Bacon Mac & Cheese

Up until about a year ago, I had had a subscription to Cooking Light Magazine for almost 10 years, but when it came up for renewal the last time, I broke up with Cooking Light. It is not that Cooking Light hadn't been good to me and provided me with lots of delicious food over the years (I can honestly say, there wasn't a recipe that I tried that I didn't like), it was just that over time, it's offerings became less and less appealing to me. I am not sure if it was the mile long ingredient lists, or the obscure ingredients for that matter, but I hadn't tried a recipe out of my last 10 issues....so it was just time to move on.

So it only figures that since I decided to go and break up with them, they have changed their format and started putting out much simpler (and more personally appealing) recipes! I saw this recipe posted on a couple of different blogs, and all gave it rave reviews. My current Mac & Cheese favorite was a stove-top version that I had gotten out of an older version of Cooking Light, so I was eager to try a new version. Let me just say one word about this version....WOW! This is hands down my new favorite Mac & Cheese, it is so simple, so delicious, and it came from a light cooking magazine; does it get any better?

Oddly enough, the item that I think gives this the most flavor punch is actually not the bacon, but the green onions! I happen to love green onions, and the flavor of them, mixed with the creamy cheese and the bacon was amazing! Another thing that I really liked about this recipe is the way that it reheated in the microwave, it came out really creamy, not clumping up like some reheated versions.

So with fall upon us.....it is time for some comfort food....and this certainly fits the bill!

And now I am left to ponder if I really should have broken up with Cooking Light after all!

Bacon Mac & Cheese

Adapted from Cooking Light September 2009

3 1/4 tsp. salt, divided

12 oz. elbow macaroni

4 tsp. flour

1 1/2 c. skim milk, divided

2 c. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 c. green onions, sliced

1 tsp. hot sauce

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cooking spray

Preheat broiler

Bring 6 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook al dente, drain.

Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk, bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes, or until it cools to 155 degrees. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart, broiler safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Philly Cheesesteak Mac & Cheese

When I came across this recipe on Krista's Kitchen a few month's ago, I just knew that I had to try it for it was bringing together two things that I really enjoy. Within a short amount of time, I had procured all the necessary ingredients, but, for some reason I just didn't ever get around to making it. I knew that I needed to get to it soon, or risk losing the cheese to spoilage, so I invited Laura, Whitney & Billy over to have dinner and watch So You Think You Can Dance.

I knew that the recipe was originally adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe, so theoretically, it was supposed to take just 30 minutes. Well I have tried some of her recipes in the past, and had yet to be able to get done from start to finish in under 30 minutes, so I started an hour before it was time to eat. But to my surprise, this actually came together really quickly and I was done before my guests even arrived! The part that took the longest was just getting the water boil in order to cook the pasta!

This pasta was rich, but not too rich, and the flavor of Philly really shined through. I served it with some garlic toast and steamed green beans. I would make this again, especially since the leftovers are really delicious....cold!

Philly Cheesesteak Mac & Cheese

adapted from Krista's Kitchen

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound bow tie pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 c. skim milk
3 c. Mozzarella & Provolone cheese, shredded
1/2 c. beef broth
1 pkg. Steak Umms slices, roughly chopped

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once the water boils, cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pot it was cooked in. While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onions to the pan and top them with a lid or piece of aluminum foil for 2-3 minutes, just to get them cooking. Remove the lid or aluminum foil and continue cooking the onions until tender and lightly caramelized, 8-10 minutes.

While the onions are caramelizing, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a medium-size pot. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook the mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture slowly and bring up to a bubble to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and reserve.

To the skillet with the onions, add the broth and the Steak Umms. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.Add the cheese sauce and the onion-beef mixture to the pot with the drained pasta and toss everything to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with additional cheese and parsley. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.