This Thanksgiving, for some reason someone wanted macaroni & cheese.
That's not really something I associate with Thanksgiving, but this was
a split effort among three families, so I took on the macaroni & cheese.

I wanted to make it something different than just your average macaroni
& cheese. I didn't have a recipe, and I wanted to use smoked Swiss
cheese, but since I couldn't find any, I decided to use a couple of
cheeses I had not even tried before. Having my phone with me at the
grocery store, I checked the internet for good melting cheeses. I
decided to go with Gouda and smoked Havarti. I was also planning to add
crispy bacon, portobella mushrooms, portobella mushrooms and a white
wine reduction.

So that's what I did. I made a roux...a bit more than I needed for
flexibility, and I poured some of it into a double boiler for melting
the cheese into it. In a saute pan, I cooked chopped mushrooms in a
little olive oil until they were well done (I didn't want slices), then
I removed those, added a bit more olive oil and tossed some diced onions
in right when the oil just started to smoke a little. Once those were
done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay and reduced it until
it was about a quarter of a cup. I didn't want a bunch of extra liquid
in the cheese sauce, of course. It turned out nice and creamy...not as
creamy as Velveeta would have been, but it was still about what I
expected.

I had already baked three packages of Blue Ribbon brand hickory-smoked
bacon. I probably ate half of a package while cooking <blush>, which is
why I baked three packages. I wanted little bits of bacon in there, so
I tossed it all in the food processor and gave it a few spins. And
since this bacon somehow ended up with some little hard bits, I figured
that it would be good to soften them up a little with the cheese sauce.

So I mixed it all together and to me, it was taste bud ecastasy.

I had to actually make two dishes of it because there was one person who
I knew didn't like mushrooms. So I made a smaller dish just for her.
And her granddaughter and her boyfriend got the macaroni & cheese
without mushrooms, and they passed it to their grandfather. Four of us
ate the one with mushrooms.

One person said with some animation and enthusiasm, that LOOKS so good!
And, of course, the smell of bacon wafted out of the dish, which helped
the enthusiasm.

As it turns out, nobody got seconds, nobody moaned in ecstasy, and
nobody took any home with them, the third of which is fine. I don't
like hauling home leftovers either.

So.... I loved the stuff. I had never made it before and I didn't have
a recipe or anything. I just made it up and I wondered if I'm a victim
of cook's bias, or do you think a dish like this would really be that
bad? Usually, at our get-togethers, if something is good, people moan
and go "Mmmmmmmmm" and comment on how good things are. I didn't want to
just come right out and ask anybody what they thought of it. I figured
the silence was enough.

Note: This is Texas, I might add... and a small town where lots of
people like beans & cornbread, barbecue, chili, and foods like that. And
perhaps some silence was because one family was upset that their oven
had broken down and they had to bring the meat over to finish it off in
the house where we were eating. That also means that the macaroni &
cheese I made sat on the table untouched for about 35-40 minutes or so
before anybody got any.

What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
stuck with that. (Yuck.)

Damaeus

In news:rec.food.cooking, Damaeus >
posted on Fri, 28 Nov 2014 23:27:20 -0600 the following:

> So that's what I did. I made a roux...a bit more than I needed for
> flexibility, and I poured some of it into a double boiler for melting
> the cheese into it.

I know of this newsgroup's attention to detail. I didn't just use a
roux, but I turned it into bechamel before moving it to the
double-boiler. Sorry if there was any confusion.

Damaeus

Damaeus > wrote:
> This Thanksgiving, for some reason someone wanted macaroni & cheese.
> That's not really something I associate with Thanksgiving, but this was
> a split effort among three families, so I took on the macaroni & cheese.
>
> I wanted to make it something different than just your average macaroni
> & cheese. I didn't have a recipe, and I wanted to use smoked Swiss
> cheese, but since I couldn't find any, I decided to use a couple of
> cheeses I had not even tried before. Having my phone with me at the
> grocery store, I checked the internet for good melting cheeses. I
> decided to go with Gouda and smoked Havarti. I was also planning to add
> crispy bacon, portobella mushrooms, portobella mushrooms and a white
> wine reduction.
>
> So that's what I did. I made a roux...a bit more than I needed for
> flexibility, and I poured some of it into a double boiler for melting
> the cheese into it. In a saute pan, I cooked chopped mushrooms in a
> little olive oil until they were well done (I didn't want slices), then
> I removed those, added a bit more olive oil and tossed some diced onions
> in right when the oil just started to smoke a little. Once those were
> done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay and reduced it until
> it was about a quarter of a cup. I didn't want a bunch of extra liquid
> in the cheese sauce, of course. It turned out nice and creamy...not as
> creamy as Velveeta would have been, but it was still about what I
> expected.
>
> I had already baked three packages of Blue Ribbon brand hickory-smoked
> bacon. I probably ate half of a package while cooking <blush>, which is
> why I baked three packages. I wanted little bits of bacon in there, so
> I tossed it all in the food processor and gave it a few spins. And
> since this bacon somehow ended up with some little hard bits, I figured
> that it would be good to soften them up a little with the cheese sauce.
>
> So I mixed it all together and to me, it was taste bud ecastasy.
>
> I had to actually make two dishes of it because there was one person who
> I knew didn't like mushrooms. So I made a smaller dish just for her.
> And her granddaughter and her boyfriend got the macaroni & cheese
> without mushrooms, and they passed it to their grandfather. Four of us
> ate the one with mushrooms.
>
> One person said with some animation and enthusiasm, that LOOKS so good!
> And, of course, the smell of bacon wafted out of the dish, which helped
> the enthusiasm.
>
> As it turns out, nobody got seconds, nobody moaned in ecstasy, and
> nobody took any home with them, the third of which is fine. I don't
> like hauling home leftovers either.
>
> So.... I loved the stuff. I had never made it before and I didn't have
> a recipe or anything. I just made it up and I wondered if I'm a victim
> of cook's bias, or do you think a dish like this would really be that
> bad? Usually, at our get-togethers, if something is good, people moan
> and go "Mmmmmmmmm" and comment on how good things are. I didn't want to
> just come right out and ask anybody what they thought of it. I figured
> the silence was enough.
>
> Note: This is Texas, I might add... and a small town where lots of
> people like beans & cornbread, barbecue, chili, and foods like that. And
> perhaps some silence was because one family was upset that their oven
> had broken down and they had to bring the meat over to finish it off in
> the house where we were eating. That also means that the macaroni &
> cheese I made sat on the table untouched for about 35-40 minutes or so
> before anybody got any.
>
> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
> Damaeus

