Mac And Cheese Grilled Cheese With Bacon Two Ways Food

MAC & CHEESE GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan filled with boiling water, cook macaroni until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pot over low heat. Add milk and cheese packet and whisk well. Turn off the heat and return macaroni. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of cheddar and stir until the cheddar is melted and the macaroni is evenly coated in the cheese sauce. Remove from heat. Fold in bacon pieces.
• Assemble sandwiches: Butter one side of each piece of bread. For each sandwich, place one slice of bread buttered side down on a clean working surface or plate. Cover bread with cheddar cheese, then spoon macaroni and cheese on top. Sprinkle with more cheddar then top with one more slice of bread, buttered side up. Repeat process with remaining bread. (You may have leftover macaroni and cheese.)
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 1 to 2 sandwiches (or however many will fit) in the skillet and cook until bread is golden and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side.

MAC 'N CHEESE WITH BACON AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.

MAC AND CHEESE TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Cook pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to form a smooth paste. Cook for about 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. Gradually add the milk and the half-and-half and simmer until thickened slightly, stirring all the while. Remove from the heat. Stir in the 3 cheeses and season with black pepper, to taste. Add the cooked pasta and mix into the cheese sauce thoroughly.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the Classic Mac and Cheese:
• 1 cup coarse bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt
• Pour half of the mac and cheese into an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl toss the bread crumbs together with the melted butter, parsley, and salt, to taste. Top the mac and cheese with the bread crumb mixture and bake 15 minutes or until the topping has nicely browned and pasta is bubbly and creamy.
• For the Chili Mac and Cheese:
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• A few dashes dried red chili flakes
• 1 cup crushed yellow corn chips
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small lime, zested
• Stir the chili powder and chili flakes into half of the mac and cheese base. Pour into an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl combine the crushed corn chips together with the oil and the lime zest. Top the mac and cheese with the corn chip mixture and bake 15 minutes or until the topping has nicely browned and pasta is bubbly and creamy.

BACON MAC AND CHEESE GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and pour macaroni and cheese into it. Use a spatula to spread evenly and place in your Kenmore fridge until chilled (about 2 hours). , Butter one side of the white bread and place the American cheese on the non-buttered side. , Then cut a piece of the chilled mac and cheese that is slightly smaller to fit onto bread. , Top with 2 slices of bacon (I break mine into smaller pieces) then butter remaining slice and place butter side up on sandwich., Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat and add 2-3 Tbsp. of parmesan cheese. Place the sandwich on top of the cheese and cook for 2 minutes per side. Before flipping the sandwich, add another handful of parmesan cheese to the skillet then flip the sandwich on top. , Cook for 1 more minute then finish in a 450 degree oven for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and gooey.

GRILLED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Set up an outdoor grill for indirect cooking over medium heat. For charcoal, use coals on one side of the grill. For gas, shut off one side of the grill.
• Place an 8-quart cast iron Dutch oven over the hot side of the grill. Add bacon; cook and stir until it renders its fat, but doesn't crisp up, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onions and garlic; move the Dutch oven so only about half of the pot is over the heat. Cook and stir until onions start to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in milk and cook until hot, but not simmering. Melt in cream cheese.
• Stir in about a handful of Cheddar cheese at a time until 3 cups have been melted into the mixture. Move the Dutch oven to the cooler side of the grill. Stir in cooked macaroni. Crumble the cheese crackers over the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese.
• Close the lid of the grill and let cook until bubbly and reduced, about 40 minutes, rotating the Dutch oven every 5 minutes or so to keep from burning. Remove from heat and serve.

KILLER MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and set the pan over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Do not discard the bacon fat: Reserve that deliciousness!
• Add the butter and onion to the pan with the bacon fat; season with salt and cook until the onion is soft and aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly whisk in the milk, mustard and a few shakes of Tabasco. Season with salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 6 to 8 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the instructions on the package suggest. Taste it: It should be toothsome, with just a little nugget of hard pasta still in the center-this is al dente. Drain the pasta.
• Add the Cheddar, fontina and Parmesan to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, adding a little more milk if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in the cooked bacon and pasta. The mixture should be very creamy and flavorful. Serve immediately. (If making ahead, transfer to a baking dish or ramekins, then reheat in a 375 degree oven.)

GRILLED MAC N CHEESE SANDWICH WITH BACON

Steps:

• 1. Make mac and cheese with milk and butter according to directions on the box. If using cold leftovers, heat a tad in microwave, then combine with the crumbled cooked bacon.
• 2. Heat a non-stick griddle or sauté pan on med-high heat.
• 3. Butter one side of one bread slice. Sprinkle shredded cheese onto the buttered side of the bread with the intention that most of the cheese will stick to the butter.
• 4. Lay the slice, cheese side down on the hot pan. Some cheese may fall away. It might be a tad messy. That's ok.
• 5. Load a pile of the mac & cheese mixture onto the top of the bread slice in the pan. Spread out evenly on the bread.
• 6. Top with a second slice of bread. Press down a little with a spatula on the top bread. Spread butter on the top of the top slice of bread, and sprinkle more shredded cheese on it, like you did the first slice.
• 7. Toast on med heat the first side of the sandwich until golden. Don't burn the cheese. Flip over the sandwich with a spatula onto the second side. Again some of your cheese on the second side may fall a bit or be messy. This is ok. Brown the second side. Ready to serve.

BACON GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread 3 tablespoons butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place bread, butter side down, in a large skillet or electric griddle over medium-low heat until golden brown, 2-3 minutes; remove. In a small bowl, combine cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gruyere. In another bowl, mix together remaining 3 tablespoons butter, mayonnaise, Manchego cheese and onion powder., To assemble sandwiches, top toasted side of 4 bread slices with sliced brie. Sprinkle cheddar cheese mixture evenly over brie; add bacon. Top with remaining bread slices, toasted side facing inwards. Spread the butter-mayonnaise mixture on the outsides of each sandwich. Place in same skillet and cook until golden brown and cheese is melted, 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.