my night in, or: nail polish and cheese sauce

Tuesdays have become some of my favorite days. Wednesday is most often my busiest day at work since our youth service is that night, but Tuesdays is just work and low key meetings with our intern team, then I get to go home BEFORE 6pm. Usually I fill the evening with all the errands I need to run or go grocery shopping, but last night I just stayed in and did laundry.

I know, boring.

But here's the thing. While the laundry was on, I did three of my favorite things.
1) Made homemade cheese sauce
2) Painted my fingernails
3) Watched the West Wing

I have made it my mission to get really good at making homemade cheese sauce. I have a crazy deep love for good cheese, but my palate is obviously not discerning enough to dislike the jar of cheese-ish goop that you can only get at low-price grocery stores. Which I still love, but it is pretty terrible for you, and I'm pretty sure could act as some kind of glue in a pinch.
Anyway.
I found and subsequently modified a recipe about 6 months ago, and I haven't bought my beloved jar of cheese since.

Super Cheese Sauce
makes 2 servings

1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 Tablespoon flour
3/4 cup milk
10 ounces, your choice of cheese, grated
Optional: I like to add some minced garlic if I am feeling particularly crazy, but you don't have to.

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat.
When melted, add flour and stir until there is basically a nice paste going on.
Add milk, blend with butter/flour mixture until smooth. (p.s. I forgot to tell you, you'll want a whisk and to be ready for a lot of stirring. A lot. but worth it, I promise!)
Slowly add your grated cheese, one half handful at a time. Stir until totally melted, then add more cheese. Keep stirring until smooth, then remove from heat for 5-10 minutes to thicken.

Oh my gosh it's good.
I do a little more butter and cheese and a little less milk than the original recipe... it seems to make it creamier.

Here is my favorite part: It works just as well with nonfat milk and margarine as it does with half and half and butter. Let arteries everywhere rejoice!

What can you use Super Cheese Sauce for, you ask? Here is a short list of ways I have used it.

1) With pasta. Just cook up some of your favorite pasta (I like whole wheat shells myself) and pour it over that. Simple and delicious!
2) With soft pretzels. My friend Sarah and I made some homemade pretzels a few weeks ago and she was going to serve them with plain mustard. Gasp! And opportunity for cheese that was not being utilized. I whipped this sucker up with some sharp cheddar and it was perfect.
3) Baked mac and cheese. I think I quadrupled the recipe, added MOSTLY cooked pasta, put it all in a 9x13 dish with crushed saltines and more shredded cheese on top and put it in the oven for half an hour at 35o degrees. A huge success.

4) Baked potatoes. We had a family gathering a few months ago where we all had to bring our favorite baked potato topping- this was a HIT.
5) Plain. Not my proudest confession, but so good. I can't be ashamed of the cheesy goodness!

People have also suggested nachos, broccoli and cauliflower, french fries, with eggs, or on sandwiches. I'm sure all of the above would be delicious. Try this recipe, experiment with your own blend of cheeses, and tell me what you would use cheese sauce on!