Meh. You made a honest effort to please your guests. You had no way of
knowing that they probably were accustomed to Kraft Dinner. If you pleased
yourself that's good enough in my book.

Picky eaters can cook their own food or starve.

"Damaeus" > wrote in message
...
> This Thanksgiving, for some reason someone wanted macaroni & cheese.
> That's not really something I associate with Thanksgiving, but this was
> a split effort among three families, so I took on the macaroni & cheese.
>
> I wanted to make it something different than just your average macaroni
> & cheese. I didn't have a recipe, and I wanted to use smoked Swiss
> cheese, but since I couldn't find any, I decided to use a couple of
> cheeses I had not even tried before. Having my phone with me at the
> grocery store, I checked the internet for good melting cheeses. I
> decided to go with Gouda and smoked Havarti. I was also planning to add
> crispy bacon, portobella mushrooms, portobella mushrooms and a white
> wine reduction.
>
> So that's what I did. I made a roux...a bit more than I needed for
> flexibility, and I poured some of it into a double boiler for melting
> the cheese into it. In a saute pan, I cooked chopped mushrooms in a
> little olive oil until they were well done (I didn't want slices), then
> I removed those, added a bit more olive oil and tossed some diced onions
> in right when the oil just started to smoke a little. Once those were
> done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay and reduced it until
> it was about a quarter of a cup. I didn't want a bunch of extra liquid
> in the cheese sauce, of course. It turned out nice and creamy...not as
> creamy as Velveeta would have been, but it was still about what I
> expected.
>
> I had already baked three packages of Blue Ribbon brand hickory-smoked
> bacon. I probably ate half of a package while cooking <blush>, which is
> why I baked three packages. I wanted little bits of bacon in there, so
> I tossed it all in the food processor and gave it a few spins. And
> since this bacon somehow ended up with some little hard bits, I figured
> that it would be good to soften them up a little with the cheese sauce.
>
> So I mixed it all together and to me, it was taste bud ecastasy.
>
> I had to actually make two dishes of it because there was one person who
> I knew didn't like mushrooms. So I made a smaller dish just for her.
> And her granddaughter and her boyfriend got the macaroni & cheese
> without mushrooms, and they passed it to their grandfather. Four of us
> ate the one with mushrooms.
>
> One person said with some animation and enthusiasm, that LOOKS so good!
> And, of course, the smell of bacon wafted out of the dish, which helped
> the enthusiasm.
>
> As it turns out, nobody got seconds, nobody moaned in ecstasy, and
> nobody took any home with them, the third of which is fine. I don't
> like hauling home leftovers either.
>
> So.... I loved the stuff. I had never made it before and I didn't have
> a recipe or anything. I just made it up and I wondered if I'm a victim
> of cook's bias, or do you think a dish like this would really be that
> bad? Usually, at our get-togethers, if something is good, people moan
> and go "Mmmmmmmmm" and comment on how good things are. I didn't want to
> just come right out and ask anybody what they thought of it. I figured
> the silence was enough.
>
> Note: This is Texas, I might add... and a small town where lots of
> people like beans & cornbread, barbecue, chili, and foods like that. And
> perhaps some silence was because one family was upset that their oven
> had broken down and they had to bring the meat over to finish it off in
> the house where we were eating. That also means that the macaroni &
> cheese I made sat on the table untouched for about 35-40 minutes or so
> before anybody got any.
>
> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
> Damaeus

I would have gone with the Kraft. The fact that somebody specifically
requested mac and cheese would indicate to me that there was a picky eater
there and they generally will eat that.

I can no longer eat cheese but I can tell you that I wouldn't have eaten
what you made. I love bacon but I generally don't like it in things. Green
beans and baked beans are exceptions. I don't like smoked foods at all and
I can't imagine wine or mushrooms in mac and cheese.

On Fri, 28 Nov 2014 23:27:20 -0600, Damaeus
> wrote:

> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese?

