Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I have not met a child who doesn't love mac'n cheese and mine is no exception. Most of the time when I ask her what she wants for dinner, her first answer would be mac'n cheese. I too have used the blue box on the days that I was too lazy to cook an original meal, but on the other days when I am in a mood to play good mommy this is the recipe I use. It is not a difficult recipe to make, and tastes far better than the out of the box ones. So if you have a mac'n cheese lover at home, just go for it!

Recipe Source:Food.com
Ingredients:
1 /2 lb  macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
½ teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper , to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded good quality
½ cup breadcrumbs , buttered
Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.In a large saucepan melt butter.
Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.Turn off flame.Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

(You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use - once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer - pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.)