There Are Many Rules

Admittedly, I can be a picky eater.  Especially when I was younger.  Some foods have never sat well with me. As I've grown older my thoughts have changed somewhat and so I have given these foods another chance. Some I have learned to like, some I tolerate, and some I still hate.

Cheese was one of the foods I could not stand as a child. Mozzarella cheese was pretty much the only cheese I could stand at all...and that had to be on pizza and very hot and melty. The Macaroni and Cheese that every kid seems to like was a cause of dread. In our house, you ate what was made for dinner...or you sat at the table until bedtime and went to bed without dinner. So I ended up eating mac & cheese a lot, but I never liked it. I tried ketchup, my mom tried adding peas or tuna...nothing really worked.

As an adult, I have grown to almost like Mac & Cheese...but there are many rules that must be followed in order to enjoy it.

Spirals - The Cadillac of Mac & Cheese

1. No EasyMac
2. Shape - Spirals are really the only choice.  Spirals hold the perfect amount of cheese sauce, not too much, not too little.  It is also a fun texture that is easy to get perfectly cooked.  It is the Goldielocks of all macaroni.  Here is the hierarchy of macaroni noodles from delicious to inedible.
• Spirals
• Scooby Doo
• Elbow/Standard
• Most any other kids shape
• Shells
3. Cheese - Powdered Cheese is a must... nd the brighter neon the orange coloring, the better.  I am not tied to any one brand HoneyHill is just as good as Kraft in my opinion but it has to be powdered...that creamy cheese mix is just horrible.
4. Preparation - Classic Preparation only! 3 Tablespoons of Milk and Butter, the "healthy, low fat" option is disgusting...actually I add a little bit more milk and butter than the classic prep because I like the cheese sauce really runny.
5. Time - Mac and Cheese must be eaten within 20 minutes of removal from heat source.  If the cheese sauce starts to coagulate at all the macaroni is dead to me.  Mac and Cheese can not be re-heated to a satisfactory form, it is chemically impossible.
6. Seasoning - A twist of fresh ground pepper is perfect.  I prefer a 3 peppercorn mix as opposed to straight black pepper but both are good.

Let there be Macaroni and Cheese!