I've made macaroni & cheese with smoked cheese. I wasn't trying to
please anyone except myself and I didn't like it.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

"Damaeus" > wrote in message
...
> This Thanksgiving, for some reason someone wanted macaroni & cheese.
> That's not really something I associate with Thanksgiving, but this was
> a split effort among three families, so I took on the macaroni & cheese.
>
> I wanted to make it something different than just your average macaroni
> & cheese. I didn't have a recipe, and I wanted to use smoked Swiss
> cheese, but since I couldn't find any, I decided to use a couple of
> cheeses I had not even tried before. Having my phone with me at the
> grocery store, I checked the internet for good melting cheeses. I
> decided to go with Gouda and smoked Havarti. I was also planning to add
> crispy bacon, portobella mushrooms, portobella mushrooms and a white
> wine reduction.
>
> So that's what I did. I made a roux...a bit more than I needed for
> flexibility, and I poured some of it into a double boiler for melting
> the cheese into it. In a saute pan, I cooked chopped mushrooms in a
> little olive oil until they were well done (I didn't want slices), then
> I removed those, added a bit more olive oil and tossed some diced onions
> in right when the oil just started to smoke a little. Once those were
> done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay and reduced it until
> it was about a quarter of a cup. I didn't want a bunch of extra liquid
> in the cheese sauce, of course. It turned out nice and creamy...not as
> creamy as Velveeta would have been, but it was still about what I
> expected.
>
> I had already baked three packages of Blue Ribbon brand hickory-smoked
> bacon. I probably ate half of a package while cooking <blush>, which is
> why I baked three packages. I wanted little bits of bacon in there, so
> I tossed it all in the food processor and gave it a few spins. And
> since this bacon somehow ended up with some little hard bits, I figured
> that it would be good to soften them up a little with the cheese sauce.
>
> So I mixed it all together and to me, it was taste bud ecastasy.
>
> I had to actually make two dishes of it because there was one person who
> I knew didn't like mushrooms. So I made a smaller dish just for her.
> And her granddaughter and her boyfriend got the macaroni & cheese
> without mushrooms, and they passed it to their grandfather. Four of us
> ate the one with mushrooms.
>
> One person said with some animation and enthusiasm, that LOOKS so good!
> And, of course, the smell of bacon wafted out of the dish, which helped
> the enthusiasm.
>
> As it turns out, nobody got seconds, nobody moaned in ecstasy, and
> nobody took any home with them, the third of which is fine. I don't
> like hauling home leftovers either.
>
> So.... I loved the stuff. I had never made it before and I didn't have
> a recipe or anything. I just made it up and I wondered if I'm a victim
> of cook's bias, or do you think a dish like this would really be that
> bad? Usually, at our get-togethers, if something is good, people moan
> and go "Mmmmmmmmm" and comment on how good things are. I didn't want to
> just come right out and ask anybody what they thought of it. I figured
> the silence was enough.
>
> Note: This is Texas, I might add... and a small town where lots of
> people like beans & cornbread, barbecue, chili, and foods like that. And
> perhaps some silence was because one family was upset that their oven
> had broken down and they had to bring the meat over to finish it off in
> the house where we were eating. That also means that the macaroni &
> cheese I made sat on the table untouched for about 35-40 minutes or so
> before anybody got any.
>
> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)

Hey it was Thanksgiving! Good for you for making it special) If they
want the box stuff at home, let them have it but you went to a lot of
trouble to make it special and you sure did that) I guess you have
invented a super recipe you will repeat for yourself now)

Well done! Be Proud))


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 11/29/2014 12:27 AM, Damaeus wrote:

>
> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
> Damaeus
>

A few years back my wife did a similar thing. The kids has a couple of
friends over and she made a very good version with three cheeses, etc.
They ate some, but it was not the box crap they ere used to. Worth the
effort for the two of us, not for them.

374 mil ---> ~1/4 cup? Not 375 or 373? Want to be sure I get it right.
<g>

> Once those were
>done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay and reduced it until
>it was about a quarter of a cup. I didn't want a bunch of extra liquid
>in the cheese sauce, of course. It turned out nice and creamy...not as
>creamy as Velveeta would have been, but it was still about what I
>expected.
>
>I had already baked three packages of Blue Ribbon brand hickory-smoked
>bacon. I probably ate half of a package while cooking <blush>, which is
>why I baked three packages. I wanted little bits of bacon in there, so
>I tossed it all in the food processor and gave it a few spins. And
>since this bacon somehow ended up with some little hard bits, I figured
>that it would be good to soften them up a little with the cheese sauce.
>
>So I mixed it all together and to me, it was taste bud ecastasy.
>
>I had to actually make two dishes of it because there was one person who
>I knew didn't like mushrooms. So I made a smaller dish just for her.
>And her granddaughter and her boyfriend got the macaroni & cheese
>without mushrooms, and they passed it to their grandfather. Four of us
>ate the one with mushrooms.
>
>One person said with some animation and enthusiasm, that LOOKS so good!
>And, of course, the smell of bacon wafted out of the dish, which helped
>the enthusiasm.
>
>As it turns out, nobody got seconds, nobody moaned in ecstasy, and
>nobody took any home with them, the third of which is fine. I don't
>like hauling home leftovers either.
>
>So.... I loved the stuff. I had never made it before and I didn't have
>a recipe or anything. I just made it up and I wondered if I'm a victim
>of cook's bias, or do you think a dish like this would really be that
>bad? Usually, at our get-togethers, if something is good, people moan
>and go "Mmmmmmmmm" and comment on how good things are. I didn't want to
>just come right out and ask anybody what they thought of it. I figured
>the silence was enough.
>
>Note: This is Texas, I might add... and a small town where lots of
>people like beans & cornbread, barbecue, chili, and foods like that. And
>perhaps some silence was because one family was upset that their oven
>had broken down and they had to bring the meat over to finish it off in
>the house where we were eating. That also means that the macaroni &
>cheese I made sat on the table untouched for about 35-40 minutes or so
>before anybody got any.
>
>What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
>cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
>stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
>Damaeus

You made a good faith effort, but like "all that glisters is not
gold", something that smells good might not pan out at the table.
First, a good mac and cheese (to me) needs to remember its cousins,
rarebit and fondue. So smoky cheese and white wine are fair game. So
is bacon, sometimes, but in moderation lest it overwhelm the cheese or
make the dish greasy.

