Leftover Cheese 'N' Macs

We have a lot of cheese in our fridge.

At least we did, until I took action and made this cheese-tastic mac 'n' cheese. mmm...

So here's what you got to do:

gather up:

• some whole-wheat elbows (i used whatever i had left, about 2 or 3 handfuls)
• whatever extra cheese you have hanging around: try to stick to cheese that will a) melt well, b) taste good with the other cheeses you have chosen. I used: sharp provolone, ypsi co-op mozzarella and asiago, and I think i had a chunk of some fancy kind of white cheddar that I've had forever. surprisingly, none of my cheese had mold...
• about 1 1/2 cup of milk (we never actually have milk, so I used about a 1/2 cup of some half&half and about 1 cup unsweetened soymilk).
• a couple of cloves of garlic
• pepper - i like lots!
• (optional) a teaspoon of cornstarch - and about 1/2 cup COLD water to put it in.
• Panko bread crumbs. No other kind will subsitute. nope.
  

now that you have the stuff:

1. stick some water in a pot, let it come to a boil and dump in your noodles (you know how to do this, I trust...)
2. While you're wating for the water to boil, pull out the grater and shred yourself up some cheese. you could cut it (the cheese that is..) if you don'thave a grater, but it's much easier to make a sauce if you grate it. I like to use the biggest side of my box grater for cheese. get this cheese done BEFORE you move on to the next step, please... Reserve about a two handfuls of cheese for later.
   
3. For the sauce: get another pot and bring the milk to a simmer over a medium heat. WATCH IT - don't let it scald, it tastes like crap.
4. Toss in a bit of pepper (and whatever other flavorings you like. Recommended: some cooked leftover broccolies, a dash of fresh chopped parsley, a 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite mustard, whatevs..)
5. Take your garlic cloves to town in a garlic smasher. You can also mash the hell out of it with your knife and chop it up rightgood if you don't have a garlic smasher.
6. Let it all simmer together for a hot minute.
   
7. When your milk is sufficiently heated, toss in your cheese and let it sit in that milk for just about 45 seconds. Just let it absorb the heat around it for a second. It's pretty easy to screw a perfectly good cheese sauce, believe me..
8. Now, the cheese has probably begun to melt into the milk, whisk it together. Keep whisking. Don't let it separate. This is basically a fondue sauce (minus the wine) so you've got be dilligent and keep tabs on it.
9. If you are feeling that the sauce is a bit... soupy, now's the time to dump in your cornstarch. It's the thikening agent used in lots of gravies and other sauces. I'm not a huge fan of using many corn-based materials becuase of the massive problems that come along with subsidising corn but, I happen to not mind a bit of corn starch here and there - that one box lasts forever. Instead, you can use flour and butter to make a roux - just be sure to do that BEFORE you add the milk (before step 3).
   
10. When the sauce has come together, you'll want to a) shut the heat off and let it sit while your noodles finish cooking, or b) if your noodles are already done... drain the noodles (do not rinse them) and toss them into the sauce.
    
11. Mix the noodles about in the sauce, I let them go for a while, which means more liquid evaporated out of them resulting in a drier final product. You make the call if you want a oooey-gooey cheese sauce or more of a coating of cheese on your noodles.
12. Pour the mixture into your baking dish. I made a small batch, and thus used a small baking dish. You can figure this part out, i'm sure.
13. Now, take your reserved cheese and sprinkle it on top.
    
14. Take the panko bread crumbs and sprinkle those on top.
    
15. Stick it in the oven at 400º for 5-10 minutes, depending. Check it to make sure it's not burning.
16. Slice it open and enjoy your cheesy goodness.

yum.