From January 31, 2015 comes this 

Cozy Food Friday Flashback!

It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring a recipe from the cozy mystery 

PLAYED BY THE BOOK

Book 4 in the Novel Idea Mystery series

by

Lucy Arlington

The New York Times bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries make their return with Lila Wilkins, literary agent and “murder magnet” planning a book signing garden party. But things aren’t coming up roses when she ends up trying to weed out a dangerous killer…

The owner of A Novel Idea Literary Agency is thrilled when former local boy and popular television show host Damian York returns to Inspiration Valley, North Carolina, to launch his new gardening book. But Lila is less than excited about the hubbub when she sees the mounting to-do list on her desk. Between planning York’s gala and sprucing up her yard for another event, she’s spread too thin—especially after she finds a skull buried in her flowerbeds.

As Lila’s macabre discovery leads to other secrets hidden in Inspiration Valley’s past, a member of the local garden club is found slumped over her prize roses—murdered with a garden spade. Now it’s up to Lila to dig through old mysteries and new clues to unearth a murderer before someone else is found pushing up daisies…

Trey’s Mac-n-Cheese with Bacon and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

 1 (8-ounce) package of penne pasta (elbow pasta or other like shapes are fine)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

½ cup half-and-half

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

5 slices of bacon, cooked

1 tomato, sliced thinly

¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Prepare pasta according to package instructions. (Best if cooked al dente.)

Cook bacon until slightly crisp, and cut into pieces. 

Melt butter in a large pot, whisk in flour and cook the mixture while constantly whisking. 

Whisk in half-and-half and milk. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens.

Slowly stir in all cheeses and mix until smooth. 

Remove the mixture from the heat and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg if desired.

Fold in pasta until all the noodles are completely covered. Stir in bacon pieces.

Pour the mixture into an 11x13 baking dish. 

Top with tomato slices and additional Parmesan cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and golden brown. 

Yields: 7-9 servings

NOTE: All photos, with the exception of the first, are from Google images.
Your finished dish may look different from those shown here.

I think this recipe still holds up today, 8 years later, don't you?