fancy mac and cheese

mac and cheese is one of my favorite dishes. and you can still have it if you've given up shopping at the super market or eating food out of boxes. all mac and cheese doesn't start with elbow macaroni and powder cheese! phew.

first i want to take a moment to share my knowledge of macaroni. i am in super debt from the culinary school escapade so let me use what i learned! macaroni is the name for dried pasta, as opposed to fresh pasta. fresh being pasta that you make, let sit for a second, then throw in the pot. that pasta takes 30 seconds to cook, dried pasta, as you know takes longer. if you've never made your own pasta is incredible. it tastes ridiculous and, like baking bread, gives you this sense of wonder and excitement that you created something that you thought you only buy at the store. no one makes bread or pasta, they buy it! but someone made it and you can too! but for the time being we'll use this great pasta that i found at august that is made in chicago. you can also you pasta puttana but it's not bite-sized. 

all that to say, mac and cheese is just dried pasta and cheese. so you don't have to limit yourself to elbow macaroni and cheddar cheese. just because kraft says that's mac and cheese does not mean that's the only way. plus kraft says a lot of things that aren't true. so let's leave them now. 

pasta - penne is my favorite - i think it stems back to this time in my life when i would go to the market city caffe with my friend natalie and have fancy lunches. back when we worked so much and had nothing to spend our money on because we didn't drive and had no bills. we would always order chicken penne with cream sauce, no broccoli, every time. plus i really don't like slurping up spaghetti, it's unlady like. 

cheese sauce...

i got this recipe in an hilarious place. from a 'friends' cookbook. like the tv show. there are a lot of stupid recipes in there but this one is really great.

1 cup milk

3 tbs butter

1 1/2 tbs flour

1 1/2 lb of cheese -- any kind! i used a mixture of this ridic goat cheese and some cheddar

dash of cayenne pepper

start boiling the water for pasta.

heat up milk in a small pan.

melt butter in another pan until foamy. 

add pasta to water.

stir in flour and cook for two minutes.

slowly whisk in milk, until smooth.

continue cooking on low heat until mixture turns to cream (about five minutes)

add cheese, salt and pepper to taste and a little cayenne. 

drain pasta. put back in pot and pour cheese all over it! 

for extra fanciness add tuna! this is a far cry from laurel's m'n'c dinner  but it is equal if not better in taste... 

enjoy!

love,

keighty