NANNIE-RONIS

Pronounced: Nan-ee-row-nees
From the Italian word: macaroni

I always call homemade mac n cheese "Nannie-ronis" because my Nannie always made this dish when I was a kid.  Still one of my favourite meals I sometimes make it for our lunches and this week I cooked it with a twist!

You will need:

1 1/2 cups of macaroni

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 green chili pepper (chopped and seeded)

3 pieces of bacon

1 cup of cheddar cheese

2 cups of milk

Cook the macaroni in a boiling pot of water until tender.  Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Fry the bacon, remove from the pan, and coarsely chop.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the chili pepper and cook for a few minutes.  Mix in the flour as a thickener and stir until smooth.  Add the milk and turn the burner up to medium-high heat.  When the milk is warm, grate and stir in the cheddar cheese.  Allow the cheese to melt.  Add the black pepper and bacon.

Place the macaroni into ramekins and pour the cheese sauce over top.  You may add a few cubes of cheddar cheese to this if desired.  Also, you may sprinkle breadcrumbs or crumbled soda crackers on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the cheese is bubbly.  Make sure you don't leave it in too long or the macaroni will be a bit crunchy.