Serves 16
1. Arrange 3 or 4 pasta varieties on counter in order of cooking time.
2. Put large pot of water on to boil.
3. Grate the cheese
4. Chop the ham
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. When water is boiling, start adding the pasta, using math skills to time each variety perfectly. Keep stirring occasionally.
7. Melt 3 to 4 oz butter in another pan (for efficiency, the one you will bake the mac and cheese in)
8. Add flour, a teaspoon at at time, stirring vigorously to blend and eliminate lumps. Stop when you have a thickened roux.
9. Add milk to the roux, 1/2 cup at a time, to make a white sauce. Stop when the sauce is the consistency of good (not store-bought) gravy.
10. Reserve 1 cup of the grated cheese and add the rest, with the chopped ham, to the white sauce. Add a few drops of Tabasco, some pepper, and a little salt. Stir over low to medium heat until the cheese melts.
11. Drain the pasta when done (a little firm is best).
12. Mix pasta and cheese sauce together in oven-worthy pan.
13. Top to mixed-up mac and cheese with the reserved cup of grated cheese.
14. Bake for about 40 minutes.