pie pans, or square or round cake pans. You could also use disposable foil pans.
Step 1. Line with foil...(1) 9"x13" cake pan OR (4) bread pans etc....butter the foil.
Step 2. Follow the rest of the directions, except don't bake. Instead, let mixture in pans cool for 30 minutes. Place in the freezer until frozen solid...about 1 hour. Remove foiled food from pans and wrap in one more layer of foil. Place in a zip top freezer bag, label, date, and write cooking instructions. To thaw...Take food out of bag and remove outer layer of foil. Place in appropriate sized pan and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Place in oven at 375 degrees and cook until hot throughout....this could take 30-60 minutes depending on how frozen the dish is. Its possible to cook this dish directly out of the freezer...remove bag and outer layer of foil...place in pan and bake at 325 degrees for 60-90 minutes, or until hot throughout.