Printmother's day: mac and cheese and... ??!?
I need some ideas! We are having about 15 people over for mother's day. My husband and I have fallen in love with Seattle's local cheese company, Beecher's "World Famous Mac and Cheese" recipe, and know that we want to make that for our company, but what should we serve with it? I'm looking for something a little classier than hot dogs, but I'm being incredibly indecisive! :o)
So my question is: What would you serve to company with a great homemade mac and cheese??
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12 Comments:
Southern spread with some fried chicken and/or a baked ham, some buttermilk biscuits, braised greens and/or a green salad, some glazed baby carrots, and some fresh baby peas or asparagus. Put out a red & white checked table cloth and some wildflowers in a pitcher. For dessert bake a Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and decorate with sugared violets. Make a pitcher of iced tea lightly sweetened (between 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar per quart of tea, I think 1/2 cup is too sweet, but if you have a sweet tooth...)
wookie at 3:15PM on 05/03/08
I'm going with a more Northern, or at least New York, reading: gourmet sausage instead of hot dogs, steamed broccoli, asparagus if it's fresh and you make it well, green salad, cupcakes with grownup flavors (mocha, butter rum) plus a big fresh fruit salad for dessert.
annien at 4:48PM on 05/03/08
My mom really lkes BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, so I'd be slow-cooking some pork to add BBQ sauce to later. I'd then be serving it on a toasted Kaiser roll. It's just a bit classier than hot dogs without going overboard.
LunaPierCook at 5:26PM on 05/03/08
wookie oh oh oh yes....thats what I'm talk'n about, and the BBQ too piled high on some buttermilk biscuits with some coleslaw....just drool why don't you........!
Markbb at 6:05PM on 05/03/08
hey hey...can I get that world famous mac n cheese recipe????
ChelleyD01 at 7:16PM on 05/03/08
@Chelley - I was interested in this recipe too, so I hunted it down...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/330261_cheeserecipe05.html
mmmmm...cheeeese
Southern_bella at 10:59PM on 05/03/08
instead of putting something on the side how about adding some crisped pancetta to the mac and cheese and a big fresh salad along the side?
huney_bumper at 10:36AM on 05/04/08
Here's the recipe... and it really is the best ever!! If you can't find chipotle chili powder (or just want to try a different flavor) regular cayenne powder works great. We can't decide which way we like it better, actually! :o)
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'WORLD'S BEST' MAC AND CHEESE
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH
6 ounces penne pasta
2 cups Beecher's Flagship Sauce (recipe follows)
1 ounce cheddar, grated (1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Oil or butter an 8-inch baking dish.
Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse pasta in cold water and set aside.
Combine cooked pasta and Flagship Sauce in a medium bowl and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheeses and then the chile powder. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
NOTE: If you double the recipe to make a main dish, bake in a 9-by-13-inch pan for 30 minutes.
BEECHER'S FLAGSHIP CHEESE SAUCE
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 ounces semihard cheese, such as Beecher's Flagship, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 ounces grated semisoft cheese, such as Beecher's Just Jack
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, salt, chile powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to three days.
NOTE: A single batch of sauce makes enough for a double recipe of macaroni and cheese.
annaliseree at 1:24PM on 05/04/08
...oh, and because I am not rich :o) I use Tillamook aged white cheddar in place of the Beecher's Flagship cheese for the sauce. It's a whole lot cheaper, and tastes just as good!!
annaliseree at 1:29PM on 05/04/08
This is admittedly old-fashioned but healthy and pretty: serve mac n' cheese with stewed tomatoes. That's basically canned diced tomatoes jazzed up with onion, celery, parsley, etc. and sometimes thickened with some bread cubes if too runny. You can find recipes in old cookbooks like my 1962 duct-tape-rescued Joy of Cooking.
When I was a kid we were given a choice of the stewed tomatoes beside or on top of the mac n' cheese. It's a great combination. Somewhat Italian in taste.
Blue Iris at 7:46PM on 05/04/08
I usually serve my Mac & Cheese's with:
">Baked Plantains - I like the sweet counterpart to the salty pasta
Simply Dressed Salad
http://karmafreecooking.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/roasted-garlic-parmesan-pepper-breadsticks/
">Roasted Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 10:43PM on 05/04/08
@ thank you thank you!!! :o)
Here's what I've decided! (Keeping it simple for 18+ people):
Baked Ham
World's Best Mac & Cheese
Fresh Potato Rolls
Green Salad
Punch (old-school with sherbet!)
Brownies
Norwegian Apple Pie
Kosekake
Hawaiian White Mac Lace Cookies
(can you tell I'm a baker?!) ;o)
Thanks for all your suggestions!! I am hungry already!
annaliseree at 2:17PM on 05/06/08