[Bon of Babble]

The best is made the old fashioned way like my mother made it - start with a white sauce on the stove, add good quality cheese until it melts, pour over the macaroni and bake with a bread crust topping.

DO NOT add hot dogs.

I admit this is my weakness - but absolutely not allowed on my diet... I sneak a bit here and there, don’t tell my doctor.

[Red Badger]

>>>DO NOT add hot dogs.<<<

I don’t.

I add bratwurst...................

[PUGACHEV]

I learned how to make M&C from my mother too. Then, I improved it. Start with a bechamel sauce, lots of flour and butter. Next, add equal parts of mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and provolone. Add salt, and Coleman's dry mustard. The sauce should taste too salty before it is baked. Finally, add a pinch of nutmeg.

Cook various pasta shapes, including fusilli, rigatoni, shells and chariot wheels. Add chopped onions, green bell peppers, canned mushrooms, and black olives (some chopped, some whole). Put the sauce in a Dutch oven and add the vegetables and pasta to the proportion you like. Typically, I wind up with two pots full. Cook in the oven covered at 375 degrees for an hour and a half, or until the peppers turn a light green and the sauce thickens. Finally, remove the lids and add French onions on top and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes. The left-overs freeze beautifully.