I can't remember if I mentioned this or not but a month or so ago I was at an estate sale with Lori...I really shouldn't go "saleing" with her because she always gets the good stuff before I even see it! Anyway, here we were at this house, loaded with garbage, and I spied a stack of cookbooks and magazines - Gourmet and Bon Appetit Magazines dating back to the 1960's! I immediately grabbed them - and at 10 cents a piece for the "newer" ones, those from the 80's and 90's and 25 cents a piece for the oldies, I was in culinary heaven! For the last several weeks I have pawed all through those magazines - marking pages of things I want to make and I hope to be able to share those recipes with you very soon - a good recipe never goes out of style you know!
The girl and I went downtown today to show Baby Max the big city - he loved it. And it loved him. We were walking down the street and I see this man, about a half a block ahead of us, drop his sunglasses. I hurried up the hill, picked up the glasses and tried to catch him...but I was wearing heals on a hill - do the math - no way was I going to catch him! He turned the corner and went out of sight. When we got to the same corner I saw the man standing a block down at the next corner - and this time it was downhill - so I hurried down to him, (I'm good on a downhill slope!) held out the sunglasses and said he had dropped them...he replied, "They weren't my sunglasses lady, I found them on the sidewalk, tried them on but didn't like them so I just tossed them...you chased me down for that?!?! Hahahahahahaha....." Idiot! Him for throwing sunglasses on the ground instead of in the trash or setting them on something where someone else could have found them and USED them - AND for making me, a do-gooder-extraordinare feel like a fool. Idiot! Me for chasing down a litterbugging-street-urchin.
This recipe was from a request to Bon Appetit by the Hollingsworths of Des Moines, Iowa after they had vacationed in Aspen and had dined at Bump's in the Tiehack Day Lodge - wonder if it's still there? The girl lapped it up - the boy pronounced it delish - but picked out all of the bacon because he's "no longer a bacon eater." I just don't understand that. Perhaps he's not really my son? The mister said is was too salty...there is just no pleasing that man. It was perfect...gooey, rich cheeses, soft macaroni noodles, crunchy bacon bits...what's not to love?! I was not in need of comfort food yesterday (the girl and I had a great day shopping, found lots of treasures!) but had I been, this would have hit the spot!
Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon - Adapted From Bon Appetit, December 1994
1 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup half and half
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups packed grated mild cheddar cheese (about 8 oz.)
2 cups packed grated Fontina cheese (about 8 oz.)
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 1/2 oz.)
12 oz. elbow macaroni
2 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Saute bacon in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Remove all but 1 tagblespoon bacon fat from skillet. Add garlic to skillet and saute until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk cream, half and half, yolks and nutmeg in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Add 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1 1/2 cups Fontina cheese and Parmesan and stir over medium-low heat until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Stir in bacon and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain and transfer to prepared baking dish. Pour sauce over and stir until pasta is coated. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/2 cup Fontina. Bake until sauce bubbles and top is brown, about 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs. Broil until breadcrumbs are golden brown, watching closely to prevent burning, about 2 minutes. 
"Iceberg lettuce is the polyester of vegetables." John Waters
