Baked Mac and Cheese and Cabin Fever

Cabin fever is setting in and it's starting to get a little uncomfortable.  These little teasers of 70 degrees one weekend and waking up to a foot of snow and 10 degrees is becoming exhausting.

My husband is convinced he's never going to see a golf course again this year.  Trust me, I am praying that green grass shows up sooner than later! There is only so much remodeling construction at our home, in one weekend that any of us can handle right now.

He has rigged up his own hitting net in our garage that is on a pulley system and can be stored up to the ceiling or down, for his daily practice shots.  It is actually a very clever system and I'm really impressed how he did a DIY practice range in our 3rd car area.   It's however, a miracle my car has not taken a ball yet!

Since our garage is quite chilly this time of year, he has a personal propane heater that I got him for his birthday.  It's amazing how warm these little babies get.

He also did a DIY of this (I actually have no idea what this contraption is).  It looks important.  He took a lot of time in making it and he uses for practicing in the garage.  I only know that I keep tripping on it, while trying to get to/from my car.

My husband is ready to go with whatever the weather brings....on the left, his "clicgear" golf bag buggy, and on the right...the ever necessary snow shovel.

Let me also just state for the record that I did not hang that mirror up for me to check myself out before I leave for work in the morning.  That is my husband's mirror which we scored at Goodwill for $2 !!.  He was told to hang it in the practice area, so he can see his swing form.  

While he continues to practice his golf, I continue to practice new recipes.  This one came to me from my youngest daughter.  She has made it three times at our house now, and it just gets better and better.  She takes half the pan back to her school, and leaves the other half for me and husband to enjoy during the week.  It truly is one of the BEST homemade versions we've enjoyed.

The BEST Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

Courtesy of Mom On Timeout

16 ounces Cellentani pasta (or elbow macaroni), cooked

1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

6 Tbl unsalted butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded

salt

pepper

1-1/2 cups panko crumbs

4 Tbl butter, melted

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp smoked (or regular) paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a large 3qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside.  Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.

Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions.  Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl.

Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta.  Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.

In a medium bowl, combine the sharp cheddar and Gruyere cheeses together.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven, or stock pot.

Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minutes until bubbly and golden.  

Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth.  Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes.  Whisk in salt and pepper.

Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth.  Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth.  Sauce should be nice and thick at this point.

Stir in the cooled pasta until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.

Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish.  Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then the remaining mac and cheese.

In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika.  Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Serve immediately.

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