May14

So the other day I had a phone conversation.

It went something like this.

Chocolatechic dials the number.

Store:  “Hello”

CC:  “Hello only grocery store within a 40 mile radius from my house that carries fresh fish.   Do you have any fresh tuna?”

Store:  “I don’t know.   Let me go check.”

CC:  …fiddles around on Farm Town…

Store:   “I’m’ sorry ma’am, we do not carry fresh tuna.”

CC:  Hangs up and brain explodes.

You see today’s BB recipe is Tuna Salad, and calls for 2 pounds of “very fresh tuna steak, cut 1″ thick”.

So, I did what any other female would do.

I opened up another tab, because I certainly couldn’t close out Farm Town, and went straight to the BB’s blog to whine and complain.

It is what women do best!

But Low and Behold, the lovely ladies over there had thought of everything!

They said we could backtrack on one recipe this month.

They had to have known I was coming.

So, I immediately knew which recipe I was going to do.

It is the one that pulled me into blogging Ina’s recipes.

Grown up Mac’n'cheese.

I am putting my changes in pink, ’cause I took Ina’s recipe and made it mine!

Super Yummy!

I’m so glad I’m a grown up.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used the bacon grease from baking the bacon~waste not, want not)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (poor man’s Gruyere~~Swiss)
• 3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (didn’t have any so I used regular)
• 2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled (again, didn’t have any, so I used Parmesan)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed (I used barbecue potato chip crumbs.   Perfection!)
  
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves (Who needs basil when you have BBQ crumbs?)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven – there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble (have Superman rip it up) when it is cool enough to handle.

Cook macaroni according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt the butter( or bacon grease) in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere,(Swiss) Cheddar, blue cheese,(Parmesan) 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size (1 big one~~’cause this serves 4, not 2.)gratin dishes.

Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. (blah..blah…blah…just crush up some BBQ chips and toss on) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

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