Macaroni and Cheese

Jean loves macaroni and cheese, so I decided to make some from scratch for tonight's dinner instead of the usual box of Kraft Mac n Cheese. I used a New York Times recipe, http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015825-creamy-macaroni-and-cheese, and didn't try to make it into something I can eat.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)

2 cups whole milk

1 tsp dry mustard

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 

Set oven rack for top 1/3 of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease casserole dish with 1 Tbsp butter. In blender, blend together/purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix together with uncooked macaroni and all but 1/4 cup of the cheese in a large bowl. Transfer to prepared casserole dish. Cover tightly with lid or aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, stir gently, and add remaining cheese and 1 Tbsp butter (distributed in dabs) to top. Continue baking, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Cheese should be melted and browned. Let rest at least 15 minutes before serving.