White Sauce

• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 tablespoons flour (white or whole wheat)
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup milk

Get out a quart-sized saucepan. Melt the margarine in it over medium heat. When the margarine is completely melted, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the flour. It will lump up a little bit, so keep stirring it until it is smooth. I use a whisk to do this, but a fork will work in a pinch. Add the salt and pepper and return the pan to the heat. Cook and stir until the flour/margarine mixture bubbles up and sort of sizzles for a moment or two. This step keeps the sauce from having a "raw" flavor, and also permeates the sauce with the seasonings. Gradually stir in the milk. Do it slowly, so it doesn't lump up. Lumpy sauce is not the most aesthetically pleasing, although it still tastes pretty good. So after you stir in the milk, cook the sauce over medium heat until it boils. Stir it quite often, to prevent it from lumping or burning. When it boils, cook and stir it for a full minute, and then remove it from the heat. It is now done. 

This sauce tastes really good poured over hot toast and eaten for breakfast. It is also used in many casseroles and a ton of other places. Once you've mastered this sauce, you officially know how to cook.  Whole wheat flour makes a slightly ruddier sauce, while white flour gives you the traditional smooth, bright white sauce. Both give good results so use which ever flour you prefer.

Cheese Sauce: Add 1/2 to 1-cup of shredded or cubed cheese to the sauce after it boils for a minute. I usually take it off the burner, add the cheese, and cover the pan. Then I let it sit in the middle of the stove for a minute or two, to soften up the cheese. Stir it up until the cheese melts. Serve anywhere you like.

Bacon Sauce: When the sauce is cooked, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vegetarian bacon bits. This is really good on baked potatoes and over toast.