Lent

Our family is catholic, which means we have entered Lent, the 40 day season of soul searching and repentance. I've thought of lots of things about myself that could use some work~!

The kids are thrilled about this time because it also means no meat. They don't enjoy meat and this means that mom will stop forcing them to eat chicken or any beef dish for 40 days! The sky will fall if they eat a protein, right? Last night, we made grown-up macaroni and cheese and they loved it! Very hard to get an 8 and 11 year old to LOVE any foods, so this was a triumph! Here is the recipe I used from the Barefoot Contessa. Ina's recipes seem to be very rich, I couldn't do them all the time or I would be a bit round on the edges. I substituted the usuals; extra virgin olive oil, lowfat cheeses and milk and the recipe turned out beautifully.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
Vegetable oil (EVOO)
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

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 when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook 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 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, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size 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. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.