memories in the making
a moment in timeIt’s funny the things that stick in our minds from our youth. The simplest of events, common objects we’ve elevated, certain sounds or smells, cherished foods. When it comes to things we absolutely loved to eat, when revisited in adulthood do they ever taste as good as we remember?
While some dishes are best left on memory lane, there is one that has haunted me in relentless pursuit. Macaroni and cheese. Perhaps the simplest of comfort foods is incredibly difficult to replicate. Crispy brown on top, crackling on the bottom, creamy dreamy in the center.
I can’t tell you how many versions of mac and cheese I’ve made over the years. Some start promising then once baked become grainy and tasteless. A few months back I stumbled upon a recipe promising to replicate Stouffer’s.
I don’t know about you, but if you started high school in the mid-70’s, Stouffer’s frozen macaroni and cheese was a late-night phenomenon. My best friend’s mother used to drive to the Stouffer’s headquarters in Solon, Ohio and pick up cases to put it in their deepfreeze. Can’t count the number of post-party nights we would convene in their kitchen waiting for our little plastic trays to bubble and brown in the oven. Was it so good, or was it bonding under those turquoise cabinets? A bit of both for sure!
I made this Stouffer’s inspired version over the Fourth of July for a family cookout at our new Utah home, Here’s the recipe for creamy baked macaroni and cheese. Be sure to read the bottom of this post, because this dish wasn’t the only thing to make a lasting memory that weekend.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add one half pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally until just past al dente. Drain and set aside.
Return the empty pot to the stove over medium heat. Melt one-quarter cup butter and simmer, whisking occasionally. Add one-quarter cup flour and cook, whisking, until smooth, about one minute.
Whisk in three cups milk. Raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then immediately reduce the heat to low and continue simmering until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, two to five minutes. The sauce should be smooth and relatively loose. Remove the pot from the heat.
Whisk in a quarter teaspoon mustard powder, one eighth teaspoon onion powder, a pinch of cayenne, a big pinch of kosher salt and several grinds of black pepper.
Whisk in one half pound of grated cheddar, four ounces of torn Velveeta, and two ounces of grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Whisk until melted and smooth.
Add the drained pasta, stir until the pasta is evenly coated in the cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Transfer to an 8”x 8” baking pan or 6-8 cup dish. At this point the pasta can either be baked immediately, covered and reirrigated for a day, or sealed and frozen for up to three months.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until bubbling at the edges and brown on top, 20 to 30 minutes.
And now for a real memory maker. For some reason my 20-month-old grandson in LA thinks I have a firetruck. Not sure where that came from, but every time he sees one, he exclaims “Meemo’s”!
One of the great things about living in a small town is that you can interact and approach people you never would in a big city. Knowing that that my grandson was coming to stay with us I reached out to the Park City Fire Department to see if by any chance I might come by a station to say hi and if they would be kind enough to bend the truth and say that one of the fire engines in the house was mine. They responded with a resounding “of course, come by any time”!
The Saturday after the fourth we jumped into the car and headed off for an “adventure”. When we arrived at Station 37 firefighters Ron and Hudson not only greeted us at the door, they asked Lincoln if he wanted to drive Meemo’s fire engine!
Up the two of us went and with lights flashing we pretended to drive around. My grandson was paralyzed in awe. It was as if he had walked into the bathroom and saw Santa Claus brushing his teeth and the Easter Bunny in the bathtub.
I can’t thank the Park City Fire Department enough! This outing, just like the mac and cheese, is one we will all remember for years to come.