I learned to make this cream sauce when I was quite young. We ate a lot of creamed dishes at home. I used to hate to make it when I was a kid, thought it was deadly tedious. Now I do it without thinking.

Basic Cream Sauce

2 T butter
2 T flour
1 and 1/2 c whole milk, warmed

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan.
2. Work in flour until you have a smooth paste.
3. Add a very little bit of milk at a time, stirring constantly to keep it smooth.
4. Once you have added half the milk, and the sauce is smooth, add the rest of the milk all at once.
5. Continue to heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce comes to a boil.

Variations:

For Fish: add 1 T dried dill weed and 1 T lemon juice

For Pasta: add 2-4 T grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

White wine may be substituted for 1/2 c of the milk