Claire's Mac & Cheese

 The picture above has leftover Easter Ham in it.

Up until two years ago the only mac and cheese I made came from a box. I was given this recipe by a coworker of mine, when I was living in Texas. In all honesty I don't know her very well, but from the short time I spent with her I realized she is one of the few people who is genuinely nice. She's such a sweet person and I enjoyed getting to know her. We always seemed to be talking about food from restaurants to recipes. She was kind enough to share this recipe with me. Whenever I make it there is at least one person who asks me how I made it. It's so delicious!!! If you want to make this as a main course just throw in your cooked meat of choice. The day after Easter I put my leftover ham in it, my husband LOVED it.

Ingredients for the sauce
1 stick of Butter
2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch or Flour
1 small carton of heavy cream (You can use a large carton of cream, if you do this omit the milk)
1 cup of milk (omit if you use a large carton of cream)
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 large blocks of shredded cheese (I use cheddar cheese and five Italian cheese blend)
Package of shells pasta

For the topping
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of Italian or regular bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
  
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta and set aside. Melt butter in deep pan, and whisk in the flour. Pour in the cream and milk, make sure all the clumps are gone. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Once the mixture thickens add the cheese and stir until melted. Mix in cooked pasta and put in a large baking dish.

For the topping:
Mix bread crumbs, butter, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. I usually use two forks to mix it all together, you can also use a food processor. Sprinkle on top of the mac and cheese. Bake until bubbly and brown, usually about 15 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.