cheesey pasta

we had pouring rain all day sunday & nothing is better on a cold, wet, gloomy day than homemade mac & cheese!  i've made this recipe about a million times and while it's not really nutritious at all (processed cheese, anyone?), but it is super creamy and cheesey and delicious!   

creamy four-cheese penne (modified from this recipe)
makes 8 servings (if you only eat a little at a time... i get about 6)

ingredients:

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 2/3 cups fat free milk

3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese (fontina works too!)

1/2 cup extra, extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated pecorino, romano and parmesan cheese blend

4 oz velveeta (or a similar processed cheese)

3 cups (give or take a little) of uncooked whole wheat penne pasta 

salt

cooking spray (i use olive oil in one of these)

step 1: preheat your oven to 375F.  boil your water for the pasta.  once the water is boiling add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes.

step 2: grate the swiss & cheddar cheese (a grater like this is super handy), cut the velveeta into chunks.  set aside.

step 3: in a large pot, add flour.  gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth.  over medium high heat, whisking constantly until the mixutre has thickened (8-10 mins). 

step 4: add the cheeses to the milk mixture, whisk until all the cheese has melted.

step 5: add the cooked pasta, stir until all the pasta is covered.

step 6: pour into a 2 or 3 quart glass baking pan.  place in oven & bake for 30 mins or until cheese is bubbling.

step 7: remove from oven.  let cool for a few minutes.  serve!

and that's dinner!  obviously this isn't real mac & cheese as i didn't use macaroni, but my trader joes didn't have any!  you could actually substitute almost any kind of small pasta with this recipe, whatever you already have will work.  whats your favorite rainy day meal?