Steamed broccoli with cheese sauce

Of all the recipes we have made in my classes over the years, this one is by far the most requested. I have had students request a copy of this many years after graduating. So (insert drumroll!) here is my recipe for cheese sauce. It is adapted from an older edition of this Betty Crocker cookbook.

Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1 cup milk

1. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter or margarine. Use low heat.
2. Remove pan from burner. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir until no lumps remain. (It should look like a yellow paste.)
3. Add the milk stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Return the pan to the burner.
4. Continue stirring and cooking over medium heat until bubbles appear on the surface and the mixture thickens. Cook an additional 2 minutes to be sure flour is fully cooked.
5. Add 1/2 to 1 cup shredded or cut up cheese. Continue heating over low heat until cheese melts. Stir constantly.
6. Serve over hot, cooked vegetables. Can also be used over other foods like macaroni.

Some things I like about this recipe:

* It uses ingredients I nearly always have on hand. No grocery store trip is needed.
* It gets kids to eat their vegetables!
* Nearly any kind of cheese will work in this recipe. I prefer a processed cheese like Velveeta (and that’s what we usually use in class) because it melts smoothly. However other kinds work well also. It is a great way to use up little bits of shredded cheese that always seem to be left over. You can add several different cheeses for a different flavor.
* The recipe is easy to vary. You can make the sauce thicker by increasing both the flour and butter to three tablespoons. You can make it thinner using one tablespoon of flour and butter if you want to use it for a quick and hearty cheese soup. (Without the cheese, it could be a creamed soup.)
* You can add different ingredients and seasonings. For example, try adding a few green peppers or onions to the sauce.

If you are a former student and would like a recipe from class, please leave a comment. I probably have most recipes we have used over the years and would be happy to post your favorites.