Rachel Ray's Bacon Burger Mac N Cheese

So I love macaroni and cheese, and we were watching some Rachel Ray episodes on Netflix, and Aaron said he was interested in trying this.  Aaron interested in homemade macaroni and cheese?  Heck yes :).  So I made this the next night, and it was a hit at our house.  We all gave this a 9, and while it doesn't really taste like mac n cheese, it does taste like a bacon burger, so win there, and Aaron really liked it, so win win :).  I found the recipe here, and I followed it pretty closely.  Here's what I did, and each serving was 572 calories for 12 servings.

1 lb elbow macaroni
salt
12 slices bacon, chopped
4 T reserved bacon fat
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 c beef broth
3 T Worcestershire sauce
6 T butter
5 T flour
3 c milk
4 1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 c ketchup
about 1/4 c mustard (more or less to taste)
2 T sweet pickle relish
1 T hot sauce (I used a little less Tabasco)

Top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, some reserved bacon, and/or pickles

Cook the pasta in well salted water, then drain and set aside.
Cook the bacon until crisp, then when finished cooking remove to a papertowel lined plate.  If you have more than 1/4 c bacon grease, remove some of it.  Add the ground beef, then add in the onions and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the beef is cooked and the onion is softened, then add in the broth and Worcestershire and reduce the heat to low.
In a large pot, make a roux with the butter and flour, then add in the milk, whisking the entire time.  Season well, then add in the cheese, and stir until melted.  Add in the ketchup, mustard, relish and hot sauce.  Combine this with the pasta, then combine that with the meat and most of the bacon (or all the bacon if you don't want any to sprinkle on top).  Serve with desired garnishes.

Cook's Illustrated Macaroni and Cheese

So this is comfort food, and probably my favorite recipe for homemade mac and cheese in the world.  Guess where it's from...Cook's Illustrated.  I know, I am totally predictable, but I do like their recipes so much.  Anyway, I don't follow their recipe exactly, so this is how I do it, and unfortunately it is a calorie bomb.  Each serving is 567 calories, and it is pure deliciousness :).  We all gave this a perfect 10, except Aaron who gave it an 8 because he doesn't like home made mac n cheese.  Here's what I do:

1 lb macaroni
salt
5 T unsalted butter
6 T flour
1/2 t dry mustard
5 c milk (whole milk is what I used)
12 oz (3 cups) grated Monterey Jack cheese
12 oz (3 cups) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Cook the macaroni in well salted water until the pasta is tender.  Drain it and set aside.  Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot and whisk in the flour and mustard.  Continue whisking as the mixture becomes fragrant, then add the milk, bring it to a boil, and then let it thicken, whisking, about 5 minutes.  Add in the cheeses and salt to taste, then mix in the macaroni.  Let settle about 10 minutes, then serve.

Anne Burrell's Killer Mac & Cheese with Bacon

This was a disappointment.  I thought this couldn't get any better, bacon and macaroni and cheese, but there just wasn't enough cheese flavor.  Everyone loved the bacon, but the mac and cheese was uninspired.  Oh well.  We gave this a 5, and we cut the recipe in half, which are the amounts I'm typing in here.  This recipe was found in Anne Burrell's Cook Like A Rock Star cookbook, and the calories for a serving were 442 for 6 servings.

1 T extra virgin olive oil
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 1/2 T butter
1/2 onion, diced
salt
1/4 c flour
2 c whole milk, plus more if needed (I added another 1/3 c in)
1/2 pound short pasta
1 c (3 oz) extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 c (3 oz) Fontina cheese, grated
1/2 c (1.5 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T Dijon mustard
Dash of sriracha (Anne suggests Tabasco or other hot sauce, I used the sriracha)

Cook olive oil and bacon in a pan.  Cook until crispy, then remove bacon to a paper towel.  Add the butter and onion to the bacon fat, season with salt, and cook until onion is soft.  Add the four and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk, season with salt, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream.  Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente; drain and reserve.
Add the cheeses to the milk mixture and whisk to combine, then add the mustard and hot sauce and taste to check seasoning.  Add a little more milk if the mixture is too thick, then stir in the bacon and pasta.  Serve immediately or transfer to a baking dish and reheat in the oven at 375.