Baked Halloween Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

1 ½ cups dry elbow macaroni, cavatappi, or any other fun pasta shapes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 cups of shredded cheese, cheddar, swiss, Velveeta or any other good melting cheese
Fun Toppings (Optional)
Steamed Broccoli
Pulled Pork
Diced Ham
Black Olives
Sautéed Mushrooms
Green Olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous sprinkling of salt to the pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on box, about 7-10 minutes. Cool immediately in an ice bath. Once cool, drain water and place in a sealable container, mix with oil to prevent pasta from sticking together, seal and refrigerate until needed.
To make sauce, melt the butter in a skillet or medium pot.
Add the flour and stir over medium heat until the mixture is lightly browned; 1-2 minutes.
Add the milk and whisk to remove any lumps and add the salt and pepper.
Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble. About 6 minutes.
Turn off heat and stir in the cheese, whisking until smooth and melted. Cool sauce completely.
On the day of use, stir the pasta into the sauce. Portion in small ramekins for individual servings and have kids (and adults) decorate tops with favorite toppings. Bake until hot, about 10 minutes.
NOTE:
For fun effect, you can add natural coloring like carrot juice, pesto or food coloring.
A pepper cut into a jack’ o’ lantern is a fun way to bake the mac and cheese.