Beer Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon & Caramelized Onion

Hiiiiii. I'm back. I survived finals, after some blood sweat and tears. I had a merry Christmas and I hope all y'all did too. I'm home on break and have baked countless cookies and read too many fluffy YA novels.

I also made this:

I think most of us like a nice bowl of mac n cheese, right? And whether you prefer yours to be homemade or out of that cute little blue box, there's something comforting about it. It's delicious.

I can't leave well enough alone though, so I added some stuff to mine. Bacon. Beer. Caramelized onion. They sing in harmony and create a nice, savory blend of flavor. It's truly a delight, and was fun to eat while listening to Mariah sing about giving away her heart on Christmas.

I highly recommend making this. I mean, really, you deserve it.

Trashed-up Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
1 box macaroni, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dark beer**
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dry mustard 1 lb cheddar cheese (I used half extra sharp and half medium)
5 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
1 onion, sliced thinly and caramelized (see below)

1. Start out by making a roux. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the flour, stirring. Once thickened and slightly browned, add the beer, milk, and spices. Stir.
2. Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture boils. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, then add cheese.
3. Stir until cheese has completely melted.
4. Add bacon and onion.
5. Carefully fold in pasta, then pour into a buttered casserole dish.
6. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees. The top will get brown and crunchy.

To caramelize onion:
Slice thinly, then add to a skillet with 1 tbsp butter or oil. I used the leftover bacon grease. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are nicely browned (not burned). This took about 20 minutes for me.

**if you don't want to use the beer, just add the same amount milk instead