With fall approaching us here in Chicago, many of us have our favorite back-to-school recipes on hand. An important one, maybe the all-time most-important one, I think, is macaroni and cheese.
Think about it. It’s versatile enough to be a lunch, a snack or a dinner. Kids love it, and if I throw enough chicken in it, so will the men.
But in my house, the debate over macaroni and cheese comes up often. A lot of the meat-eating gym-lovers in my life (I admit, I’m one of them) won’t even eat it because they don’t think it’s healthy enough (I’m NOT one of them. I’m not that intense). This recipe for three-cheese macaroni and cheese offers a bit of health with some sour cream (which can also be replaced with Greek yogurt). Very interesting.
Don’t fear for me. I don’t live with crazies. Just picky eaters. But I digress, my love for mac and cheese will live on.
I think if you make it the right way, macaroni and cheese doesn’t have to be junk food. It can be a nutritious meal that everyone can enjoy.
Isn’t that the whole point of cooking?
I like my mac and cheese almost Alfredo-style, thin in consistency, and with broccoli or spinach. But, I’m finding that others prefer it thick and as orange as possible. You know, Kraft blue box style. I found this Easy Macaroni and Cheese Recipe from NoRecipes.com that uses cheddar and Gruyere cheeses. Yum!
I tend to use a blend of Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. But that’s just me. My mother uses cheddar and Monterrey Jack. My brother still likes it out of the box. My aunt won’t use anything other than goat cheese and feta. My dad, American and sharp cheddar only. My best friend, cream cheese and blue cheese. And I know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different ways to make this insanely delicious classic recipe.
Some of these cheese combinations, I’ll have to admit, aren’t exactly healthy. We have to remember, cheese itself isn’t necessarily unhealthy. But eating a ton of it is. We have to restrain ourselves. Must restrain from the cream cheese. C’mon, I know I’m not the only one that tries to make healthy versions of comfort food. We try. Let’s give ourselves credit for that.
This begs the question, what are the best cheese combinations to use in a macaroni and cheese recipe? Which combos do you like best?
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