Easy Peasy Fancy Adult Mac N Cheese

Had a lot of fun making the mac n cheese last night. Got to try a recipe for the second time and in doing so learning how to make it taste and come out even better than the first time!

Even brainstormed with our dinner guests how to make it EVEN better!
This is enough for 4 people and I had about one serving extra for leftovers. We served our fancy mac n cheese with a small side spinach salad (small because I didn't have enough spinach! Sorry guys! Just more room for the main course right!?)

Next time I will try adding Chorizo dry sausage. Sounds really good. 

I have photos of the dish right out of the oven that I will update soon. Also the Chicken Noodle Soup recipe from yesterday.

Fancy Adult Mac n Cheese (serves 4) - Prep time: 20min Cooking time: 20min Clean up: 15min

8 slices of peppered bacon

salt/ pepper/ cayenne pepper (to taste)

3/4 of a small box of elbow macaroni

2 cups of milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 of a 1 lb block of shredded medium cheddar cheese (was still super good without sharp cheddar, it can be so expensive!)

1 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese( I found it in the fancy cheese section after hunting around for it)

3 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed (pulse in the food processor till fine crumbs to top the dish with before going in the oven)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (You can wait a bit to do this step if your oven heats up really fast)

1.Cook the bacon layered between paper towels in the microwave and cook on high for 3-4 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Remove carefully! There will be hot grease on the plate/paper towels. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

2.Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

* Have all your cheese shredded before you start to heat the milk*

3.Heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it! While the milk is getting warm, melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, 20 seconds on high or longer on a lower power setting.  While the butter is still hot stir with a fork, adding the flour. While whisking, add the butter/flour mixture to the milk on the stove in the sauce pan and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. On low heat, add the shredded  cheeses slowly in small handfuls, adding more as it melts into the milk mixture, add1 teaspoon salt and pepper and other spices you prefer. 

4. Place the cooked macaroni into a 9 x 13 inch baking casserole dish and pour over the top the finished cheese sauce, you can tell if its still to liquid like milk if you haven't added enough cheese. Keep adding more if your cheese sauce is still too thin. Then add the crumbled bacon and stir well.

5.Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top. (I check mine at 15min)