We have a winner...

Soooo I told you yesterday that dinner was one item on Scott's 'not a fan' list.  What would you think that would be??

Hummus with tabbouli?  Nope...he loves it.

Polenta with pumpkin, spinach & white bean?  Nope...we have this at least once every few months.

Instead on Scott's short list of non-favorites, the one that I had yet to crack was......ready????....

MAC & CHEESE!

I KNOW!  In the gaggle of foods we've learned to cook & love since we started living together, that is one food I could never sneak on the menu without a crinkled nose and a "eeeeeeh."  (the other being CHICKEN POT PIE, which I think he's finally come around toJ)  But when I spotted this recipe for Cheesy Couscous in Rachael Ray's magazine, I thought I might finally have found the components to welcome 'mac & cheese' into our houseJ

The main selling point was that we weren't having MAC & cheese, but rather COUSCOUS & cheese!  This somehow made it 'safe,' and that is A-OK with me! 

While I boiled up some Israeli couscous for about 4 minutes, I also...

...crisped up some bacon and set it aside to drain... 

And into the 'bacon pan' went 1/2 bag of roasted corn & 3 chopped scallions.  I mixed it all together and let it cook for a couple minutes.

Once the couscous was cooked, I drained it and added it to the corn while I worked on the next part... 

THE CHEESE SAUCE!

Ohhhhh yesJ  First I made a quick roux by whisking together 2 tablespoons of melted butter & 2 tablespoons of flour.  Let that cook for a few minutes before adding about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 3/4 cup 1% milk.  Let this simmer for a few minutes to thicken up. 

Next, it was time to add the good stuff!  1 cup of cheddar cheese.... 

...and my secret weapons:  4 torn slices of smoked gouda, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkle of garlic powder & sea salt.   

ohhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhh.... 

Let it all cook together until the cheese is melted & the sauce is thickened.  And then it's time for.....

Couscous to meet cheese sauce.....yummmmmmmmmmmm! 

Oh man...could this even BE bad??  Smokey & creamy cheese sauce mixed with chewy couscous and studded with corn, scallions and BACON????  Talk about over the top while still feeling NOT too heavy.  LOVEEEEEEE this dish.  So much in fact that it's currently a struggle not to run to the fridge and chow down on the leftoversJ 

And guess who ELSE was a fan????? 

We have a winner!!!!!J

Soooo another 50+ degree day on tap for Jersey today.  So what's on the menu for tonight??  SOUP.  I'm just ALL sorts of messed up this weekJ  That snow sent me off and running for cozy ingredients....EXCEPT on the one day that snow was still on the ground....heheheheheheJ  Oh well, at least their all tastyJ

Have a good MIDWEEK everyoneJ