Dual Domestication: Mac and Cheese

Dear valued blog reader, I apologize for my unannounced hiatus last week. Life intervened in the form of a few employment opportunities that deserved following up on, and though I don't think I am much closer to landing work, it was a worthwhile exercise in the interview process. I promise to renew my attention to this blog and will do my best to coax a few more posts out of LJ as well.

Speaking of LJ, if there is one food that she could gorge herself on until she became sick, that food would be cheese. Specifically Tillamook cheddar. We have visited mecca on a few occasions and for her it is like Christmas, her birthday, and the Superbowl all rolled in to one. For this reason I have been working to find the best homemade Mac and Cheese recipe in existence and I feel like I am finally getting close. Don't get me wrong, LJ isn't all that picky when it comes to eating Mac and Cheese. In college it wasn't uncommon to find six or eight boxes of Shells and Cheese in her pantry.

When trying to make Mac and Cheese over the past few years I've run in to a number of challenges. Some recipes were too gooey, some too dry, others too stringy, or not flavorful enough. I had all but given up until I stumbled across the Fannie Farmers Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe. With over 500 reviews and averaging better than 4.5 stars it seemed like a recipe worth trying.

From my own experience I knew I preferred a baked dish versus only making a cheese sauce to coat the noodles. I modified the recipe slightly to add onions and garlic to the beginning of the cooking process and I used extra sharp cheddar to increase the flavor. The results were pretty spectacular, though also a little artery clogging. Definitely worth making though in the middle of winter if you are looking for a little comfort food.