I love Mac and Cheese!!

Have you ever been to Yardhouse??!!


It has the best Mac and Cheese I have ever ever eaten...serious love happening when I'm anywhere that has that restaurant.  Seriously.  It's dangerous.  And since I love mac and cheese just a little too much I'm always looking for a good recipe to make at home.


I think maybe my love for mac and cheese came from my Grandma.  Every family dinner she made the best mac and cheese.  All the kids loved it!  I can still remember everything about her mac and cheese...the casserole dish she served it in was round...it was really creamy...and tasted soooo yummy!  The one thing I never knew was the recipe...haha!!  I should see if my mom or one of my aunts know it.  I'm sure it was a pretty simple recipe, but I loved it!


In the spring my niece was selling magazine subscriptions as a fundraiser for something, so I ordered the everyday FOOD magazine and have loved it!!!  The first one I recieved in the mail was the best.  And every month since has had soooo many great recipes.  When I get my copy in the mail I immediately sit down and look through the recipes.  If there are any that I like (usually a lot of them) I fold down the corner of the page.  Then when I'm thinking about my meals for the week I try to make at least one or two of my new recipes.  I have found some of our new family favorites this way...more recipes I'll have to share at another time....  Anyway...tonight for supper I tried "Emeril's three-cheese baked macaroni."  It was a huge hit!  At first Maguire wasn't too sure about it and Ryker was more interested in his peas, but once they each had a bite I couldn't stop them.  Maguire was eating off Ryker's plate and trying to get mine...it was a little crazy.  haha!!


Okay, enough blabbing from me.  You probably think I'm obsessed with food.  Really I'm not.  Promise.  Here is the recipe.  *make sure to read the changes I made at the end!

coarse salt
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 slices of bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 large eggs
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

1.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni 6 minutes (it will be undercooked).  Drain.  Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium and add bacon.  Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.  With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon mixture to a medium bowl.  Add Macaroni and stir to combine.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and evaporated milk.  Add 1/2 tsp salt, cayenne, nutmeg and cheeses; mix well.  Add macaroni mixture and stir well to combine.  Transfer to a casserole dish.  With a spoon, gently spread mixture to form and even layer.  Bake just until sauce is bubbling at edges, 12 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.


* I made a few changes of my own though...they include:

- I didn't have any bacon, so I used the bag of real bacon bits from Costco instead (hmm...I didn't think about it, but are they Gluten Free Dana??).  I didn't measure how much I used, but probably about 1/4 cup.  I cooked the bacon in a frying pan for about 2 minutes and added the minced garlic.

-I also cut up some mushrooms and cooked it with the bacon and the garlic.

-I used milk instead of the evaporated milk.

-And I used our favorite GF Brown Rice fusilli instead of the macaroni noodles.  And I also cooked it a bit longer...more like 10 minutes in the boiling water.

-I cooked it in a 425 degree oven instead and cooked it for about 18 minutes.  I'm known to burn things, so I felt more comfortable cooking at a bit lower temp...haha!!

-I think it would also be soooo yummy with chicken added.  Then it would be like the mac and cheese at Yardhouse!!


Let me know what you think!!  We loved it!!!  And if you have a recipe you love...share it.  I'd love to try it!!