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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 31, 2016 9:53:06 GMT -5
I just can't with parsnips. Wish I could. PET, you should do grilled sweet potatoes for your salad, preferably on an actual grill if possible. I don't have a grill, and I think my FIL would look at me really strangely if I asked to use his to grill sweet potatoes for a salad. But I could maybe see roasted cubes of sweet potato. I still like my parsnip idea, though.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Nov 14, 2016 14:13:54 GMT -5
So forgive me for skipping ahead, but all I'm making for Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes.
What I really want to talk about is Christmas, when I do all the work. For the last couple years, I've done a smoked turkey and a roasted prime rib. Basically, two years ago, my father said, "We should do prime rib on Christmas, and you should make it." (No pressure with that $200+ ingredient). And now that's what we do. But this year, I'm thinking about flipping the script: traditional roasted turkey and smoked prime rib.
Pros: smoked prime rib sounds amazing; traditional roasting is better for turkey drippings/gravy; it's different Cons: people have loved the last couple years, and this is the holidays when you're really not supposed to screw with expectations; smoking is more difficult and less predictable than the oven, thus putting the money ingredient somewhat in the hands of fate
What should I do?
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 14, 2016 14:26:46 GMT -5
LazBro, I hear your concerns about shaking up what's already working well (especially considering the cost), but sometimes a reliance on tradition can ossify your holiday. Since you really enjoy the process of cooking, instead of just enjoying the feel-good vibes of eating a beloved holiday meal, I'd say to go ahead and try your switch-up. You've got mad BBQ skills, so you know you can handle doing the rib that way (even though it's more of a challenge), and you're definitely not going to be disappointing anyone with a full roasted turkey set-up instead of the smoked one. So, yeah -- I'm voting for change! (Note to self: stop using that phrase for a while.) You're unlikely to ruin the expensive rib roast, and the worst thing that happens is you have a delicious holiday meal that isn't quite as good as the previous one, so next year you know to go back to doing it the old way.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 14, 2016 14:31:59 GMT -5
Meanwhile in passhole-aggresshole news, I've let the pickled beet/deviled egg plan fall to the wayside. I just haven't had time to make the beets, so whatever. We'll have a cheese plate and I'll be nice and get Ritz crackers and some Cracker Barrel cheese for BIL. I might still do the deviled eggs, though. We'll see.
As we're getting increasingly excited for the Big Holiday To Come, Hugs joked to me yesterday that she's starting to view Thanksgiving as a hurdle she needs to clear to get to Christmas season. I was like, "Welcome to my world. And I'm not joking." My Christmas meal is going to be just for the three of us, with no visitors. I think I'm going to make a small pot roast. Something I can just put in the oven and ignore. Christmas for me should be all about getting inslopsicated on too much champagne while spending hours opening presents, not about fussy meals, dammit!
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Post by 🔪 silly buns on Nov 14, 2016 14:42:59 GMT -5
Contemplating my Thanksgiving staples, I woke up this morning thinking of getting kind of wild and crazy with the sweet potatoes and doing a streusel topping instead of the usual meringue. This could be both delicious, and vaguely off-putting to certain palates. A perfect combination! I'm also kicking myself now for not planting my own sage this year. Normally I get plenty of sage from my CSA, to dry ahead of time for my turkey and stuffing needs. But now I want to use fresh sage, to make a pesto with pecans and maybe a bit of warm spice to rub all over the turkey. Sort of do a flavor intensity upgrade from my standard super-boring dried sage compound butter rub. Now I won't be able to be all smug about my sourcing to my BIL, because my sage is going to have to come from the grocery store. This is a disaster! *books a reservation at Dick and Hiss Manor*
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 14, 2016 14:49:24 GMT -5
For Thanksgiving, it'll just be me, husband, in-laws and 12-year-old BIL. But Christmas will be us 5 plus other BIL, BIL's girlfriend, former neighbors of the in-laws (husband & wife) and their 2 kids. So if any of my dishes need a repeat, I'll have to double the amount. (The kids are pretty picky eaters so less worried about them.)
I tested out my spiced pecans this afternoon. Used raw sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, white pepper and cayenne. It's good, but for wussy in-law tastebuds I'm gonna have to go real light on the spices. Especially the cayenne.
