Stove-Top Macaroni & Cheese

Yay! I finally got to make my mac n' cheese! I usually make a baked macaroni & cheese using cheddar and pepperjack that is (not to brag but...) amazing! But I wanted to get a stove-top recipe that would hopefully be faster to make. All we had was penne pasta but I would have preferred elbows. I used some smoked cheddar that we had gotten at the farmer's market. It didn't really do anything for me, and D said he would rather have it on something that needs smokiness (I'm guessing hamburgers?). So I would just stick to all regular cheddar next time. I also didn't cook the pasta long enough so it was kind of hard. Not my best showing :-/. But I think the recipe is good. The first time I had it was I imagining Kraft...don't. It isn't like that. It tastes more real. I must admit that I am used to (and in love with) that processed cheese flavor. I guess that's what you get for growing up in the 90s. But somehow D didn't get hooked on that neon orange goodness when he was growing up. So I thought he would like this better. I didn't get much feedback, I think between the smoky cheddar and the hard macaroni it was tough to get a real feel for it. I will make it again though.

Stove-Top Macaroni & Cheese

8 oz. elbow pasta (you can use pretty much any type of pasta, but ones that have holes the cheese sauce can hide in is best)
1 Tbls butter
6 oz. evaporated milk
6 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp hot sauce
Salt & pepper

Cook the pasta until it's al dente. Meanwhile whisk together the egg, evaporated milk, and spices. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Turn the heat down to medium-low and melt the butter with the pasta. Pour the milk mixture over the pasta and stir until it begins to thicken (3-5 minutes). Remove the pot from the heat and mix the cheese into the pasta in 4 installments. Make sure the first installment is completely mixed in before adding the next. You may need to return the pot to the heat every so often to help melt the cheese.

Next time I might leave the pot over low heat while adding the cheese and just add some milk if the sauce gets too thick.

Served with sliced beets. <-- As a child my parents always served canned sliced beets with our Kraft mac n' cheese dinners. It's strange, I know, but I can't have mac n' cheese without beets now.