Should macaroni and cheese be served at holiday meals?

[saltpoint]

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I voted "other"...

I'd say it would be OK as a side dish...

Lots of people, not to mention kids, love it...

A side dish would take care of them, and then you could have some fancy thing for your main dish...

[tigereye]

2. there are some wonderful versions of it, OC

maybe as a side dish....

:hi:

[saltpoint]

16. So, if I understand you, tigereye, you are talking yes, include it but

do NOT grant it celebrity status?

That it should be in support of and not a memorable feature of the main meal?

Can I get away with serving it, but serving it in a less dazzling bowl than the other dishes, rendering it to a tasty by-stander's status, while the ham, turkey, and so forth get most of the praise?

[tigereye]

17. I think there are some high end versions of it....

but no, I'd say no celebrity status.... however, my mom once referred to Fettucine Alfredo as "mac and cheese" at a high-end restaurant and got a the stink-eye from the waiter...



I have to say that I have made wonderful home-made versions of it, while my son prefers that strange orange version that comes out of a box...


:rofl:

[saltpoint]

18. I understand the appeal of the orange version from the blue box. A lot

of us grew up with it.

I love the Fettucine Alfredo account with your mom and the waiter. I hope she stared down right back!

[tigereye]

20. she's kind of a wise-guy....

[saltpoint]

21. LOL. Best kind of person to have a meal with.

[GOPisEvil]

3. People can take things too seriously. If you like it, serve it.

As for me, bring it on, baby. :9

[Crabby Appleton]

4. If you like it, it should be served.

what else matters.

[Fox Mulder]

5. If you and your guests like it, then why not?

It's not my cup of tea though.

[JVS]

6. I could see it as an alternative to scalloped potatoes

[saltpoint]

27. If I give you a thumbs up on that, JVS, the scalloped potatoes fans on DU

will be at my doorstep with torches, pitchforks, and profane slogans.

And let me tell ya, they're a fierce bunch.

I love scalloped potatoes.

They deserve their own thread, IMO.

[JVS]

35. I also think that scalloped potatoes are awesome.

I remember one Christmas day, mom realized she had no SP mix. My brother and I ended up in the Jewish neighborhood looking for SP mix in Kosher grocery stores. We did not succeed.

[saltpoint]

37. "We did not succeed." Great line.

But you TRIED, dammit. That's what counts.

[dembotoz]

7. holiday meals usually have different than the usual foods

if the kids like mac and cheese, and if they will eat mac and cheese and if they will be quiet during the meal,dish it up.

[skater314159]

8. It is a great food...

... and if you want a "gourmet" or "high-end" version I recommend making it with a nice extra sharp cheddar (not super-sharp, as there are 'crystals' in it that would give the mac and cheese a disconcerting crunchiness) and adding either white truffles or some truffle oil to the recipe. Now, truffles can run you about $50 for enough to make the recipe at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market - but IT IS WORTH IT!

EDIT TO ADD: If someone disses the food you serve at YOUR holiday - fuck 'em - don't serve them food and tell 'em to leave - that makes more food for the folks who like it. The only exception to the "don't like it, leave" rule for me is if the person has legitimate dietary needs, then I find something that they CAN have - but ppl with dietary issues usually aren't asses about it.

skater pi

[SaveOurDemocracy]

9. Where's the 'I like it better than I like my kids' option?

:hi:

[saltpoint]

13. LOL!

[margotb822]

10. It depends

Are we talking Kraft or homemade? I would say it's good to go if it's homemade.

[barb162]

46. I think so too, especially if there are kids around who really like it.

For some reason, a lot of little kids really like it. I've never had the Kraft version.

[Dr. Strange]

11. Absolutely. It's macaroni and cheese, after all.

Frankly, it should be served at least once a week.

PS Nice to see you dropping by the Lounge, Old Crusoe!

[saltpoint]

15. Once a week sounds about right to me, DuStrange. It's nice to be here.

You people have got it together.

[femmocrat]

12. If it is good enough for the Governor's Ball (at the Oscars),

it should be good enough for the likes of us!

Wolfgang Puck is serving Macaroni and Cheese with Truffles to 1600 "honored guests." So there! :P

[Darth_Kitten]

14. If it's BAKED.........

in the oven.....hot and cheesy. :)

[BrotherBuzz]

19. and crusty....

