next time i make this, i should consider integrating tips from
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_18422,00.html
and
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36316,00.html


   Macaroni and Cheese
   Adapted from Amanda Hesser's grandmother's recipe
   Ingredients:
   1/4 cup butter
   1/4 cup flour
   2 cups milk
   Around a cup and a quarter shredded cheese- either cheddar
   or Monterey Jack, or, my preference, a mixture of both
   Cooked macaroni
   1 cup cubed ham
   1 can Ro-Tel
   Bread crumbs
   Some  notes on the ingredients- I always grate my own cheddar, but buy
   pre-shredded  Monterey  Jack  because it's softer and mushes some when
   you grate it. The original recipe called for just 1 cup Monterey Jack-
   I  use  3/4  cups  cheddar  and  1/2  cup jack, to make it cheesier. I
   changed  the  butter  and  flour  measurements to thicken up the sauce
   (which  makes  a  big improvement). And I used Ro-Tel instead of 1 can
   Italian  tomatoes, but if you don't want your Mac and Cheese to have a
   kick to it, use Italian tomatoes. Oh, and drain it, duh. Also, I'm not
   sure  exactly  how much macaroni to use, but I use somewhere between a
   1/3  and  a  1/4  of  a box of Barilla. And about one piece of bread's
   worth of breadcrumbs.
   Heat  the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish (I use an 8 inch
   round one) with Pam, ideally butter flavored.
   With  the butter and flour, make a roux. Skip to the next paragraph if
   you  know what that means, but for those who don't, I'll explain. Melt
   the  butter  on a medium heat. Slowly, slowly whisk in the flour (pour
   in  a  small  amt. at a time) until it turns golden-ish. It's not that
   hard, honest. Just don't rush.
   Slowly  add the milk, splash by splash, whisking it in. Simmer a while
   and  keep  whisking and let it thicken some. Then, stir in the cheese.
   It  should  blend pretty readily. Add the macaroni. Then the ham. Then
   the Ro-Tel (or tomatoes).
   Pour  it  all  into  the casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs and some
   more grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until browned.
   This  dish  (well,  apart  from  the  breadcrumbs,  which  get  soggy)
   microwaves  really well. So if you're cooking it for just you, you can
   have  one  serving  now, and then three or four servings for lunch and
   dinner that week.