Dress Up Your Mac and Cheese

OK, so I know this post has a Sandra Lee-type feel to it. I'm really not a big fan of her Semi-Homemade show, but when when you have a box of Mac and Cheese, there are some things you can do to make it really tasty. This should be by no means regarded as a healthy recipe, but it tastes yummy.

-1 box of Mac and Cheese (I used Trader Joe's Wisconsin Cheddar)
-1/2 cup of Bread Crumbs
-2 or 3 tbsp Olive Oil
-Handful of shredded cheddar/jack blend
-1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk, depending how thick you want it
-2 pads of butter (I use Earth Balance vegan butter, it tastes just as good)
-3 heaping tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano
- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne Powder
-Freshly ground pepper
-1/2 tsp of dry Mustard

Preheat oven to 475.  In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and olive oil. Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and set aside.  In the warm pot, pour in the milk, cheese powder packet from the box, 2 pads of butter, and the handful of shredded cheddar/jack blend.  Stir until cheese is melted.  Then add the spices. Stir and add pasta until coated.  Pour into a buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with the breadcrumb mixture and place in oven until the breadcrumbs start to brown.

**If you use the Trader Joe's Mac and Cheese it already has butter in the mix, so you can omit the butter if you would like.