Mac and Cheese with Broccoli Bites

Ingredients

• Serves 4-6
• 4 cups elbow macaroni
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2-3 cups broccoli florets, (washed and cut into small pieces)
• 2 eggs
• 6 oz. milk
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground dry mustard
• 10 oz. cheddar cheese

Directions

1. To cook pasta, fill a large pot 2/3 of the way with hot tap water. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and stir with a wooden spoon to be sure noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
2. Turn the heat down, enough to maintain a boil and stir every so often to prevent noodles sticking. Do not cover the pot. After 8-10 minutes, take a piece of pasta out of the water, allow it to cool and do a test for doneness.
3. Bite into the pasta. If it is too hard to bite or you see a white center, it needs to cook a little longer. When it cooks all the way through it is ready and cooked el dente.
4. In the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water. Set the timer for 5 minutes and when it goes off, turn off the heat, put the pasta and broccoli into a strainer. Shake out excess water and put the pot back onto a cool part of the stove.
5. Add the butter and stir until butter has melted.
6. Meanwhile, in a another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, paprika, salt pepper and mustard.
7. Add to the cooked noodles and stir in. Turn burner to medium-low and heat, stirring as necessary and stir in the shredded cheese. Cook for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted in and the creamy sauce is cooked.
8. Serve right away.