We're Pregnant!!!!

As of today, I am 7 weeks and 4 days pregnant!!! Due date is set at October 11, 2009 so clear your calendars.. it's going to be a fun 7 months!! We are so lucky that we were able to get pregnant so quickly. Our families & friends are ecstatic for us and our baby is going to be so loved. We are truly blessed!

Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

This recipe is from Ultimate Recipe Showdown: Comfort Food on The Food Network!

Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated Fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.
Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.
Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.
Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.
Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

-----

So this was a very interesting experience... I could not find Gruyere or Fontina cheese at Kroger so I ended up just getting a bunch of different cheeses. haha I also did not have heavy cream OR whole milk so I used evaporated milk and 2%. I didn't realize that this would be an issue until I was mixing the milk in and it ended up making GRAVY!! hahaha So I could not strain the mixture and ended up just mixing it all together. It was a pretty intense recipe (for me) and it was tasty but I think I could find something else easier.

Southwestern Soup

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (16 oz) cans light red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes & mild green chiles, undrained
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes & jalapenos, undrained
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
2 cups frozen yellow & white whole kernel corn
1 (1 oz) envelope taco seasoning mix
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Directions
Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10-12 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink and onion is softened.
Drain.
Stir in kidney beans, next 8 ingredients, and 4 cups water.
Bring to boil over medium-high heat.
Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Stir in cilantro just before serving.
Top with sour cream.

-----

I made this and served with cornbread. I think next time I'm going to use less liquid and make as a chili. My mom & dad were in town this weekend and gave it 4 thumbs up! Said it would taste great on nachos! Def be making this again and again!! Thank you again, Southern Living!