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Post by MarkInTexas on Nov 14, 2016 18:02:29 GMT -5
So forgive me for skipping ahead, but all I'm making for Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes. What I really want to talk about is Christmas, when I do all the work. For the last couple years, I've done a smoked turkey and a roasted prime rib. Basically, two years ago, my father said, "We should do prime rib on Christmas, and you should make it." (No pressure with that $200+ ingredient). And now that's what we do. But this year, I'm thinking about flipping the script: traditional roasted turkey and smoked prime rib. Pros: smoked prime rib sounds amazing; traditional roasting is better for turkey drippings/gravy; it's different Cons: people have loved the last couple years, and this is the holidays when you're really not supposed to screw with expectations; smoking is more difficult and less predictable than the oven, thus putting the money ingredient somewhat in the hands of fate What should I do? Invite me. That's what you should do.
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Post by pairesta on Nov 15, 2016 7:44:44 GMT -5
So forgive me for skipping ahead, but all I'm making for Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes. What I really want to talk about is Christmas, when I do all the work. For the last couple years, I've done a smoked turkey and a roasted prime rib. Basically, two years ago, my father said, "We should do prime rib on Christmas, and you should make it." (No pressure with that $200+ ingredient). And now that's what we do. But this year, I'm thinking about flipping the script: traditional roasted turkey and smoked prime rib. Pros: smoked prime rib sounds amazing; traditional roasting is better for turkey drippings/gravy; it's different Cons: people have loved the last couple years, and this is the holidays when you're really not supposed to screw with expectations; smoking is more difficult and less predictable than the oven, thus putting the money ingredient somewhat in the hands of fate What should I do? I'm a control freak about this kind of stuff, so my suggestion would be to experiment with it first with an eye to doing it next year. In my opinion the great thing about prime rib is that roasted, browned crust overlaying the rich, soft, rare meat. There's a danger you'd lose that if it's just being smoked and you'd wind up with something kinda brisket-y but not really. Smoke it first, let it rest, then char it up on the grill, maybe? I only pipe up on this because I did botch a prime rib for my dad's birthday last year, and I was kicking myself for "ruining" a very expensive cut of meat. So any way you can reduce that margin of error and not be going in cold would be advisable.
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Post by pairesta on Nov 15, 2016 7:51:00 GMT -5
So as I said earlier, this year we're doing an early Thanksgiving this Saturday with my wife's family. This is the more traditional Thanksgiving: turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc. We're cribbing a couple dishes from my side of the family to round things out: this green bean, mushroom and water chestnut stir fry my mom does in lieu of the green bean casserole, and cranberry jello.
But then we are having Thanksgiving at my parents on the actual day. Now my mom has made no secret of kind of being over Thanksgiving in other years, but for some reason this year when I mentioned that I'd like to not have to turn around and do another full Thanksgiving meal again, she balked. She's still hemming and hawing over it. I'm kind of stuck on what we could do that would still be fun and festive. I've suggested duck, goose, and she even suggested a crown roast, but then last night she said she did want a "turkey" for the meal. I'm pushing for capon instead (I genuinely like it better, even though it makes me sound like a hipster). Maybe a turkey breast? I dunno. Suggestions? What kind of meal should we go with, that doesn't overlap what we're making Saturday?
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Ben Grimm
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Post by Ben Grimm on Nov 15, 2016 8:35:16 GMT -5
I can't believe it's nine days away.
My wife's sister wants to host this year, and have a bunch of people from the extended family over. But no one on our side, or my father-in-law for that matter, really feels up to a big gathering. My wife and I are total introverts, as are both of our father's, and things have been so shitty recently we all just kind of want to go to a restaurant or something not to have to deal with the whole rigamarole. But my wife also doesn't want to offend her sister, so we may be stuck.
