Do you Roux?

     When I initially started cooking more from scratch, I had no idea what a roux, or white sauce, was. Turns out I had been doing it for awhile and simply forgot that it was a white sauce I was making. I primarily did it to make creamed peas, but now I use it to make my cheese sauce.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup of milk

Melt butter over medium low heat. Mix in flour once butter is melted. Add in milk and turn up on high. Let it boil for about a minute and then turn it back down to a simmer. I try to stir periodically as I do this. It should thicken and become a white sauce. I will also add a pinch of sugar for the creamed peas along with salt and pepper.

Now when I make the cheese sauce, I double the the ingredients and I will leave it on high and toss in the cheese. The amount of cheese I use varies now because I no longer measure it out, but about half a block to 3/4 block. I'm a frugalnista so I don't buy pre-shredded cheese. I guess you could use 1/2-1 cup of cheese. I cut it up into small cubes before adding it to the roux so it melts down faster. After it starts to melt down, I turn it down to medium heat and continue to whisk occasionally until all the cheese is melted. Then turn it to warm until you are ready to add it to whatever you are making. Enjoy!