Deluxe Mac 'n Cheese (and meat!)

There are so many versions out there for macaroni and cheese. I suggest foodnetwork.com for a tasty variety. Here's one spin on the traditional meal - and may help if your kiddo doesn't want to eat their meat!

7-8 oz of cooked elbows (or whatever you have on hand. I use 1/2 a Costco box of noodles)

2 C cottage cheese - I like small curd

1 C sour cream - you can go light here

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 Egg, slightly beaten

1 Tsp garlic salt

Pepper to taste

1/2 - 1 pkg of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces

Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 350 deg F.

Cook your noodles and let them cool in the sink for a bit (in the colander of course!). Allowing them to cool helps whatever sauce (cheese in this matter) stick to your noodles better. In a separate bowl combine cottage cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Mix in noodles and then meat.

Now I use bacon because I love bacon. You can use almost any meat here: sausage, kielbasa, hot dog, turkey dog, crab, lobster. You can also use different types of cheese. You don't have to stick to cheddar. Use two cheeses! One sharp and one mild, one cup of each. Ahhhhhhh, the joys of cooking!

Pour your mixture into a 2 1/2 qt dish or a rectangle one. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. At this time you could also sprinkle some more bacon on top for a little extra crisp. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min or until heated through and cheese is melted.