Mexican Style Mac and Cheese served with Sangria

For 2016 I have decided to go a new direction - I want to give you a close up look at my design process and my life. This is more of a warning than anything! So there you have it, you have been officially warned.  Welcome to the megMORGAN blog: the mad ravings of a HUNGRY (wine induced) Fashion Designer.  You might get to hear about design process insights… or just about what I crave when I’m designing, who knows!  I sure as hell don’t.
 
With that I would like to jump into my first post: How to drape fabric correctly to a bodice... Nope, not today... Fashion Sketching, not yet. No let’s start with something very close to this southern girl’s heart, and my love handles.
 
Mexican Style Mac and Cheese served with Sangria
 
Pre heat the Oven to 350 degrees
Butter a 9 x 13 in baking pan
 
Produce:
Cilantro 1/4 cup
Garlic 3 Cloves Chopped
3 Jalapeno thinly sliced for extra spice
1 Whole Onion thinly sliced
 
Condiments:
1 can (10 oz) of diced tomatoes with peppers
Olive Oil for drizzling
Tabasco 1 tsp (or 2 if you can take the heat!)
 
Meat:
Thick cut Bacon (Cook until almost crunchy and chop to bite size lil bits of heaven)
2 eggs Beaten
 
Pasta & Grains:
12 oz Macaroni (1 bag)
 
Baking & Spices:
Salt 2 tsp
All-Purpose Flour 1/4 cup
 
Dry Seasoning:
Chile Powder 4 tsp
Ground Paprika 2 tsp
Cumin   ½ tsp
 
Dairy:
Butter, Unsalted 4 tbs
Cotija Cheese 2 cups (1 to sprinkle before bacon and 1 with the cheese sauce)
Queso Fresco 5 oz
Monterey Jack Cheese 2 cups
Whole Milk 2 cups
Half and Half 1/2 cup (that’s a lot of halves!)
 
 
Step 1: Prep
 
Pour yourself a glass of sangria (go ahead! we all know food cooks better when the cook is happy)
 
Cook the noodles and set aside
 
Cook bacon and set aside
 
Beat 2 eggs in a small bowl and set aside
 
Using the bacon pan (wipe out the extra grease) sauté the onions, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro and plop in the can of diced tomatoes. Once done set aside. We will call this concoction our Veggie mix… or to keep with the Mexican theme… Our colorful Veggie Fiesta!
 
Step 2: Make the cheese sauce:
 
Melt 4 tbs of butter in a large pan on medium low heat and slowly mix in the flour.  (Wisk it… wisk it real good… cue the Salt-n-Pepa)
Now pour in the milk and wisk some more (it helps if you sing... Or just wisk until it’s thick and bubbly, your call).
 
Add salt and pepper (the spices this time) and a few dashes of tabasco
 
Take about 1/4 of the hot cream sauce and mix into the eggs (this will keep them from turning to scrambled when you add them to the pot heating on the stove)
 
Add the egg/hot cream sauce mix back to the big pan
 
And now you can get cheesy with it mmmmmmmmmm
Add all the Queso Fresco, Monterey Jack Cheese, and half the Cotija Cheese
 
 Mix in the noodles and its one cheese lil side dish; now all you need is the spice
 
Add the spices (side note, I don’t measure… Yes I’m one of those cooks. So make sure to taste test and add more if needed!)
Chile Powder
Ground Paprika
Cumin  
Tabasco
 
This is a good time to try your pasta, if you like the heat add more Tabasco. (This is when I have to tell myself NOT to make a big bowl and curl up on the couch… the finished product is worth it! Trust me, work through the temptation!)
 
 
Step 3: Get your layering on
 
Give your baking dish a good wipe down with good old olive oil just to make sure nothing sticks
 
Now let’s get layering!
 
Veggie Fiesta
Half the Macaroni
Bacon
Cotija cheese
 
Repeat all the layers ending with a layer of bacon and Cotija
 
Step 4: Get cookin’ sister
 
Bake the macaroni for 30 min or until it’s nice and bubbly on the sides
 
Step 5: nom nom nom
 
Let it cool for… oh who are we kidding dig in!
 
Plate and sprinkle cilantro to top for garnish
 
Now top off your sangria and enjoy!!