I wish my wife could talk to her sister about this, but her sister is the kind of person who simply can't deal with anything negative and would probably either bail or break down crying if we even broached the subject. It's maddening.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 15, 2016 10:04:04 GMT -5
So as I said earlier, this year we're doing an early Thanksgiving this Saturday with my wife's family. This is the more traditional Thanksgiving: turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc. We're cribbing a couple dishes from my side of the family to round things out: this green bean, mushroom and water chestnut stir fry my mom does in lieu of the green bean casserole, and cranberry jello. But then we are having Thanksgiving at my parents on the actual day. Now my mom has made no secret of kind of being over Thanksgiving in other years, but for some reason this year when I mentioned that I'd like to not have to turn around and do another full Thanksgiving meal again, she balked. She's still hemming and hawing over it. I'm kind of stuck on what we could do that would still be fun and festive. I've suggested duck, goose, and she even suggested a crown roast, but then last night she said she did want a "turkey" for the meal. I'm pushing for capon instead (I genuinely like it better, even though it makes me sound like a hipster). Maybe a turkey breast? I dunno. Suggestions? What kind of meal should we go with, that doesn't overlap what we're making Saturday? If I was getting a chance to shake things up, but not too much, I'd totally go with a turkey breast. Specifically a stuffed/rolled one. Mmmm... I still have dreams about that one time I found a turkey breast at my butcher's, and we did a turkey roulade with chipotle cherries and goat cheese...
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Nov 15, 2016 11:57:11 GMT -5
I'm honestly more excited for brunch on Thanksgiving than for dinner itself.
We're having blueberry buttermilk waffles, apple-cinnamon sausage (from Country Butcher in Kennett Square, PA - they make THE BEST sausage), real maple syrup, and bellinis while we watch the annual Turkey Bowl, aka the annual game between my brother's high school and his rival high school, which WMAR thoughtfully televises for everyone in the Baltimore area.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 15, 2016 12:14:32 GMT -5
I'm honestly more excited for brunch on Thanksgiving than for dinner itself. We're having blueberry buttermilk waffles, apple-cinnamon sausage (from Country Butcher in Kennett Square, PA - they make THE BEST sausage), real maple syrup, and bellinis while we watch the annual Turkey Bowl, aka the annual game between my brother's high school and his rival high school, which WMAR thoughtfully televises for everyone in the Baltimore area. See, this is the holiday meal I get really excited about -- our Christmas breakfast. Because it's just Hugs, Boomer, and me on Christmas, we do the world's most indulgent gift-giving with an ensuing hours-long present-opening on Christmas morning. With several bottles of reasonably nice champagne (sometimes we pay breakfast some lip service by doing mimosas, more often than not we don't bother), the chocolate-cinnamon swirl coffee cake from the Baked cookbooks (16 oz of sour cream AND two sticks of butter? SIGN ME UP!), and pigs-in-blankets using the breakfast sausage from our local farm market. I. CAN'T. WAIT.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 15, 2016 12:28:03 GMT -5
I'm all about the Christmas breakfast. I'm full-time taking it over. I'm thinking DIY breakfast sandwiches (eggs, sausage, biscuits, etc.) and either cinnamon rolls or some other pastry. Champagne sounds lovely, but I think we'll save the alcohol for when the additional children show up later in the day.
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Post by pairesta on Nov 17, 2016 12:13:37 GMT -5
For Saturday's TGiving Part 1 feast, I splurged on a heritage turkey. Actually it says "heirloom" and I'm wondering if that means it's one of those descriptors that doesn't mean anything (e.g., "All Natural"). But I just trimmed it and salted it in my attempt at dry brining. I have to say that it's very promising so far. It has this intense "TURKEY" smell to it, even just raw. There's lots of fat under the skin. The breast isn't a basketball. So I'm very curious and excited to see how this goes.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Nov 17, 2016 13:07:29 GMT -5
For Saturday's TGiving Part 1 feast, I splurged on a heritage turkey. Actually it says "heirloom" and I'm wondering if that means it's one of those descriptors that doesn't mean anything (e.g., "All Natural"). But I just trimmed it and salted it in my attempt at dry brining. I have to say that it's very promising so far. It has this intense "TURKEY" smell to it, even just raw. There's lots of fat under the skin. The breast isn't a basketball. So I'm very curious and excited to see how this goes. We look forward to your report.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Nov 17, 2016 13:08:13 GMT -5
In other news, mac-n-cheese has been added to my T-Day duties. Special request from Mrs. Snape.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 17, 2016 13:50:59 GMT -5
In other news, mac-n-cheese has been added to my T-Day duties. Special request from Mrs. Snape. I had to do mac-n-cheese for the Thanksgiving-again Christmas dinner the year Bort and his now ex-wife stayed with us. It was a very welcome addition, especially when it came to leftovers!
