1 pound of dried macaroni (or penne also works)
8 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 quart of whole milk (room temperature will speed things along)
1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound of Colby cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Shred your cheese. Don't buy the pre-shredded packed stuff because it is coated with chemicals to keep it from sticking together, which will potentially mess up your sauce.

Boil water and cook and drain the macaroni fully according to the box's instructions while you are making the cheese sauce.

In a 3 quart sauce pan, melt the butter and once foaming, add the flour and whisk until there are no lumps. Add a little of the milk, whisky all the while to keep lumps from forming. Then, slowly add the rest of the milk, continuing to stir. Bring to a simmer and continuing simmering for about 5 minutes while continuing to stir fairly regularly.

Then, fold in your shredded cheese in at least four batches, one at a time. Once fully incorporated, turn off the heat, add salt and pepper, put the drained pasta into the pot, and stir very gently to coat all the pasta with the cheese sauce.

Pour the pasta and cheese into a casserole and bake for 30 minutes, until the top starts browning.

Serves 6, and you could serve with stewed tomatoes, which is an ancient tradition of unknown origins.