Best Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Today I received the best compliment a cook can get: a little girl I know asked her mom to get this recipe from me so she could eat it for her upcoming birthday. She ate it once, three months ago, at our house. I am bowled over with love. That, in a nutshell, is why I cook.

7 ozs Barilla Plus elbow pasta
8 ozs reduced-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (I used Lucerne)
1/2 c 1% milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/3 c panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp freshly grated Romano cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I use Trader Joe's - it smells like real garlic)
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray. Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, get a medium bowl and stir together milk, eggs, sour cream, mustard, salt and cayenne. Set aside.

Drain pasta; return hot pasta to pot. Add cheese to hot macaroni. Stir milk-egg mixture into macaroni-cheese mixture. Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Romano cheese, garlic powder and oil in a small bowl until blended. Evenly sprinkle crumb mixture over macaroni; lightly spray with nonstick spray. Bake until filling is hot and topping is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.