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Post by ganews on Nov 18, 2016 22:01:02 GMT -5
I tested out my spiced pecans this afternoon. Used raw sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, white pepper and cayenne. It's good, but for wussy in-law tastebuds I'm gonna have to go real light on the spices. Especially the cayenne. oooh, recipe please!
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 18, 2016 22:20:14 GMT -5
I tested out my spiced pecans this afternoon. Used raw sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, white pepper and cayenne. It's good, but for wussy in-law tastebuds I'm gonna have to go real light on the spices. Especially the cayenne. oooh, recipe please! Well, for a cup or so of pecans I used a tbsp or so of butter, and those ingredients in descending order. Toasted them in a pan, stirring constantly until fragrant and caramelly. I can try to write down specifics when I make them for real.
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SLOW
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Post by SLOW on Nov 19, 2016 18:57:01 GMT -5
Hi Liz n Dick , pairesta , all y'all! I desperately want to go to sleep and wake up on New Year's Day, but I can't, so to preserve my sanity I'm skipping the big family gatherings. With Ma's family, anyway; I'll be spending Thanksgiving with my sister's husband's family. I can't opt out entirely because the big to-do is happening here and there's no way I can pull off staying in my room. I still have to cook a couple things for Ma, tho: sweet potato casserole and cranberry-sour cream upside-down cake. And I just now remembered I have everything to make gingerbread loaf, which will be in heavy rotation for the next six weeks or so.
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Post by Powerthirteen on Nov 19, 2016 19:52:27 GMT -5
Our thanksgiving is always hella awkward because my wife's family is an enormous clan of enthusiastically north-Idahoan north Idahoers - her parents live in an huge half-finished house on the side of a hill that's three miles down a gravel road that branches off a state highway 15 miles from a town that's 60 miles from Spokane - and although they're very nice generous people our life experiences overlap by essentially nil.
HOWEVER.
Every Thanksgiving they kill two enormous (~25 pound) turkeys they've raised themselves, and that is some of the best damn turkey you'll ever eat. And there's usually ham, too, because they have 17 kids and so thanksgiving is less like a meal and more like an army mess hall. In other words, it's probably going to be worth pushing through, for the meat.
Also some years we slaughter a hog, which is always interesting.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 21, 2016 9:29:59 GMT -5
Bought my ingredients yesterday. Went with yukon golds, and the nice produce stocker opened a 5-lb bag for me, because they were OUT of bulk yukons. Also bought fancy European style butter, a block of Cracker Barrel Vermont Cheddar, and a small block of 4-year-aged white cheddar from the fancy section.
I suspect nobody will appreciate the fancy aged cheddar but me, but that's OK.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 21, 2016 9:41:33 GMT -5
Bought my ingredients yesterday. Went with yukon golds, and the nice produce stocker opened a 5-lb bag for me, because they were OUT of bulk yukons. Also bought fancy European style butter, a block of Cracker Barrel Vermont Cheddar, and a small block of 4-year-aged white cheddar from the fancy section. I suspect nobody will appreciate the fancy aged cheddar but me, but that's OK. Way to get the concierge treatment in the produce section!! And I've got a block of Cracker Barrel on hand, too, figuring BIL would be more interested in that than the cheeses I got at the fancy farm market on Saturday (some triple-cream goat/cow blend and a young Swiss something-or-other that the cheesemonger there always pushes hard; I also went to the dairy farm across the street from my office last week and got a pepper-laced [hot and black peppers] firm cow's milk cheese that is awesome, so my cheese platter should rule). We'll be pearls-before-swine twinsies! This afternoon I'm picking up my turkey, and hoping the farm market's dairy and produce cases aren't as cleaned-out as they were on Saturday. I'd prefer to get their nice milk for our mashed potatoes, and see if they'll have fresh herbs rather than the limp stuff in my grocery store's reliably shitty produce section. Based on how things looked on Saturday, though, I'm not optimistic.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Nov 22, 2016 0:41:00 GMT -5
So the weird thing about Mrs. Snape asking me to do mac-n-cheese is that she did so with an air of "make your mac-n-cheese." Thing is ... I don't have a standard mac-n-cheese recipe. It's such a violently unhealthy dish that I just don't make it very often. I don't have a version of the dish I consider my own.
So, uh, anyone got a favorite mac-n-cheese recipe?