Smoked Gouda with Gruyere isn't bad. Keep the wine a dry variety, no
Chenin Blanc, Moscato or Eiswein. You take a risk when you start
gilding the lily with mushrooms, black olives, anchovies, chopped
kale, dill relish, and other stuff. One thing that always works is a
tiny pinch of cayenne or a Tbs or 2 of Red Devil or Red Tabasco to the
pot of cheese sauce, or make available at table.

M&C is a comfort food, and in most cases you should keep it simple.
"Less is More!" OTOH, if you like it, De gustibus comes into play.

My 2 cents.

On Friday, November 28, 2014 9:27:29 PM UTC-8, Damaeus wrote:
> This Thanksgiving, for some reason someone wanted macaroni & cheese.
> That's not really something I associate with Thanksgiving, but this was
> a split effort among three families, so I took on the macaroni & cheese.
>
> I wanted to make it something different than just your average macaroni
> & cheese.
....
> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)

Thanksgiving is the time for traditional foods. People want to eat the
same menu that their mother or grandmother prepared. They will tolerate
small deviations, like the presence or absence of small marshmallows, or
whether there are canned fried onions atop the green bean casserole or not.
But not major deviations. (Although other proteins than turkey can be
served if everyone knows in advance.)

If you are going to serve mac n cheese at someone's request, you should
find out what that person is expecting. Otherwise skip it. You can add
real cheese if it complements the taste of Kraft dinner. But most cheeses
melt poorly.

On 11/28/2014 11:27 PM, Damaeus wrote:

> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
> Damaeus

It was a holiday, you were with family and friends, so I can see why you
tried to please them. You liked it, which is a plus. I like gouda and
havarti, I have had smoked gouda, but I do not remember if I had smoked
havarti or not. My memory stinks.

Becca

Damaeus wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> This Thanksgiving, for some reason someone wanted macaroni & cheese.
> That's not really something I associate with Thanksgiving, but this
> was a split effort among three families, so I took on the macaroni &
> cheese.
>
> I wanted to make it something different than just your average
> macaroni & cheese. I didn't have a recipe, and I wanted to use
> smoked Swiss cheese, but since I couldn't find any, I decided to use
> a couple of cheeses I had not even tried before. Having my phone
> with me at the grocery store, I checked the internet for good melting
> cheeses. I decided to go with Gouda and smoked Havarti. I was also
> planning to add crispy bacon, portobella mushrooms, portobella
> mushrooms and a white wine reduction.
>
> So that's what I did. I made a roux...a bit more than I needed for
> flexibility, and I poured some of it into a double boiler for melting
> the cheese into it. In a saute pan, I cooked chopped mushrooms in a
> little olive oil until they were well done (I didn't want slices),
> then I removed those, added a bit more olive oil and tossed some
> diced onions in right when the oil just started to smoke a little.
> Once those were done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay
> and reduced it until it was about a quarter of a cup. I didn't want
> a bunch of extra liquid in the cheese sauce, of course. It turned
> out nice and creamy...not as creamy as Velveeta would have been, but
> it was still about what I expected.
>
> I had already baked three packages of Blue Ribbon brand hickory-smoked
> bacon. I probably ate half of a package while cooking <blush>, which
> is why I baked three packages. I wanted little bits of bacon in
> there, so I tossed it all in the food processor and gave it a few
> spins. And since this bacon somehow ended up with some little hard
> bits, I figured that it would be good to soften them up a little with
> the cheese sauce.
>
> So I mixed it all together and to me, it was taste bud ecastasy.
>
> I had to actually make two dishes of it because there was one person
> who I knew didn't like mushrooms. So I made a smaller dish just for
> her. And her granddaughter and her boyfriend got the macaroni &
> cheese without mushrooms, and they passed it to their grandfather.
> Four of us ate the one with mushrooms.
>
> One person said with some animation and enthusiasm, that LOOKS so
> good! And, of course, the smell of bacon wafted out of the dish,
> which helped the enthusiasm.
>
> As it turns out, nobody got seconds, nobody moaned in ecstasy, and
> nobody took any home with them, the third of which is fine. I don't
> like hauling home leftovers either.
>
> So.... I loved the stuff. I had never made it before and I didn't
> have a recipe or anything. I just made it up and I wondered if I'm a
> victim of cook's bias, or do you think a dish like this would really
> be that bad? Usually, at our get-togethers, if something is good,
> people moan and go "Mmmmmmmmm" and comment on how good things are. I
> didn't want to just come right out and ask anybody what they thought
> of it. I figured the silence was enough.
>
> Note: This is Texas, I might add... and a small town where lots of
> people like beans & cornbread, barbecue, chili, and foods like that.
> And perhaps some silence was because one family was upset that their
> oven had broken down and they had to bring the meat over to finish it
> off in the house where we were eating. That also means that the
> macaroni & cheese I made sat on the table untouched for about 35-40
> minutes or so before anybody got any.
>
> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese
> and stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
> Damaeus

Smile, it's a side dish so I suspect got crowded out by the main ones.
If there was a mistake, it may have been a desire for something chedder
added to the mix. Hate to say it, velveeta. Also, this is one of the
few dishes where canned mushrooms (well drained) tend to exceed fresh.

Thanksgiving is the one meal, folks may find an experiment that isnt
dead on the expected tradition, flops. Sorry. I am sure it was great
stuff though and I'd have loved it!

Carol

--

On Saturday, November 29, 2014 12:27:29 AM UTC-5, Damaeus wrote:
> This Thanksgiving, for some reason someone wanted macaroni & cheese.
> That's not really something I associate with Thanksgiving, but this was
> a split effort among three families, so I took on the macaroni & cheese.
>
> I wanted to make it something different than just your average macaroni
> & cheese. I didn't have a recipe, and I wanted to use smoked Swiss
> cheese, but since I couldn't find any, I decided to use a couple of
> cheeses I had not even tried before. Having my phone with me at the
> grocery store, I checked the internet for good melting cheeses. I
> decided to go with Gouda and smoked Havarti. I was also planning to add
> crispy bacon, portobella mushrooms, portobella mushrooms and a white
> wine reduction.
>
> So that's what I did. I made a roux...a bit more than I needed for
> flexibility, and I poured some of it into a double boiler for melting
> the cheese into it. In a saute pan, I cooked chopped mushrooms in a
> little olive oil until they were well done (I didn't want slices), then
> I removed those, added a bit more olive oil and tossed some diced onions
> in right when the oil just started to smoke a little. Once those were
> done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay and reduced it until
> it was about a quarter of a cup. I didn't want a bunch of extra liquid
> in the cheese sauce, of course. It turned out nice and creamy...not as
> creamy as Velveeta would have been, but it was still about what I
> expected.
>
> I had already baked three packages of Blue Ribbon brand hickory-smoked
> bacon. I probably ate half of a package while cooking <blush>, which is
> why I baked three packages. I wanted little bits of bacon in there, so
> I tossed it all in the food processor and gave it a few spins. And
> since this bacon somehow ended up with some little hard bits, I figured
> that it would be good to soften them up a little with the cheese sauce.
>
> So I mixed it all together and to me, it was taste bud ecastasy.
>
> I had to actually make two dishes of it because there was one person who
> I knew didn't like mushrooms. So I made a smaller dish just for her.
> And her granddaughter and her boyfriend got the macaroni & cheese
> without mushrooms, and they passed it to their grandfather. Four of us
> ate the one with mushrooms.
>
> One person said with some animation and enthusiasm, that LOOKS so good!
> And, of course, the smell of bacon wafted out of the dish, which helped
> the enthusiasm.
>
> As it turns out, nobody got seconds, nobody moaned in ecstasy, and
> nobody took any home with them, the third of which is fine. I don't
> like hauling home leftovers either.
>
> So.... I loved the stuff. I had never made it before and I didn't have
> a recipe or anything. I just made it up and I wondered if I'm a victim
> of cook's bias, or do you think a dish like this would really be that
> bad? Usually, at our get-togethers, if something is good, people moan
> and go "Mmmmmmmmm" and comment on how good things are. I didn't want to
> just come right out and ask anybody what they thought of it. I figured
> the silence was enough.
>
> Note: This is Texas, I might add... and a small town where lots of
> people like beans & cornbread, barbecue, chili, and foods like that. And
> perhaps some silence was because one family was upset that their oven
> had broken down and they had to bring the meat over to finish it off in
> the house where we were eating. That also means that the macaroni &
> cheese I made sat on the table untouched for about 35-40 minutes or so
> before anybody got any.
>
> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
> Damaeus

I think you fussed too much, accommodating a mushroom hater etc. Was it even noted, appreciated, eaten? Next time, somewhere between Kraft and a standard recipe will suffice.

On Saturday, November 29, 2014 10:25:58 AM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 11/29/2014 12:27 AM, Damaeus wrote:
>
> >
> > What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> > cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> > stuck with that. (Yuck.)
> >
> > Damaeus
> >
>
> A few years back my wife did a similar thing. The kids has a couple of
> friends over and she made a very good version with three cheeses, etc.
> They ate some, but it was not the box crap they ere used to. Worth the
> effort for the two of us, not for them.

That's the only mac and cheese a vast number of ppl have ever tasted. I made it from scratch once or twice and no one was impressed.

On 2014-11-29 3:09 PM, Kalmia wrote:

>> A few years back my wife did a similar thing. The kids has a couple
>> of friends over and she made a very good version with three
>> cheeses, etc. They ate some, but it was not the box crap they ere
>> used to. Worth the effort for the two of us, not for them.
>
> That's the only mac and cheese a vast number of ppl have ever tasted.
> I made it from scratch once or twice and no one was impressed.
>


It is difficult to get that unnatural chemical cheese flavour when using
more natural ingredients. I was raised in the real thing and never
developed an appreciation for the crap in a box version. I have had it
maybe a half dozen times.

On Sat, 29 Nov 2014 15:17:55 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> It is difficult to get that unnatural chemical cheese flavour when using
> more natural ingredients. I was raised in the real thing and never
> developed an appreciation for the crap in a box version. I have had it
> maybe a half dozen times.

Now you've gone and done it, I'm putting Kraft mac & cheese on my
shopping list! Too bad I don't have any ham to go with, so I'll put
pork chops on the list too. I was raised on Kraft blue box with an
occasional, oh so delicious, from scratch version made by my
grandmother. Kraft is faster and scratches the itch that grandma's
version can't even begin to reach.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On 2014-11-29 4:05 PM, sf wrote:

> Now you've gone and done it, I'm putting Kraft mac & cheese on my
> shopping list! Too bad I don't have any ham to go with, so I'll put
> pork chops on the list too. I was raised on Kraft blue box with an
> occasional, oh so delicious, from scratch version made by my
> grandmother. Kraft is faster and scratches the itch that grandma's
> version can't even begin to reach.
>

Indeed. There is probably scientific evidence that it does just. They
usually test all chemical compounds.

On Sat, 29 Nov 2014 17:37:00 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2014-11-29 4:05 PM, sf wrote:
>
> > Now you've gone and done it, I'm putting Kraft mac & cheese on my
> > shopping list! Too bad I don't have any ham to go with, so I'll put
> > pork chops on the list too. I was raised on Kraft blue box with an
> > occasional, oh so delicious, from scratch version made by my
> > grandmother. Kraft is faster and scratches the itch that grandma's
> > version can't even begin to reach.
> >
>
> Indeed. There is probably scientific evidence that it does just. They
> usually test all chemical compounds.

I even read that they aren't making their cheese powder such a bright
fluorescent orange anymore.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

In news:rec.food.cooking, sf > posted on Sat, 29 Nov 2014
13:05:05 -0800 the following:

> Now you've gone and done it, I'm putting Kraft mac & cheese on my
> shopping list! Too bad I don't have any ham to go with, so I'll put
> pork chops on the list too. I was raised on Kraft blue box with an
> occasional, oh so delicious, from scratch version made by my
> grandmother. Kraft is faster and scratches the itch that grandma's
> version can't even begin to reach.

Kraft Deluxe isn't as bad as the kind with the powdered cheese in it.

Damaeus

Yes, it was precisely 374ml. Actually a smidgen less because I'm sure
some stuck to the inside of the bottles. Since I don't really like wine
to drink, but I do like to cook with it something, I buy those little
four-packs of mini-bottles of wine. Each one is 187ml and I used two of
them for a reduction.

Damaeus

In news:rec.food.cooking, Chemiker > posted
on Sat, 29 Nov 2014 09:51:57 -0600 the following:

> 374 mil ---> ~1/4 cup? Not 375 or 373? Want to be sure I get it right.
> <g>

[Damaeus posted]:

> > Once those were done, I removed those and added 374ml of Chardonnay
> > and reduced it until it was about a quarter of a cup.

In news:rec.food.cooking, Kalmia > posted on
Sat, 29 Nov 2014 12:07:24 -0800 (PST) the following:

> I think you fussed too much, accommodating a mushroom hater etc. Was
> it even noted, appreciated, eaten? Next time, somewhere between
> Kraft and a standard recipe will suffice.

My friend makes macaroni & cheese with that nasty Ragu Double Cheddar
cheese sauce in a jar. To me it tastes like it has gasoline in it, but
he seems to love it, as well as the Ragu Alfredo Sauce and all its
varieties. I just can't enjoy it because it just tastes like it was
made in a photo lab.

Damaeus

On Sat, 29 Nov 2014 18:53:03 -0600, Damaeus
> wrote:

> In news:rec.food.cooking, sf > posted on Sat, 29 Nov 2014
> 13:05:05 -0800 the following:
>
> > Now you've gone and done it, I'm putting Kraft mac & cheese on my
> > shopping list! Too bad I don't have any ham to go with, so I'll put
> > pork chops on the list too. I was raised on Kraft blue box with an
> > occasional, oh so delicious, from scratch version made by my
> > grandmother. Kraft is faster and scratches the itch that grandma's
> > version can't even begin to reach.
>
> Kraft Deluxe isn't as bad as the kind with the powdered cheese in it.
>
If that's the one with goo in a can, I haven't tried it since it first
came out because I didn't like it. If I'm doing Kraft, I'm using the
one with the packet of powdered cheese!


--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 29 Nov 2014 18:53:03 -0600, Damaeus
> > wrote:
>
>> In news:rec.food.cooking, sf > posted on Sat, 29 Nov 2014
>> 13:05:05 -0800 the following:
>>
>> > Now you've gone and done it, I'm putting Kraft mac & cheese on my
>> > shopping list! Too bad I don't have any ham to go with, so I'll put
>> > pork chops on the list too. I was raised on Kraft blue box with an
>> > occasional, oh so delicious, from scratch version made by my
>> > grandmother. Kraft is faster and scratches the itch that grandma's
>> > version can't even begin to reach.
>>
>> Kraft Deluxe isn't as bad as the kind with the powdered cheese in it.
>>
> If that's the one with goo in a can, I haven't tried it since it first
> came out because I didn't like it. If I'm doing Kraft, I'm using the
> one with the packet of powdered cheese!

The goo is in a pouch now. It is purported to taste better but my family
doesn't like it. It is what I buy (or similar) to give to the food bank on
the off chance that the person receiving it has no butter, margarine or milk
to make the other kind with.

On 11/28/2014 11:27 PM, Damaeus wrote:

<snip>

> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> stuck with that. (Yuck.)

Maybe it was having to have dinner with you that made everyone quiet,
not the dish you'd prepared.

For the group: I'm speaking from experience. Damaeus got kicked off
another group I belong to, because of his bad behavior. Not gonna
identify what/where it is, because he'd just come back and do it again.

