Best Mac Ever

I've been on a cooking and baking kick lately, but Gracelynn is so picky she usually just wants macaroni and cheese. So instead of getting the boxed stuff, I've been trying new recipes. This one is from a book called Down Home With the Neelys. I changed it just a little bit because we were missing a few ingredients.

I forgot to take a picture of all of the ingredients... if I make it again I will edit this post. Sorry!

You will need:

6 tablespoons butter
1 pound spiral pasta
1 cup flour
4 cups whole milk, warmed
1 t dry mustard powder
1 t salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
dash of hot sauce
dash of worcestershire sauce
4 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/4 c white cheddar

Topping:

1 1/2 c crushed potato chips (we used BBQ)
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
bacon bits

Heat your oven to 375*F. Butter a 3 quart casserole dish.

Cook pasta until al dente.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk constantly to thicken.

Stir in the dry mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, hot sauce, and worcestershire sauce into the thickened milk. Stir in 3 cups on sharp cheddar and all of the white cheddar, until cheeses melt.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir.

Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.

Make the topping (combine all topping ingredients in a bowl).

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of cheese/noodle mixture, and then add the chip/bacon topping. Bake for 20 minutes. The book says 35 but ours burnt!!

This mac was very rich. The flavor was very different from anything I've baked before. If you don't have the spices on hand, this recipe can get very expensive (I paid $3 each for nutmet, cayenne, and mustard powder!) - but it is a great dish to take to a pot luck. You will definitely impress everyone. Let me know if you try it, and what you think!