While I have a month or two to prepare for my inevitable move into the dorm I will live in for the next year, I was able to taste the not so delicious taste of homesickness when I slept in a very lonely lofted bunk over orientation. To combat this not so deliciousness and the general feeling of “Nobody here loves me!!!!” I decided to create a foolproof, cheap, yet completely home made Mac and cheese which, most importantly can be made in less than 7 minutes while you weep over your lack of comfy bed. If the gooey cheese doesn’t cheer you up, the fellow coeds it will attract will!

You will need

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (if you have pre grated cheese on hand it won’t be nearly as tasty but hey , it’s cheese, how bad can it be?)

2 packs Easy Mac noodles

Water to boil

Disclaimer: yes, I am food blogging and yes I am calling for easy Mac noodles, and no I am not going to tell you that quality doesn’t matter, it really really does! My rationale: when depressed or homesick, boiling noodles for more than 4 minutes seems just flat out cruel! Plus, lord knows those little tubes are always handy and ready to soak up some cheese sauce, and CHEAP! If you are made out of money and would like to use real noodles, please go forth, it will be magical!

Depending on what you have on hand, I am blessed with a kitchen on every floor of my dorm you can either make this over the stove or make the easy Mac noodles by microwaving them in a bowl with 1/2 cups water for 4 minutes while the cheese sauce is concocted over a hot plate. If boiling noodles over the stove I would suggest only cooking them around 2.5 minutes.

To male cheese sauce:
Over med heat melt butter in a small saucepan
Whisk in flour with either a whisk or just a fork
Cook for about a minute or two just so it doesn’t taste too floury but doesn’t get dark
Whisk in milk and bring to a boil
Add cheese and whisk until melted

Make the macaroni however you like and simply slather in sauce, put in mouth, nosh, and smile!

If you have more on hand and want something with more personality take your cheese sauce and add

1 dash worchestire sauce
A sprinkling of red pepper flakes
And
1 teaspoon mustard powder

Once combined and slathered over noodles, sprinkle on some more cheddar and pop in a 400 degree oven for around 5 minutes, then enjoy!