{"id":824,"date":"2014-02-17T12:25:18","date_gmt":"2014-02-17T20:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/?p=824"},"modified":"2014-07-09T20:07:02","modified_gmt":"2014-07-10T03:07:02","slug":"homemade-mac-cheese-with-bacon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/?p=824","title":{"rendered":"Homemade Mac &#038; Cheese with Bacon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What is it about mac and cheese that makes it the ultimate comfort food? \u00a0I don&#8217;t know, but I am a fan of anything that has to do with cheese. \u00a0Seriously.<\/p>\n<p>The other night I made homemade chicken nuggets based on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.skinnytaste.com\/2011\/04\/healthy-baked-chicken-nuggets.html\" target=\"_blank\">this recipe<\/a> from Skinnytaste. \u00a0Oh my gosh, they are delicious! \u00a0And super easy&#8211; I highly recommend giving them a try. \u00a0I really wanted to have macaroni and cheese with them, but we haven&#8217;t had any of the boxed stuff in the house for a really long time. \u00a0It actually doesn&#8217;t take much to make homemade mac and cheese, and I found that I had all of the ingredients on hand. \u00a0(Even though we are at the end of our grocery cycle&#8211; meaning we need to go shopping\u00a0<em>soon.<\/em>) \u00a0Here are the ingredients I threw together to make mac and cheese:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cheddar cheese (about 1 1\/1 cups)<\/li>\n<li>Parmesan cheese (about 1\/2 cup)<\/li>\n<li>A little over 1\/2 a bag of wide egg noodles (about 8 oz)<\/li>\n<li>Chopped onion (however much you like- I used about 1\/4 cup)<\/li>\n<li>1\/4 cup of butter<\/li>\n<li>Milk (about 2 cups)<\/li>\n<li>1\/4 cup of flour<\/li>\n<li>Seasonings of your choice (I used <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alpinetouch.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Alpine Touch<\/a>, salt, pepper, and garlic powder&#8211; and I did not measure)<\/li>\n<li>4 strips of bacon<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7124c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-888 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7124c\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7124c-1024x755.jpg\" width=\"614\" height=\"453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7124c-1024x755.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7124c-300x221.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7127c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-889 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7127c\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7127c-923x1024.jpg\" width=\"554\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7127c-923x1024.jpg 923w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7127c-270x300.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" \/><\/a>Extra cheese, please.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u00a0I don&#8217;t really measure unless I&#8217;m strictly following a recipe, so that&#8217;s why everything says &#8220;about.&#8221; \u00a0Really, it&#8217;s up to you how seasoned you want it to be, how salty you want it to be, and how cheesy you want it to be. \u00a0Mine came out super cheesy, which is awesome because I\u00a0<em>love\u00a0<\/em>cheese. \u00a0But you can always use less if you want.<\/p>\n<p>Preheat the oven to 350. \u00a0Then \u00a0boil water for your noodles. \u00a0While you&#8217;re waiting for the water to boil, go ahead and start the bacon. \u00a0I just cook my bacon in a regular skillet pan, flipping it back and forth until it&#8217;s crispy. \u00a0While you&#8217;re tending to the bacon, be sure to keep up on your noodles. \u00a0I use the wide egg noodles (I like to call them &#8220;casserole noodles&#8221;) and they cook fairly quickly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7129c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-891 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7129c\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7129c-682x1024.jpg\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7129c-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7129c-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Drain the noodles, set aside. \u00a0Set the bacon aside between paper towels to drain. \u00a0Throw the chopped onion into the skillet with the bacon grease and let them saute until tender. \u00a0Then, get a saucepan and melt the butter. \u00a0Add the flour and seasonings. \u00a0(Go crazy! I don&#8217;t usually measure seasonings, and I like to add whatever I like.) \u00a0Also, add the milk. \u00a0Bring to boiling. \u00a0Add the cheese and stir until melted. \u00a0Taste test to see if you want to add more seasonings. \u00a0Crumble or chop the bacon.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7130c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-892 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7130c\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7130c-1024x682.jpg\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7130c-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7130c-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7132.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-893 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7132\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7132-821x1024.jpg\" width=\"493\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7132-821x1024.jpg 821w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7132-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7133.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-894 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7133\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7133-1024x682.jpg\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7133-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7133-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7137.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-895 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7137\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7137-915x1024.jpg\" width=\"549\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7137-915x1024.jpg 915w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7137-268x300.jpg 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Put the noodles into a casserole dish. \u00a0Add sauce, onions and crumbled bacon. \u00a0Sprinkle the top with more parmesan cheese and place in the oven. \u00a0Bake until the cheese melts, or at least 10 minutes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7139c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-896 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7139c\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7139c-751x1024.jpg\" width=\"526\" height=\"717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7139c-751x1024.jpg 751w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7139c-220x300.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7143c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-897 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7143c\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7143c-800x1024.jpg\" width=\"528\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7143c-800x1024.jpg 800w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7143c-234x300.jpg 234w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 528px) 100vw, 528px\" \/><\/a>Take it out of the oven, and serve it up! \u00a0Oh, and I can speak from experience that this stuff is delicious the next day.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7147c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-898 aligncenter\" alt=\"IMG_7147c\" src=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7147c-682x1024.jpg\" width=\"477\" height=\"717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7147c-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7147c-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px\" \/><\/a>Yum.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Who knew homemade mac and cheese could be so easy? \u00a0I&#8217;m already thinking of other variations I want to do. \u00a0Different kinds of cheeses, adding some different vegetables, maybe some ham&#8230; the options are endless.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Have you made homemade mac and cheese?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is it about mac and cheese that makes it the ultimate comfort food? \u00a0I don&#8217;t know, but I am a fan of anything that has to do with cheese. \u00a0Seriously. The other night I made homemade chicken nuggets based on this recipe from Skinnytaste. \u00a0Oh my gosh, they are delicious! \u00a0And super easy&#8211; I&#8230;&#160;<a href=\"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/?p=824\">[Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[9],"class_list":["post-824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipes","tag-whats-for-dinner","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42QGB-di","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_7147c.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=824"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":936,"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824\/revisions\/936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsdontcollectdust.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}