Baked Mac and Cheese

This is probably the best baked mac and cheese I have ever had.
It is Alton Brown's who is one of my fav on the Food Network.
It calls for Panko bread crumbs, but I used regular, and it was still amazing.
Enjoy.

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees .
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter.
Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes.
Make sure it's free of lumps.
Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika.
Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish.
Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat.
Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

The best Blondies!

So I never made Blondies before but always wondered about them.
I had guests over this weekend and decided to try bakingblonde's recipe
she had on her blog. I (and my guests) immediately fell in love with these
amazing treats. I added semi-sweet chocolate chips and pecans but I am
seeing the possibilities are endless.

Basic Blondies
6-7 TBS butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (optional, creates lighter blondie texture)

Preheat oven to 350.Line an 8x8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM.
In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 mintues.
Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth.
Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour and baking powder (if using).
Mix in any additions (some ideas below).
Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread
mixture in pan and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle.
Cool before cutting.