Mac & Cheese My Way

The other day I got a chain email the "Holiday Recipe Exchange" it was called. It took me a little while to think of a something I would make "in a bind and with few ingredients", then it dawned on me. Mac & Cheese my way.

I made this last Friday when I had only a little time to prep for a few girlfriend visiting. Its great for entertaining because its a basically a complete meal in itself. I served it with some roasted-garlic sauteed string beans (I love the thinner haricot vert. I get these frozen from Trader Joe's).

Ingredients:

1 Shrimp bag of cooked and de-veined jumbo shrimp
1 Pack of Turkey Bacon
3 cups of Shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
3 tablespoons of Flour
1 1/2 cup of Milk
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Butter (I always like to use unsalted, it helps control the flavor)
1 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp Nutmeg

Instructions:
Pre-heat broiler (if you have a high-low setting, set to high)

Defrost shrimp overnight, but if you don't have time, you can run it under cold water for a few minutes. I prefer to remove shrimp tails for easier eating, some like to leave these on.

Cook pasta, strain, add olive oil and set aside.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crunchy. Set this aside to cool. Cut this into small pieces (kitchen scissors make this a breeze).

Using the same skillet (using this will help bacon flavor enhance the sauce), gently melt the butter and olive oil. Once this has melted, add flour and mix together.

Continue to mix, allowing the flour to cook. This will take approx 2-3 minutes.

When the flour and butter mixture is finally smooth, slowly whisk in milk.

Continue to mix until milk starts to bubble and mixture has begun to thicken. Add the cheddar cheese a hand full or so at a time, whisking until smooth each time. Continuing to mix, add the Parmesan cheese.

Once all the cheese has melted and mixture is smooth, add nutmeg and cayenne.

In a large bowl combine the cheese mixture to the cooked pasta. Add bacon and shrimp. Lay this mixture in a large greased pan. Place this in the broiler until the top is browned and appears crunchy. Then its ready to eat!

Enjoy hearty goodness!