Dibs on the pot when it's empty.

[Darth_Kitten]

22. God, yes.

:D

[saltpoint]

28. No kidding. You can have the empty pot THIS time but I get it NEXT time.

[Orsino]

23. It should be served at *every* meal.

And in between, too. We could invent an extra meal that is exclusively mac 'n' cheese.

[SKKY]

24. Shit, Macaroni and Cheese IS a holiday meal...

...I grew up very poor. My perspective is much different.

[saltpoint]

26. Hi, ALiberalSailor. I have no qualms about it myself.

[Cabcere]

25. Hell, yes.

:9 My great-grandmother used to make the most delicious homemade mac & cheese ever, and she would always serve it whenever we had a big family gathering for some kind of celebration or another. :hi: Good stuff.

[mondo joe]

29. It should not be served at MY holiday meals.

I have my own crazy customs. :-)

[saltpoint]

31. I bet they're good customs at that, mondo joe, and you have a

great avatar as well.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[mondo joe]

36. Gracias. They're good customs for me, quirky though they may be.

:-)

[NashVegas]

30. Other: Depends on the Holiday

Most holidays have so many other nutritious foods associated with them that it's hard to justify Mac & cheese.

So, I okay it for Memorial Day, Labor day & 4th of July.

[saltpoint]

32. Cementing a long-held reputation for skillful compromise, Crisco

offered a palatable solution to the macaroni and cheese crisis..."


:toast:

[NashVegas]

33. LOL .. Don't Let Anyone See You Write That

In GD: P, okay?

[saltpoint]

34. It'll be just our little secret!

[Quantess]

38. I'm a food nazi and I say mac-n-cheese is too fattening and unhealthy

and nobody should eat more than a tablespoon size serving.

Yeah, I'm a party pooper.

[saltpoint]

40. The First Amendment works -- even here among mac & cheese zealots.

Bless you my child!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

39. Macaroni and cheese is the only dish that should be served at all meals

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July - doesn't matter. No, a foodie I ain't.

[RushIsRot]

41. Serve what YOU like. If food-snobs want caviar, they can bring it!

[saltpoint]

43. I'm enjoying the hell out of a holiday table with caviar right next to

a steaming bowl of mac & cheese.

Excellent!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

42. Only if it is real mac and cheese...

and not that packaged crap.

[enigmatic]

44. you bet

:thumbsup:

[philosophie_en_rose]

45. Is it Kraft Dinner or actual macaroni and cheese?

Because I don't hold with that fancy stuff. :)

[saltpoint]

48. I'm in the All Noodles Are Innocent camp. So it can be any kind somebody

really likes.

[harmonicon]

47. my family has always had mac and cheese at holiday meals

I would find it strange if it wasn't there.

[saltpoint]

49. I liked your response, harmonicon.

Very nice.

We're a pro-mac & cheese holiday family tree also.

[pinniped]

50. Do it for the children.

.

[saltpoint]

52. Good point. Kids don't like all the "exotic, creepy" stuff we grown-ups

like.

A bowl of mac can solve that problem.

[Contrary1]

51. As of 2008, it is perfectly acceptable to serve mac and cheese for holiday dinners.

That will be one of the very few foods one can still afford to buy. Get the pasta early, though; as the prices will be skyrocketing due to the high cost of wheat. Cheese is fast becoming a luxury, so stock up on that too.

Now, when serving extra special family and friends, your main dish should look something like this:




If, however; you are stuck feeding a bunch of nitwits, due to drawing the short straw, you are allowed to go this route:


And, if your family tree is mainly populated with Republics, who still worship the Idiot Son; you should not refuse to serve them. After all, it is a holiday...time to put aside differences, and share a nice meal.

Have them drive by with their windows down, and toss in a couple of these:



Don't forget the plastic flatware, so they can eat it warm on their way back home.

[Mutley]

53. Sure, why not?

My brother-in-law's mother makes mac and cheese to die for. It's one of the things I look forward to when I have holiday dinner with them.

[youthere]

54. I'd like to hear the follows of The Great Spaghetti Monster weigh in on this...

there must be some religious dietary guidelines on the inclusion of Mac & Cheese at holiday meals.

[InkAddict]

55. But, only if a good Heinz Ketchup is available.

I would never ask the hostess to dig in the fridge for the gooey bottle.

What....you're not thankful for Mac & Cheese???