A classic mac and cheese recipe from Ruby's Grandmother. Passed on as a cut out from a newspaper article, with hand written notes.

Is about 50% cheese by volume, so the lactose intolerant need not apply.

• 2 pots - 1 for sauce, 1 for pasta
• Knife and cutting board
• Small bowl

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 dash cayenne
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese (measure with your heart!)
• 2-3 Cups Pasta

• 1-2 Tablespoons Minced Onion
• 1-2 Cloves minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1 Dash Worcestershire Sauce

1. Cook Pasta to desired tenderness, drain and set aside. (if you start boiling the water while you do the rest of the recipe, the timing works out decent)
2. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl (flour, dry mustard, salt, paprika, cayenne)
3. Melt butter at medium to medium-high heat and blend in dry ingredients
4. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups milk, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Add grated cheese, stir until melted.
6. Add cooked pasta to sauce, stir until mixed, and serve.

• When butter is melted, and before you add the dry ingredients, add as much as the optional ingredients as you like, making sure to cook the onion or garlic nicely before adding in the dry stuff.
• Ruby typically does all 4, it adds a nice depth to the flavor.
• Instead of paprika and cayenne, try using about a tablespoon of any curry powder for a different, but delicious alternative flavor profile!

Pro-tip: Just the cheese sauce itself (without the added onion/garlic) makes an excellent sauce for topping vegetables with!