This past week, we attended an American Court and Commercial Newspaper Conference (ACCN), in Baltimore, Md. We stayed in downtown Baltimore, right across the street from the Chesapeake Bay.

We had a beautiful view from our room of the USS Constellation, which is now a permanently docked museum. It is a wonderful scenic view to look out over the water at the gigantic ship and all the neat little shops and restaurants they have built up around the bay.

I wanted to write a little about the history of the magnificent old ship, but that history seems to be quite lengthy. What I can generally summarize from the website (www.historicships.org/constellation) is the first Constellation, a frigate designed by naval constructors Joshua Humphrey, Josiah Fox, David Stodder and the superintendent of shipbuilding, Captain Thomas Truxtun, was built at the Sterrett Shipyard, Baltimore and launched on Sept. 7, 1797.

In 1797, the first ship of the U.S. Navy, the U.S.F. (frigate) Constellation was named for the flag of the Continental Congress. Because of her speed and handling, the Constellation became known as the “Yankee Racehorse.”

Thousands of sailors Americans serving aboard ships named Constellation have written a proud, illustrious and stellar history as they protected and defended freedom for both America and other nations around the world.

There is so much more than I could possibly write in this article so, instead, I highly recommend you tour the ship. You won’t regret it.

The only thing I can think of to improve the tour would be serving cheesecake and fried mac and cheese balls.

Well, I know, that last sentence threw you for a loop, so let me explain. We were also right across the street from the Cheesecake Factory, a definite nemesis to our diets! We had cheesecake for dessert after dinner, as a midnight snack, and one morning, even for breakfast! No kidding.

However, my recipe is about the fried mac and cheese balls the restaurant serves. We ordered these as an appetizer, but they could easily have been our dinner (with cheesecake as dessert). They are delicious, and would be an excellent party appetizer. So I decided to get a recipe.

This is a slightly different sample of the restaurant recipe, but no one will notice. It takes some time to make them, but they are delicious. This recipe serves about six (two each). Enjoy!

1 pound elbow macaroni

Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again and set aside.

In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into butter and, whisk, cooking about two minutes. Whisk the warmed milk into the flour mixture, working out any lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens (about two minutes). Remove from heat, add the cheeses, and stir until melted and smooth; season with salt and pepper. Mix cheese sauce into macaroni. Pour the mac and cheese into a shallow pan and refrigerate until cold, at least two hours.

Shape the cold mac and cheese into meatball-sized balls and place them onto a waxed paper-lined tray. Freeze overnight.

Beat the eggs and two tablespoons milk together to form an egg-wash. Pour the breadcrumbs into shallow bowl. Remove the mac and cheese balls from the freezer. Dip the frozen balls into the egg wash then into the breadcrumbs. Put the balls back into the freezer until you are ready to fry.

Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry the mac and cheese balls until golden brown and center is hot, about five minutes. Serve hot, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and marinara or Alfredo sauce for dipping.