Aunt Bette's Fabulous Macaroni and Cheese

On Easter Sunday we were all in my Mom's kitchen doing the final preparations on our meal, setting up the buffet table, munching on Bette's yummy crab dip and talking about food (of course). Bette was telling us about this macaroni and cheese recipe she and her daughter, Amy make and said it's to die for and that everyone always asks for the recipe. Being the mac and cheese fan that I am, I asked her to please e-mail me the recipe and here it is. I've not had a chance to make it yet, but I wanted to go ahead and post her recipe and will post pictures as soon as we get a chance to try it out. There's nothing better than some good, homemade mac and cheese. I love Worcestershire and the fact it's included in this recipe is definitely a bonus for me, and not typical in any of the other m & c recipes I've seen. I'm also a big fan of the crunchy topping....so good! Thanks, Bette for your contributions and as always, it was great fun spending time with you on Easter.

For leftovers, look up my earlier post of fried Mac and Cheese (in March), not something you will cook often, but for me it was too intriguing a recipe to pass up and surprisingly it turned out to be decadently delicious.

I would love any recipes anyone wants to send my way. =)

Macaroni and Cheese:

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 TBSP butter or margarine

1 - 1/2 TBSP flour

1 tsp salt

1 - 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp prepared mustard

Dash of pepper

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Topping:

Toss the following ingredients:

1/2 cup soft, white bread crumbs (about 3 slices of bread or dried breadcrumbs)
2- 3 TBSP melted butter or margarine

1/4 tsp paprika

2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni in boiling water according to package directions. Drain. Meanwhile melt butter and blend in flour and salt. Add milk. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Add Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, and cheese. Mix with well-drained macaroni and put in a 1- 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover with topping. Bake at 350° about 20 minutes, or until topping is crisp and brown.

*My recommendation, due to past experience, is to only cook the macaroni for only about 7 minutes so the noodles don't get overcooked and become mushy after being baked.