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 22, 2016 8:13:52 GMT -5
So the weird thing about Mrs. Snape asking me to do mac-n-cheese is that she did so with an air of "make your mac-n-cheese." Thing is ... I don't have a standard mac-n-cheese recipe. It's such a violently unhealthy dish that I just don't make it very often. I don't have a version of the dish I consider my own. So, uh, anyone got a favorite mac-n-cheese recipe? My personal standard is standard issue boiled pasta (pick your favorite shape) and a bechamel sauce of butter/flour/milk/cheese - shredded cheddar is standard but gouda, jack, swiss, etc, you know the melty cheeses - they all work. Blends are good. Pour sauce over pasta in casserole dish, top with extra cheese and panko, bake until the top is lightly brown. And I just use 1% for the sauce most of the time. Makes it a little less "violently" unhealthy. This is the one area where that faux "light cream" comes in handy because it's got the fat of 1% milk but also sodium citrate for thickening.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 22, 2016 10:32:39 GMT -5
So the weird thing about Mrs. Snape asking me to do mac-n-cheese is that she did so with an air of "make your mac-n-cheese." Thing is ... I don't have a standard mac-n-cheese recipe. It's such a violently unhealthy dish that I just don't make it very often. I don't have a version of the dish I consider my own. So, uh, anyone got a favorite mac-n-cheese recipe? My recipe's a lot like PET's. I like to use orecchiette (or, actually, whole wheat elbows, because the nuttiness of a whole wheat pasta can be very welcome with the heavy cheese sauce), then do a bechamel (with whole milk), and melt in a blend of fontina, colby jack, and ricotta cheeses and a dash of paprika. Then top with slices of tomatoes, fresh thyme and parsley, and then a generous layer of breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbly, and eat without reserve because you only live once, so why not enjoy it? If you're interested in something with a bit of a twist, I highly recommend Smitten Kitchen's recent Skillet-Baked Pasta with Five Cheeses. It's super-easy and fantastically delish. (Although I use goat cheese instead of her recommended blue cheese.)
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Ben Grimm
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Post by Ben Grimm on Nov 22, 2016 11:25:57 GMT -5
So the weird thing about Mrs. Snape asking me to do mac-n-cheese is that she did so with an air of "make your mac-n-cheese." Thing is ... I don't have a standard mac-n-cheese recipe. It's such a violently unhealthy dish that I just don't make it very often. I don't have a version of the dish I consider my own. So, uh, anyone got a favorite mac-n-cheese recipe? I use the one out of my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, but I can't seem to find it online. That's usually a good fallback for any comfort food type recipes.
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Nov 22, 2016 12:07:48 GMT -5
So the weird thing about Mrs. Snape asking me to do mac-n-cheese is that she did so with an air of "make your mac-n-cheese." Thing is ... I don't have a standard mac-n-cheese recipe. It's such a violently unhealthy dish that I just don't make it very often. I don't have a version of the dish I consider my own. So, uh, anyone got a favorite mac-n-cheese recipe? I never made good baked mac n' cheese until I used this recipe: www.shutterbean.com/2013/sriracha-mac-cheese/What I like about it is that you can customize it to however you like. I'd recommend leaving out the ginger, scallions, and sriracha for a crowd (and for BB-Snape) but it's a great base recipe with good proportions. Sometimes I use half havarti, half sharp cheddar; sometimes I use cream cheese and cheddar (and green chiles for a jalapeno popper version); sometimes I use just cheddar. The only modification I'd suggest otherwise - aside from the 1% milk thing, I use it and it turns out great - is to cook the pasta 2 minutes under al dente and then rinse thoroughly under cold water. Keeps the pasta from getting mushy.
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Smacks
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Post by Smacks on Nov 22, 2016 13:50:40 GMT -5
So the weird thing about Mrs. Snape asking me to do mac-n-cheese is that she did so with an air of "make your mac-n-cheese." Thing is ... I don't have a standard mac-n-cheese recipe. It's such a violently unhealthy dish that I just don't make it very often. I don't have a version of the dish I consider my own. So, uh, anyone got a favorite mac-n-cheese recipe? If you're interested in something with a bit of a twist, I highly recommend Smitten Kitchen's recent Skillet-Baked Pasta with Five Cheeses. It's super-easy and fantastically delish. (Although I use goat cheese instead of her recommended blue cheese.) Whoa that recipe IS easy! I can see this making regular rotation with variations depending on what veggies I have currently in my kitchen to throw in.
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