Newlywed cooking.

Ashlee and I are working our way through The Newlywed Kitchen cookbook. It's fun because most of the recipes serve 2-4, so we're cooking only what we need, which has been a bit hard for me to grasp (I'm used to cooking for 11+ people-- 6 of them being boys!). There are some things I am going to skip over (and I know Ashlee is too), like the smoked salmon frittata. I wouldn't eat it to save my life.
Saturday night I made the Award-winning four-cheese mac-and-cheese. Any type of pasta with cheese melted over it is always a hit in our house, whether it be my MIL's delicious homemade recipe, a box of Annie's organic pasta, or elbows with some grated cheddar sprinkled on top. But this specific recipe was through-the-roof with onions sauteed in bacon drippings and white wine, and 4 not-so-ordinary cheeses melted together to form a rich, creamy sauce.

Here is the recipe for those who want to try it:

1T vegetable oil
4 strips bacon
3T butter, divided
3/4C finely chopped sweet yellow onion
2T flour
3T dry white wine
1 1/4C half-and-half (I had milk in the fridge and used that instead)
1 1/2t dried marjoram
3/4t chopped fresh thyme (I had dried on hand and that worked great. Just eye-ball the measurement-- it will be a little more than if you were using fresh)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2t freshly ground black pepper
1/4lb. fresh, whole-milk mozzarella, cubed
1/4lb. blue cheese, crumbled (we bought fresh, not packaged-- that's the stuff that is really stinky and processed. It was sandwiched between an extra-sharp white cheddar-- DELISH)
1/4lb. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/4lb. Gruyere, grated
Kosher salt
1/2lb. pasta (we used a whole pound. Again, we love mac-and-cheese)
1/2C bread crumbs
Chives or parsley, for garnish

Heat oil in large skillet. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, reserve drippings. Add 2T butter to skillet and chopped onion, sautee for 7-8 minutes. Stir in flour and wine, cook for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half (or milk :)), marjoram, thyme, red pepper flakes, pepper and cheeses. Stir until cheeses melt into a creamy sauce that begins to thicken and bubble. Salt to taste. Add cooked pasta and mix thoroughly to coat.
Toast bread crumbs in remaining 1T butter. Add generously with the crumbled bacom to top of pasta. Garnish with chives, if desired.

I'm really not one to measure everything out before I mix it together or pour it into a bowl, so I estimated everything and it turned out great. Obviously we had less than 1/4lb. of blue, because it was sandwiched between the cheddar. I also think it'd be great with more sharp cheddar added and, for less "stink" I'd substitute less Gruyere for that cheddar.

-A.H.