Snow Day Mac & Cheese (UPDATED)

All of my classes at both colleges were canceled on the 4th due to the weather. It had been snowing all day; we were supposed to get 6-8 inches total.

It was a nice surprise to have the day off, especially a Tuesday which is normally my non-stop 12-hour day. I wanted to cook something comforting & warming, so I decided to try another version of mac & cheese.

I wanted to try one of Paula Deen's recipes, but most of them call for sour cream and I didn't have any of that in my fridge. Instead, I created my own "ultimate" mac & cheese with what I had on hand. Luckily, I like cheese and had several options to choose from...including brie, shredded cheddar jack, swiss, muenster, Parmesan, and American.

Here's the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, I-am-not-digging-my-car-out-of-the-snow recipe:

1 pound pasta shells
1/2 cup shredded cheddar jack
1/2 cup muenster, cubed
1/2 cup brie, rind removed & cubed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
garlic powder
salt & pepper

• Cook pasta according to package, just to al dente, then drain & return to pot.
• Add butter to hot pasta & stir until melted. Add cheeses & cream. Season with salt & pepper.
• Pour into a buttered casserole dish.
• Mix together the bread crumbs, parmesan, & a dash of garlic powder. Sprinkle over pasta.
• Bake at 350 until cheese is melted & top is browned. 15-20 minutes or so.

The chunks of brie got melted so that every once in a while I'd get a tangy bite of brie. It was...interesting. Overall, it was a stringy-cheesy mac. Not my best, but satisfying on that blustery snow day.

So, I am STILL looking for that perfect mac & cheese recipe. I want it to be creamy, but retain a bit of cheesy-stringiness.

What's your favorite mac & cheese?