Mac and Cheese

Photo is courtesy if Jason Joseph. I'm having a really hard time getting my pictures to show light in them, but Jason gave me a tip to point the camera upward? ;) Anywayyy, MAC AND CHEESE! Yummm, so we had kind of a potluck type dinner; Jason, Faye, Jake and I worked on the mac and cheese. Nate graciously grated all the cheese. Faye and Jason worked on the appetizer, then Megan and Jake made the delicious dessert. However, this post is just for the mac and cheese. I got the recipe from Josh because last time he made it, it was divineee. =) BUT, I made a crucial mistake...I forgot to add the parmesan cheese!! Well, it was still good; we live and we learn. I'll post the CORRECT recipe though.

Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon Salt
16-ounce package macaronia
1/4 pound bacon (about 3 large slices)
1 medium onion diced
6 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf (we didn't use this)
1 1/2 cups grated fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated gruyere
3/4 cup grated white cheddar (australian)
3/4 cup grated parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup break crumbs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Butter the 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish
3. Cook macaroni in a large pot.
4. In another pot, saute diced bacon until crisp.
5. Remove bacon, leave the bacon drippings.
6. Saute onion in drippings until soft.
7. Add the 5 tablespoons of butter until it melts.
8. While mixing, add the flour until well mixed, making a roux.
9. Mix in the mustard.
10. Gradually add the milk and cream while mixing constantly.
11. Add thyme, bay leaf, and salt.
12. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for about 15 minutes.
13. Strain the hot milk mixture and discard solids (or use them in a different dish as Jason will be doing).
14. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina cheese, blue cheese, 1/2 cup gruyere, 1/2 cup white cheddar, 1/2 cup parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley.
15. Stir until all cheese is melted.
16. Add cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat.
17. Add the noodle mixture to baking dish.
18. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumps together and sprinkle on top of the noodles.
19. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
20. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
21. Serve!

Gosh, mac and cheese not from the box is a lot of work! But WELL worth it. Now, I have four recipes lined up to make this week! We'll see how many I actually do. But there's rosemary chicken, peanut chicken, soy ginger salmon, and hot wings! Wait for it. ;)