By February. The Tulsa TV station wants another segment. Not a three-minute news spot — a full segment for a morning show. Eight minutes. Live. In my kitchen. A camera crew in my house, filming me cook, asking about the food bank, the blog, the cookbooks. Eight minutes of Kaylee Turner on television, in her own kitchen, with her own counter space, making the chicken and rice bake that started everything.
I said yes (the pattern holds — people ask, I say yes, then I panic). The segment airs in March. The producer came to do a pre-interview and walked through the house and looked at the kitchen and said, "It's so normal." She meant it as a compliment, I think. The kitchen is normal. It's not a TV kitchen. It's not a Food Network kitchen. It's a kitchen with laminate counters and a window and a cast iron skillet on the stove and a jar of wooden spoons and a fridge covered in drawings and photos and a whiteboard that still says "20K." It's normal. And normal is the point. Normal is what I'm selling. Normal is what fifty thousand people follow me for — the normalcy of a real kitchen in a real house with real food that costs real amounts and feeds real people. Normal is revolutionary when the food world is full of $200 stand mixers and truffle oil and imported parmesan. My kitchen says: you don't need any of that. You need a skillet and a wooden spoon and $3.47. That's it.
When the producer walked out and said “it’s so normal,” I went straight to the stove and made this. Not the chicken and rice bake — that one felt too on-the-nose, too tied up in the TV moment. I needed something that was just mine, just dinner, just Tuesday. Bacon Mac and Cheese is that recipe: it’s the one I make when I need to remember that the whole point is feeding people well without making it complicated, and that a laminate counter and a wooden spoon are more than enough.
Bacon Mac and Cheese
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 12 oz elbow macaroni
- 6 strips bacon, chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Crisp the bacon. In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
- Build the roux. Add butter to the drippings in the pan and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until the mixture turns lightly golden and smells nutty.
- Make the sauce. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5–7 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the sour cream, then add cheddar and mozzarella a handful at a time, stirring until fully melted and smooth. Season with garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt.
- Combine and finish. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to coat evenly. Fold in most of the bacon, reserving some for topping. Serve hot, topped with the remaining bacon and an extra pinch of smoked paprika if you like.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg