PIONEER WOMAN'S MACARONI & CHEESE

~ The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl

4 c. elbow macaroni
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 1/2 c. milk
2 heaping t. dry mustard
1 lb. grated cheese of your choice, divided
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1 t. pepper

Cook macaroni until very firm. It should be too firm to eat out of the pot, unless you don't plan on baking the macaroni and cheese, in which case cook it until desired tenderness. Drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish.

In a small bowl, beat egg. Set aside.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low and sprinkle in the flour, whisking constantly for five minutes, or less time if it starts to burn. Add the milk and mustard, whisking until smooth and continuing to whisk for five minutes or until very thick.

Temper the egg, then add egg mixture to the sauce, whisking until smooth. Add all but 1/2 cup of the cheese and whisk until melted. Add both salts and pepper, adding more to suit your tastes. Add drained noodles and stir to combine. Serve, if desired, or pour into baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Notes: We bake this in a 9x13-inch pan and use whatever shaped noodles we have on hand. We skip the regular salt and use one teaspoon of homemade seasoned salt. Want a Mexican spin on it? Replace the dry mustard and both salts with taco seasoning, mix in two 7 oz. cans of diced green chiles, and dollop individual servings with avocado dressing.