Memorial Day Fun

What a great holiday weekend! On Sunday, we slept in and had a great breakfast in the backyard while we finished our books from the day before. We had a crustless quiche (asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, and fontina cheese), fruit salad, and Andy's homemade biscuits:

We are so fortunate to live in a great area. Just a block from The Bungalow we have a Fresh Market, 2 coffee shops, a newstand, florist, about 6 restaurants, and several other little shops. Less than a mile up the road is a Village that has tons of great restaruants and shops. We took Eli up to the the Village, and we went into a few shops and stopped for a GIANT sno cone for the walk home. Eli was a little too poped out to finish the walk home, though, so Andy had to carry him:

We puttered around the house, worked out, and ran a few errands. We had a "date night" where we made a special dinner. I had been swooning over the bread I saw on the Pioneer Woman, and we made that, along with with a pasta dish inspired by her lemon pasta and the Smitten Kitchen's asparagus, lemon and goat cheese pasta. It was a delish meal!!

Please note the clearance sticker on the bottle of wine, LOL. Let's take a close look at that pasta:

Today we went over to Momma Smith's for a cook out with the family. I was request to bring mac & cheese and chocolate chip cookies:

Here's today's recipe --- Simple Baked Mac & Cheese

16 oz cavatappi pasta, cooked and drained

6 tbsp butter

6 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 cups 1% milk

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 onion, cut in half again

3 garlic cloves

1 1/3 lbs of cheese, grated -- I used 1/2 lb of 75% reduced fat Cabot White Cheeder, 1/2 lb Jack, and 1/3 lb Gruyere

Salt and pepper

Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta and set aside. In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Meanwhile, place milk in a sauce pan over medium-low heat and allow to scald. Once butter is melted, sprinkle flour and whisk into a roux. Let roux cook for 3-5 minutes until it reaches a tan color. Slowly whisk in milk. Add bay leaves, onion, and garlic and allow to simmer over medium for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves, onion, and garlic, then stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Place pasta in a large baking dish sprayed with Pam, then add cheese sauce and stir. Top with Panko bread crumbs (be generous!). Bake pasta for 30 minutes, or until to top has begun to brown. To reheat, cover with foil and place in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.

I've tried many, many recipes but I've come to find this one is truly the best. Now, this version is called "simple" because it doesn't contain anything but the mac and cheese at the end, making it more kid-friendly than my "fancy" version. However, the bay leaves, garlic, and onion really give the sauce great depth that the grown-ups enjoy.