Baked Macaroni with Salmon and Chard

Really, there are few things that make me happy like mac-n-cheese. From the good ol' blue box of Kraft to a gourmet mac with lobster and truffle oil, the effect is basically the same. From the very first bite, your mouth thanks you and your brain sends a message to the rest of your body that something in the world is right and good. Even though you know you will regret it the next day, for a few minutes with that little plate of of pure goodness everything else fades away and you are momentarily transported to another dimension. What... I'm alone in this? 

This dish is comfort food with a couple healthy ingredients that ward off a bit of the guilt that come with eating cream and cheese. Creamy pasta, smoked salmon, and chard play nicely together in a one dish dinner. Low fat it is not. But if you're going to have pasta, some omega 3 from fish and all the goodness of a dark leafy green help balance things out. Swiss chard is not the most popular item in the produce section, but I've come to really love it over the last few years. Like all the other dark leafy greens, it is one of the healthiest vegetables grown on the planet. You could use rainbow chard if your market sells it. (It has red or yellow stalks instead of white ones.) I've sauteed it with garlic and olive oil as a side dish or thrown it into soups. Its leaves have the texture of spinach but taste a bit more like collard greens without the bitterness. As cool as kale has become lately, sometimes you want a more delicate texture in a green. I do love kale, but I feel like Swiss chard gets overlooked because of his fellow dark leafy friend.

SHOPPING LIST:
-8 ounces medium shells pasta
-4 tablespoons butter, divided
-1/4 cup flour
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon paprika
-1 1/2 cups of milk, room temp & divided
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
-1 cup each smoked white cheddar and gruyere or another melting cheese (2 cups total)
-smoked salmon, flaked
-2 cups chopped chard
-1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Boil the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and return to pot with a splash of cream and a tab of butter to keep from sticking.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and salt. Stir constantly over medium heat for about four minutes until flour is cooked and slightly brown.

4. Slowly add and stir in 1 cup of milk. Whisk until any lumps dissolve. (Using room temp milk will help this to be less clumpy. Like that technical term?) Stir/whisk for 7-8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add paprika, nutmeg, and mustard.

5. Remove from heat and add in the cheese, stirring until melted.

6. Add pasta, chard, and flaked smoked salmon to a buttered casserole dish.

7. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir gently. 

8. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and combine with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top.

9. Bake for 30 minutes until cheese sauce is bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. 

Well, my due date came and went, and I am on week three of bed rest. Not fun by any means...Standing in the shower makes my back hurt so badly that I have to take extra strength Tylenol to cope. Walking is minimal, and my knees (which were in bad shape pre-pregnancy) feel like they might give at any moment...And if one more person says to "enjoy sleep while I can",  I might smack them in the face. Sleep?? I haven't slept in a month. Between back pain, Braxton Hicks contractions, and peeing every hour, I haven't had a good night's sleep since 2012. At least when the baby comes, I'll have a cute cuddly reason to be awake instead of a whole bunch of bodily issues.
Oh, and I've spent about 10 hours collectively on two failed attempts at a DIY mobile. That was enough for a a crying spell in this house...If only I still had some of that mac and cheese (which was made a few weeks ago) to comfort me in my misery.