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| Kary's take Mac and Cheese |
Last week a
Facebook post by Carla over at Chocolate Moosey caught my eye. Not only did the
picture make me hungry but any recipe that mentions French Onions catches my
interest, so of course I had to make this recipe.
As you know, I am inspired by other peoples recipes and if I don't have all the ingredients in my fridge or pantry I substitute ingredients
with what I have on hand, also with what I can find at my local
markets.
So here is my take on Carla’s yummy recipe. Thank you Carla for sharing!
So here is my take on Carla’s yummy recipe. Thank you Carla for sharing!
First I have to
admit that I have never made Macaroni and Cheese from scratch, so this is a
first for me. We had
planned a swim with our family at our Casa and firing up the grill.
I know most wee ones love the Mac and cheese; as it turned
out the adults, including me devoured this dish; so to say it was a success is
putting it mildly. And the wee ones were more interested in the corn on the cob, guess they are use to the box mac & cheese...
A bite of Mac and cheese, bacon, toasted bread crumbs and caramelized
onion, Oh my gosh a blending of flavors so delicious…You have to try this!
I doubled the
recipe and we had enough to send home some with the family. I also had some left
for two lunches this week and I tossed in grilled chicken breast…what can I say
yummy!
In preparation for Saturday I stopped by my
local Trader Joe’s and as I was staring at the pasta trying to figure out which
pasta to buy one of the staff suggested the Italian Pennette. I love this store, everyone is
always happy to help and oh so joyful!
Here’s my take on
Carla’s French Onion Macaroni and Cheese, with a dash of bacon!
4 slices of Black Forest Bacon, All Natural Dry Rubbed Bacon (from
Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup of butter
1 small sweet yellow onion, sliced
8 ounces Trader Joe’s Italian Pennette
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup 2 % milk – My cheese mixture was really thick as I cooked it
so I added about an additional ¼ cup of milk
1 cup Gruyere and white Cheddar cheese blend, also found at Trader
Joe’s. Shred the cheese
Dash of Salt
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
Cut the bacon
into bite size pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the
bacon from the skillet and retain about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the
sliced onions to the skillet and cook on medium on the stove top for about 20
minutes until caramelized to a golden brown, use a spatula to turn the onion
every couple of minutes. Slow cooking the onions really brings out the
sweetness of the onions. When the onions are golden brown set aside and keep
warm.
Add the
remaining bacon fat to the skillet, should be around a tablespoon, melt and
stir in the bread crumbs, cook until brown. Watch closely and make sure you
don’t burn the bread crumbs. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
Cook the pasta
per the instructions on the package, use a colander to drain the pasta when
done.
While the pasta
is cooking add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet you have been using and
melt the butter. Once the butter is melted stir in the flour, slowly stir in
the milk (I warm the milk for about 15 seconds in the microwave, cold milk will
cause the warm butter and flour to be lumpy). Bring to a boil and continue to
stir for about 3 to 4 minutes then stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until
the cheese is melted and blended in.
In a large
serving dish add the drained pasta and stir in the cheese and milk mixture. Top
with the bacon and breadcrumbs. I did not have any parsley which was in the
original recipe so I omitted it.
We served the
macaroni and cheese and left it to each of us to top with the cooked onions.
I will be making
this again and again. My book club buddies are going to love this!
Just cook
something! Cheers! Kary~
Do you have a
favorite Macaroni and Cheese recipe? I would love to hear about it. Thank you
for stopping by!
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