Let me start by saying I love bacon!! Sure I am one of those healthy eaters who is super conscientious of the things I put in my mouth but we all have our downfalls and normally for me those are bread, cheese and wine....however sometimes you need to throw another one in the mix and that could easily be bacon. I love the way it smells, the salty taste and the crispy texture!!! And I am sorry for those of you who think turkey bacon is equal its not and for my Humboldt folks veggie bacon is just down right disgusting I am sorry. Mom, please don't hurt me.



So when I saw this recipe for "Grown-up Mac N Cheese" in Sunset magazine I thought OMG yum!! I also thought hmmm I am over 18, just got carded in Vegas while standing on the casino floor because they thought I was too young to be there...yes I love that Asian woman who deals Let 'Em Ride and I actually know where to buy the cheeses they are talking about in this recipe. Now I know for some people the only true Mac N Cheese is Kraft but lets just be honest here you are wrong....down right friggin wrong!!! Sure this mac n cheese isn't that unnatural orange color and it doesn't have powder in place of cheese but holy heck its yum!! I love homemade mac n cheese...and this recipe will not disappoint as it has a great combination of fontina, Parmesan and Gruyere cheese which has a nutty texture and a great smoky and cheesy flavor. And for those of you who are anal about cheese like I am do not buy the already shredded pre-packaged cheese...shred it yourself!!!



This recipe is actually very easy and its the perfect comfort food for these few cold southern California nights. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Then cook the bacon in a separate skillet. I used kitchen scissors and cut it into bite sized pieces prior to cooking so once it was done cooking I could just sprinkle it on top of the mac n cheese. Then shred your cheeses and you can mix them together. Once the bacon is done cooking put the bacon on a paper towel to drain and get rid of all of the grease except 1T. Add 2T of flour and whisk then add 2 cups milk, but 1/4 cup at a time. Once that has become pretty thick add the cheese. Stir the cheese mixture into the pasta and cover with the bacon and chives. Oh holy yum!!! Random thought I did think it was weird that this recipe called for adding the cheese in 3 portions...who cares just add the cheese and stir.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful December. I just got back from Vegas last night as I was there running a 1/2 marathon...let me just say it was very strange being sober and drinking water in Vegas. And somehow I also decided to run another 1/2 marathon in Oxnard this weekend...please thing happy thoughts for me....and yeah now you know why I can afford to be eating a little extra bacon right now.