"Moe DeLoughan" > wrote in message
...
> On 11/28/2014 11:27 PM, Damaeus wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
>> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
>> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>
> Maybe it was having to have dinner with you that made everyone quiet, not
> the dish you'd prepared.
>
> For the group: I'm speaking from experience. Damaeus got kicked off
> another group I belong to, because of his bad behavior. Not gonna identify
> what/where it is, because he'd just come back and do it again.

Well I've never seen any bad behaviour from him here so I am not sure why
you are advertising it now when he asked a question about his recipe. Might
it not be kinder to see how he gets on without giving him a bad rep before
he has done anything?? Apart from that, good luck with kicking anyone out
of this group!


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Tue, 2 Dec 2014 21:23:09 -0000, "Ophelia"
> wrote:
>
>
> "Moe DeLoughan" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On 11/28/2014 11:27 PM, Damaeus wrote:
> >
> > <snip>
> >
> >> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> >> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and
> >> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
> >
> > Maybe it was having to have dinner with you that made everyone quiet, not
> > the dish you'd prepared.
> >
> > For the group: I'm speaking from experience. Damaeus got kicked off
> > another group I belong to, because of his bad behavior. Not gonna identify
> > what/where it is, because he'd just come back and do it again.
>
> Well I've never seen any bad behaviour from him here so I am not sure why
> you are advertising it now when he asked a question about his recipe. Might
> it not be kinder to see how he gets on without giving him a bad rep before
> he has done anything?? Apart from that, good luck with kicking anyone out
> of this group!

Damaeus has been on this group in the past. Seems like a nice enough
person overall, but you know exactly what happens here if anyone ever
seems "fragile".

Getting back to mac & cheese. I was watching one of those "rescue"
(Restaurant Rescue, Bar Rescue) shows today and one of the original
menu selection fails was a deep fried ball of mac & cheese. Normally
that thought would produce a gag reflex, but I guess I was hungry
because it reminded me of Arancini - so I looked up some recipes and
found one that's baked and doesn't sound too bad. I may even try it
someday. http://www.allfood.recipes/baked-mac...-cheese-balls/

--

Carrot cake counts as a serving of vegetables.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 2 Dec 2014 21:23:09 -0000, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Moe DeLoughan" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > On 11/28/2014 11:27 PM, Damaeus wrote:
>> >
>> > <snip>
>> >
>> >> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
>> >> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese
>> >> and
>> >> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>> >
>> > Maybe it was having to have dinner with you that made everyone quiet,
>> > not
>> > the dish you'd prepared.
>> >
>> > For the group: I'm speaking from experience. Damaeus got kicked off
>> > another group I belong to, because of his bad behavior. Not gonna
>> > identify
>> > what/where it is, because he'd just come back and do it again.
>>
>> Well I've never seen any bad behaviour from him here so I am not sure why
>> you are advertising it now when he asked a question about his recipe.
>> Might
>> it not be kinder to see how he gets on without giving him a bad rep
>> before
>> he has done anything?? Apart from that, good luck with kicking anyone
>> out
>> of this group!
>
> Damaeus has been on this group in the past. Seems like a nice enough
> person overall, but you know exactly what happens here if anyone ever
> seems "fragile".
>
> Getting back to mac & cheese. I was watching one of those "rescue"
> (Restaurant Rescue, Bar Rescue) shows today and one of the original
> menu selection fails was a deep fried ball of mac & cheese. Normally
> that thought would produce a gag reflex, but I guess I was hungry
> because it reminded me of Arancini - so I looked up some recipes and
> found one that's baked and doesn't sound too bad. I may even try it
> someday. http://www.allfood.recipes/baked-mac...-cheese-balls/

I think that has been around for a while and it's not uncommon. Just not
something I ever would have eaten.

On Tue, 2 Dec 2014 21:43:24 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Tue, 2 Dec 2014 21:23:09 -0000, "Ophelia"
> > > wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> "Moe DeLoughan" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> > On 11/28/2014 11:27 PM, Damaeus wrote:
> >> >
> >> > <snip>
> >> >
> >> >> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
> >> >> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese
> >> >> and
> >> >> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
> >> >
> >> > Maybe it was having to have dinner with you that made everyone quiet,
> >> > not
> >> > the dish you'd prepared.
> >> >
> >> > For the group: I'm speaking from experience. Damaeus got kicked off
> >> > another group I belong to, because of his bad behavior. Not gonna
> >> > identify
> >> > what/where it is, because he'd just come back and do it again.
> >>
> >> Well I've never seen any bad behaviour from him here so I am not sure why
> >> you are advertising it now when he asked a question about his recipe.
> >> Might
> >> it not be kinder to see how he gets on without giving him a bad rep
> >> before
> >> he has done anything?? Apart from that, good luck with kicking anyone
> >> out
> >> of this group!
> >
> > Damaeus has been on this group in the past. Seems like a nice enough
> > person overall, but you know exactly what happens here if anyone ever
> > seems "fragile".
> >
> > Getting back to mac & cheese. I was watching one of those "rescue"
> > (Restaurant Rescue, Bar Rescue) shows today and one of the original
> > menu selection fails was a deep fried ball of mac & cheese. Normally
> > that thought would produce a gag reflex, but I guess I was hungry
> > because it reminded me of Arancini - so I looked up some recipes and
> > found one that's baked and doesn't sound too bad. I may even try it
> > someday. http://www.allfood.recipes/baked-mac...-cheese-balls/
>
> I think that has been around for a while and it's not uncommon. Just not
> something I ever would have eaten.

I didn't make any claims about it being new or even unusual and I'm
certainly not trying to entice you into trying something new to you.
It was posted for Damaeus. I saved a risotto that would have
otherwise gone into the garbage by turning it into arancini, so this
might be a good way to give his mac & cheese a second life.

