The Yellow Death

 

I love macaroni and cheese.  The boxed kind.  As long as it’s the Kraft brand.  This was among the first foods I learned to prepare (right after boxed chocolate chip cookie mix.)  I mean, what’s not to love about pasta-ish food with gritty cheese-like sauce?  It’s simple, it’s filling, and to me, it represents comfort.

For awhile, after I grew up, I became a mac and cheese snob.  I decided that the humble yellow death was beneath me.  I wanted real pasta with real cheese.  I tried many homemade macaroni and cheese recipes from the very complicated “Oprah’s Over the Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese” to the starving student “elbow ‘roni, margerine, and parmesan”.  Most of the recipes were good—in fact, good enough that I’d make them again.  But I always go back to my royal blue and bus stop yellow box of Kraft.  No recipes in this post—just a tribute to what my Academic Advisor in college called “The Yellow Death.”

I’ll post real mac and cheese recipes in the future—I promise. For now, here are some things I’ve done (or other people I know have done) to enhance the good ol’ Kraft stuff.

Chili Mac: Add a can of chili to prepared mac and cheese. Heat through and serve.

Tuna Mac: (my neighbor did this, not me, but to each his own, right?) Add a can of drained tuna and a dollop of mayo.  Mix well.  Serve warm or cold.

Salsa Roni: Add half a cup of your favorite salsa, and one can (drained and rinsed) black beans to the pan of macaroni and cheese.  Serve with sour cream and chopped green onions.

Fake-a-roni: stir in a chunk of velveeta cheese spread to prepared macaroni and cheese.  Season with ground pepper.

Mmmmm.  Good.