BB, Sounds interesting. Is it like a hamburger helper thing? I'm trying to imagine where this would be in the store. I'm always on board for Mac & Cheese. This is one of my favorites: Patti LaBelle's Over the Rainbow Mac-n-cheese Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound elbow macaroni 1/2 cup butter PLUS 1 tablespoon 1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese 1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 2 cups half & half 1 cup Velveeta, cut into small cubes 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 teaspoon PenseyÂs 4S salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground Topping: 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup panko bread crumbs Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart casserole. 3. Cook pasta, add the oil then the elbow macaroni and cook until macaroni is just tender (about 7 minutes). Drain well and return to the pot. 4. In a small saucepan, melt the first measure of butter (1/2 cup butter PLUS 1 tablespoon. Stir into the macaroni. 5. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar cheese and the Monterey Jack cheese. 6. To the macaroni, add the half & half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheeses, the cubed Velveeta and the eggs. SAVE ½ cup for topping 7. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. 8. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and dot with the remaining butter. Melt the butter in a sauté pan and toss the panko to coat. Top the macaroni with panko. 9. Bake until it is bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

I've copied this recipe as well! Sometimes, if I am feeling very, very decadent, I will make a batch of mac and cheese, and before toasting the bread crumbs on top, I'll put a layer of the hot mac and cheese in a casserole, and dot it with chunks of smoked gouda, bleu cheese, swiss or pepper jack, put another layer and dot that one etc. It adds insult to injury, to have a wonderful, rich mac and cheese studded with chunks of barely melted cheeses. You must be a cheese freak to enjoy this. :D

Our favorite comes from The Splended Table. We use Manchego, Gruyere and a bit of Asiago 21st-Century Mac 'n' Cheese Excerpted from The Splendid Table's® How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift Serves 4, and doubles easily 8 to 10 minutes prep time; 30 minutes oven time You could assemble the dish a day ahead to bake when you walk in the door Never underestimate the healing power of macaroni and cheese at the end of a day from hell. Make this as rich as you'd like by selecting milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream. 3 quarts salted water in a 4-quart pot 1/2 pound (2 cups) imported elbow macaroni or penne pasta 1 large egg 1 cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream 1 small garlic clove 3/4 medium onion, coarse chopped 1 generous cup (5 ounces) shredded good-quality extra-sharp cheddar cheese 5 ounces cream cheese, crumbled 2/3 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère, Appenzeller, or Manchego cheese Generous 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes Generous 1/8 teaspoon salt Generous 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper Generous 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika, Hungarian or Spanish 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 12 saltines, coarse crumbled 1. Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop in the macaroni or penne. Boil, stirring often, until the pasta is tender but still with a little firmness. Drain in a colander. 2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a shallow 1-1/2-quart baking dish, and add the cooked macaroni. 3. In a blender or food processor, combine the egg, milk, and garlic. Process for 3 seconds. Add the onion, cheeses, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and paprika, and blend for 10 seconds, or until the onion is cut down to small pieces and the ingredients are blended. Turn the mixture into the dish, folding it into the macaroni. (The casserole could be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours at this point.) 4. To bake, bring the casserole close to room temperature if it has been refrigerated. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the saltine crumbles, and coat them with the butter. Spread them over the top of the casserole. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thick yet creamy. If the top is not golden brown, slip the casserole under the broiler for a minute. Remove it from the oven, let it stand for 5 minutes, and serve. LYNNE'S TIPS An egg and cream cheese are the secret ingredients here. They give creaminess and body to the dish so you can sidestep the time-consuming white sauce often called for in macaroni and cheese recipes. The Gruyère, Appenzeller, or Manchego cheese gives a nuttiness and another layer of flavor beyond cheddar cheese alone.

Then this is what you are looking for! This is, in my humble opinion, the ultimate comfort food and definitely the Ultimate Mac & Cheese! 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) 3 cups white crusty bread, cut into 1/4 inch pieces 4 cups half & half 1 cup milk 1/2 cup flour 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 tsp. garlic powder (or granulated garlic) 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 2 cups Tillamook Vintage White Cheddar Cheese, shredded 2 cups Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded 2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded (or other Swiss) 1 1/4 cups Romano cheese, shredded 1 pound large macaroni with grooves Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and set aside a 9x13 casserole dish. Combine bread cubes (or crumbs) with 4 Tbsp melted butter and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Set aside. Melt 6 Tbsp butter in large saucepan. Add flour and cook and whisk for a minute or two. Slowly add milk, half & half and 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and nutmeg. Continue cooking and whisking until mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Remove pan from heat and stir in 2 cups sharp cheddar, 1 cup vintage white cheddar, 1 cup Swiss cheese and 1 cup Romano; set cheese sauce aside. Blend the remaining cheese together. Cook macaroni in a large pan of boiling water 2-3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions. Drain well and rince under cold running water. Add salt and pepper to taste and 2 Tbsp butter. Stir cheese sauce into the macaroni. Pour mixture into a 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and buttered bread crumbs. Bake until browned on top.....about 30-40 minutes.