--

Carrot cake counts as a serving of vegetables.

On 12/2/2014 3:23 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "Moe DeLoughan" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 11/28/2014 11:27 PM, Damaeus wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>>> What do you think? Did I try to get too fancy with macaroni &
>>> cheese? Maybe I should have just gotten a box of Kraft Mac &
>>> Cheese and
>>> stuck with that. (Yuck.)
>>
>> Maybe it was having to have dinner with you that made everyone
>> quiet, not
>> the dish you'd prepared.
>>
>> For the group: I'm speaking from experience. Damaeus got kicked off
>> another group I belong to, because of his bad behavior. Not gonna
>> identify
>> what/where it is, because he'd just come back and do it again.
>
> Well I've never seen any bad behaviour from him here so I am not sure
> why you are advertising it now when he asked a question about his
> recipe. Might it not be kinder to see how he gets on without giving
> him a bad rep before he has done anything??

I'm glad to hear that he hasn't harassed anyone here. Apparently he
can restrain himself when he wants to. But a bunch of people will
never forget him, nor the shit he pulled on us.

> Apart from that, good
> luck with kicking anyone out of this group!

Don't know where you're going with that, since I not only hadn't
suggested it, it is impossible to do such a thing on Usenet. Damaeus
subscribed to and majorly disrupted, harassed, and attacked a private
email group, which led to his expulsion.

On Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:32:24 -0600, Moe DeLoughan >
wrote:

> Damaeus
> subscribed to and majorly disrupted, harassed, and attacked a private
> email group, which led to his expulsion.

Those things still exist? I tried that once before Google improved
the internet and unsubscribed because I didn't like getting so much
email with nothing of much interest to me.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room.

On 12/4/2014 1:43 PM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:32:24 -0600, Moe DeLoughan >
> wrote:
>
>> Damaeus
>> subscribed to and majorly disrupted, harassed, and attacked a private
>> email group, which led to his expulsion.
>
> Those things still exist? I tried that once before Google improved
> the internet and unsubscribed because I didn't like getting so much
> email with nothing of much interest to me.
>

Some of them will put the email in digest form so you only get one a
day, but it's a tedious job wading through the dog poop to find the
chocolate :-)


--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

"Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> On 12/4/2014 1:43 PM, sf wrote:
>> On Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:32:24 -0600, Moe DeLoughan >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Damaeus
>>> subscribed to and majorly disrupted, harassed, and attacked a private
>>> email group, which led to his expulsion.
>>
>> Those things still exist? I tried that once before Google improved
>> the internet and unsubscribed because I didn't like getting so much
>> email with nothing of much interest to me.
>>
>
> Some of them will put the email in digest form so you only get one a day,
> but it's a tedious job wading through the dog poop to find the chocolate
> :-)

I must say, you do have a way of putting things ...


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Thu, 4 Dec 2014 21:14:45 -0000, "Ophelia"
> wrote:

>
>
> "Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
> eb.com...
> > On 12/4/2014 1:43 PM, sf wrote:
> >> On Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:32:24 -0600, Moe DeLoughan >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Damaeus
> >>> subscribed to and majorly disrupted, harassed, and attacked a private
> >>> email group, which led to his expulsion.
> >>
> >> Those things still exist? I tried that once before Google improved
> >> the internet and unsubscribed because I didn't like getting so much
> >> email with nothing of much interest to me.
> >>
> >
> > Some of them will put the email in digest form so you only get one a day,
> > but it's a tedious job wading through the dog poop to find the chocolate
> > :-)
>
> I must say, you do have a way of putting things ...

What she said is so true. Be barraged by individual email replies or
one huge one. Same-same to me. There was a lot of poop that I didn't
want to wade through just to find something interesting or useful
(maybe). To me, an email lists is like Google Groups - where you
can't filter out the poop you don't want to see.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

On 12/4/2014 3:14 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
> eb.com...
>> On 12/4/2014 1:43 PM, sf wrote:
>>> On Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:32:24 -0600, Moe DeLoughan >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Damaeus
>>>> subscribed to and majorly disrupted, harassed, and attacked a private
>>>> email group, which led to his expulsion.
>>>
>>> Those things still exist? I tried that once before Google improved
>>> the internet and unsubscribed because I didn't like getting so much
>>> email with nothing of much interest to me.
>>>
>>
>> Some of them will put the email in digest form so you only get one a
>> day, but it's a tedious job wading through the dog poop to find the
>> chocolate :-)
>
> I must say, you do have a way of putting things ...
>
>
I wish I could take the credit for that, but it's been around Usenet for
ages.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

"Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> On 12/4/2014 3:14 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
>> eb.com...
>>> On 12/4/2014 1:43 PM, sf wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:32:24 -0600, Moe DeLoughan >
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Damaeus
>>>>> subscribed to and majorly disrupted, harassed, and attacked a private
>>>>> email group, which led to his expulsion.
>>>>
>>>> Those things still exist? I tried that once before Google improved
>>>> the internet and unsubscribed because I didn't like getting so much
>>>> email with nothing of much interest to me.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Some of them will put the email in digest form so you only get one a
>>> day, but it's a tedious job wading through the dog poop to find the
>>> chocolate :-)
>>
>> I must say, you do have a way of putting things ...
>>
>>
> I wish I could take the credit for that, but it's been around Usenet for
> ages.

Well it's the first time I've heard it so you get the kudos))

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/