Author Lorelai James Shares Her Super Yummy Fried Mac & Cheese Recipe

[Note from Frolic: We’re so excited to have author Lorelai James sharing her amazing fried mac n cheese recipe on the site today. You can find this recipe and more in her new cookbook, Cowboy Bites!]

**About Cowboy Bites:**

Saddle up and get ready to ride again with the infamous McKay family!

New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James has whipped up six brand new Rough Riders short stories featuring fan favorite couples—Cord and AJ, Colby and Channing, Keely and Jack, Colt and India, Carter and Macie, and Boone and Sierra.

These slice of life tales are the perfect accompaniment to USA Today Bestselling author Suzanne Johnson’s delicious, down home recipes—family fare created to share round the table with love, laughter, and plenty of second helpings.

So kick off your boots, hang up your hat and prepare to stay awhile as you’re entertained and tantalized with Cowboy Bites!

Fried Mac & Cheese Bites Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups Bisquick

3 eggs

3 cups panko

Oil for frying

Salt and pepper

Leftover Mac & Cheese

Directions:

Heat oil to 350 degrees in a Dutch oven or deep fryer. Remove leftover mac and cheese from the refrigerator and cut into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, add the flour. Dredge each cube in the flour and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Freeze for one hour. Remove from freezer and dredge in the blended eggs and then the panko. Fry in the hot oil for 1 minute or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Mac & Cheese

1 box elbow macaroni

5 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and continue to boil for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through. Drain pasta and set aside. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter and gradually whisk in the flour until a roux forms. Add the heavy cream and milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Then, stir in the cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and cream cheese. After you have a smooth cheese sauce, stir in the pasta. Pour pasta into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.

LJ note: Okay, these are so freakin’ good I can’t even begin to tell you! This is another Beach Babes recipe I laid claim to as soon as I popped one of these in my mouth.

About the Authors:

Lorelei James is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of steamy westerns in the Rough Riders series and the Blacktop Cowboys® series, steamy romance in the Mastered series, contemporary romance in the Need You series and Want You series, and the New Adult Rough Riders Legacy series, as well as several stand-alone novels and novellas. Lorelei’s books have been nominated for and won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award as well as the CAPA Award. Lorelei also writes gritty mysteries under the name Lori Armstrong. Both she and her alter ego live in western South Dakota–yes, by choice–with her husband, and Copper, their crazy corgi who has made their empty nest more interesting.

USA Today bestselling author Suzanne Johnson is family trained, a south Georgia native who’s been cooking all of her life, creating not only some really unique food, but precious memories that re-occur every time she smells something simmering in the oven. In all of her books, Suzanne shows that making a delicious meal doesn’t have to be complicated–it just has to be made with love. So go ahead, don’t be bashful, dive right in. Who knows? You might just make a few memories of your own.