For a quicker mac n cheese, I do something similar to Chris Kroeker, except I don't use Velveeta. I use mainly sharp cheddar, with gouda, parmesan, havarti or Monterrey Jack added in sometimes. I add butter and milk to make it creamy.
But if time is not an issue, the absolute best is baking it like my husband's grandmother did. Easter dinner was not complete without her baked mac and cheese. I don't have an actual recipe with amounts, but here is an approximation:
Cook macaroni to al dente and drain. Starting with macaroni, layer it with 3 - 4 thin pats of butter, a generous sprinkle of flour (1 -1 1/2 TB depending on size of baking dish), a sprinkle of salt, pepper and garlic powder (opt) and a very GENEROUS layer of thin to medium slices of cheese. You can shred or grate the cheese, but it's not necessary. Then pour milk on to almost cover it all. Bake at 350 for about an hour. You can cut the time a bit by pouring on heated milk instead of cold.
I usually do 3 layers, ending with cheese, but the bulk of cheese goes in the middle with less on top. For holiday diners with several people, I use a 3 quart Pyrex bowl for about 1 to 1 1/4 pounds of macaroni and about 3/4 to 1 pound of sharp or extra sharp cheddar. If I add any other cheeses, I may use about 1/8 to 1/4 pound of them total, because we prefer the cheddar. The 3 qt takes more than an hour to bake if the milk isn't heated first. Maybe an hour and a quarter? Of course, starting with a smaller amount would be best. No sense wasting a lot of food if it isn't liked.
I'm sorry this is so vague. I checked allrecipes.com to find a similar recipe, but they mostly made the cheese sauce in a pan, then poured it on the macaroni and baked it. It truly is not necessary to make a sauce separately. The finished product is not as smooth, but it sure is tasty!
