It is appropriate that one of my best friends asked for a macaroni and cheese recipe. Thomas Jefferson reportedly brought a macaroni maker from Italy and served his baked macaroni and cheese at dinner parties. As former students at the University of Virginia, let's hope we do him proud with my version a classic. A couple of things to keep in mind when making macaroni and cheese. First: Cook the pasta to slightly less than al dente. Be sure to rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking process and eliminate some of the starch. Too much starch makes the sauce mealy. Some recipes use raw pasta. Raw pasta draws too much moisture from your sauce and can make it clumpy. Second: Take the time to make a white sauce (bechamel sauce). This allows the cheese to melt into that creamy decadent texture that separates boxed mac and cheese from a dish worth breaking your diet for. Other than these two items macaroni and cheese is a forgiving recipe that allows