Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Oh do I love mac and cheese! The good kind, not the box kind.  I could seriously eat a whole pan of this stuff.  I made this to keep in the fridge for the week/weekend.  I'll heat some up in the morning and throw it in the thermoses for the kids to take in their lunches.  Its a nice little break from the soup. So here's what you'll need....

1 box of macaroni ( I use whole grain)
1lb of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of flour
2 tsp of ground mustard or to taste
some ground black pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 egg, beaten
half stick of butter
1/4 cup of your choice of bread crumbs

Cook your macaroni according to the package.  Strain and set aside.  In a large stock pot on medium heat, place butter and flour in.  Whisk together until butter is melted being sure not to burn the flour.  This will be the thickener for the sauce.  Add milk.  Heat to a low boil, whisking occasionally.  Beat the egg in a separate bowl.  Scoop out about a 1/2 cup of the milk mixture.  Slowly add the half cup to the egg and gently stir.  This makes the egg rise to a warmer temperature, so that when you add it to the pot, you won't have a scrambled egg!  When egg has been tempered, add to the pot.  Add seasoning, then cheese.  Stir  until cheese has melted.  Add macaroni and stir to coat.

Transfer mac and cheese to a buttered 13x9 inch pan.  Top with some bread crumbs(panko works great!).  Transfer to a 400* oven for about 20 minutes.