Four Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

RIA’S FOUR CHEESE MACARONI AND CHEESE
Contributed By Ria

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 16oz package elbow macaroni (I prefer Barilla's "pipette" pasta)
9 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese*
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese*
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese*
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese*
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
8oz cubed processed cheese food (Velveeta)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons butter; stir into the macaroni.

3. In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees Celsius)

5. Add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture, cubed processed cheese food, and eggs to macaroni; mix together and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased 2 1/2 quart casserole dish (I just use a 9x13 glass Pyrex pan). Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2-cup of cheese mixture and 1 tablespoon butter.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes of until hot and bubbling around the edges; serve.

*shredded Muenster cheese is extremely difficult to find. Rather than get a block of it and shred it myself, I just substitute Kraft's 4-cheese blend that's made to melt. The mixture is the two Cheddars, Monterey Jack, and Provolone I think. (Can't remember and I'm too tired to go look.)*