Alton Brown's Macaroni and Cheese

I'm not really sure when My mom came across this recipe, but it has been a family favorite since the first time she made it! It is quite possible that this is my most frequently made recipe in my box. It's easy to add things to it, or to modify.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese: Serves 6-8 people
1/2 lb elbow macaroni (I use all kinds of different noodles...)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 c yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf (mom makes it with this, I don't have them, so I never do)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (12 oz is a lot, especially on a college budget, so I usually just grate a whole big pile but I'm certain it's never this much..)
1 tsp salt
Pepper

*Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water to al dente
*While pasta is cooking, melt butter in separate pan over low, whisk in flour and mustard powder and keep it moving till the mixture bubbles.
*Stir in milk, onion, bay leaf and paprika. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
*Temper the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into mix and pour into a 2 qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
* Use 1 c bread crumbs to top (I had some stuffing mix that I needed to use today that I used instead and it was delicious!)
Bake for 30 minutes at 350*. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

You can see that the right half is a little bit red-- it's because I added salsa to that half! I also sprinkled the other half with Italian seasoning. Let me tell you: delicious!