Golden Macaroni and Cheese

Confession Time...I used to hate macaroni and cheese. How un-American is that? I still can't get behind stovetop mac and cheese. It's a texture issue I have. I will only eat it when it's baked. In my quest to find the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe, I went through many, many recipes in search of the best.

My mom ended up buying me Southern Living's Busy Mom's Weeknight Favorites cookbook because my beautiful cousin is pictured in it. The second recipe of the cookbook is the Golden Macaroni and Cheese. I figured, I'll give it a try and we'll see how it goes.

Oh my.

This macaroni and cheese is the best by far. Brian told me to stop looking for other recipes because this was the one. It was like the macaroni and cheese Gods smiled upon us and graced us with their cheesey goodness.

My tip for good macaroni and cheese is to please shred your own cheese when you're making a baked macaroni and cheese. The preshredded stuff in the bag does not melt like you would want. It's really worth it to shred up the cheddar yourself. Your loved ones and your tastebuds will thank you.

Golden Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked macaroni)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion salt
2 (10-ounce) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 4 1/2 cups) and divided*
1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Preparation
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well. Set aside.
Place milk, flour, and onion salt in a quart jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously 1 minute.
Stir together flour mixture, 3 1/2 cups cheese, and macaroni.
Pour macaroni mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish or 2 (11-inch) oval baking dishes. Sprinkle evenly with remaining one cup of cheese and then breadcrumbs; drizzle evenly with melted butter.
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden brown.