{Recipe} V-day Mac & Cheese Soup

I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine's Day, regardless of whether it was spent with that special someone, friends and family, or even snuggled up by yourself on the couch watching chick flicks!  I'm a firm believer that Valentine's isn't only for those of us in relationships, but rather a celebration of love in the broadest sense and a reminder to let those close to you know that you love and care about them.

Unfortunately, this Valentine's Day I was stuck at work and then in class until 9:00pm {those love-sapping lecturers!}.  But, when I got home I arrived to the most beautiful bouquet of  St Joseph Lilies and two of the most gorgeous looking miniature apple strudels.  I sure am getting spoiled good these days!

Although it was a tad late, once I got home I set out to make Val's delicious-looking Mac & Cheese Soup.  I varied the recipe slightly, and served it with grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough.  It turned out deliciously yummy, and only took about an hour to prep, cook, and serve!  But boy, let me tell you, this recipe is only for very special occasions, or very cold winter evenings.  I don't even want to know the calorie count and Jurgen and I both felt like huge oompa-loompas afterwards.  Still, if you're looking to splurge, have picky kiddos, or are craving comfort food in the best kind of way, this recipe is for you!

Mac & Cheese Soup

You Will Need:

• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• Cooking spray
• Salt & Pepper
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 cup diced shallots or spring onions
• 1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 packet of bacon

Method:

1) Bring pot of salted water to a medium boil.  Add macaroni and cook as directed on the package.  Set aside.  Grill bacon in a separate pan until nice and crispy.  Dice bacon and set aside. 

2) Mince spring onions, carrots, and celery in a food processor {I don't have one so I just diced them}.  Melt butter in a medium pot (or large saucepan) and then cook veggies until tender.

3) Add flour to veggies and cook, stirring 2 minutes.  Gradually stir in broth and add macaroni noodles.  Bring to a boil, and stir until thickened {6 to 7 minutes}.  Remove from heat.

4) Add in milk, cheeses, and spices, and stir until cheese is completely melted.

5) Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle bacon over the top.

Enjoy!

Note: If you haven't been to Val's Blog before, I recommend stopping by - her recipes are amazing and also usually pretty simple.  About half of my weeknight recipes come from her!

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And on a completely different note:

These are the beautiful lilies Jurg surprised me with yesterday, and they are making my flat smell so good!

It's little things like this that never fail to make my day :)