John Svoboda/Getty Images
READ MORE ABOUT:
I always look forward to Mark Bittman's column in The New York Times and I follow his blog Bitten daily. In the column today, he was writing about using microwave ovens and of course, he talked to the expert in microwave cooking, Barbara Kafka. I dragged out my old copy of Microwave Gourmet and it opened to our old family favourite, Macaroni and Cheese. This was a staple in our household when my kids were little because they could always be counted on to eat it without any fuss. Well, usually.
My daughter was the sunniest baby you could ever imagine. No "terrible twos" in our house, she sailed through that year with nary a temper tantrum. Then she hit the age of four with a vengeance. Every day brought new possibilities for argument and strife. She argued about everything and she developed a piercing scream that could shatter glass. (I should say she has grown into a lovely, delightful young woman and she never screams at me.)One lunchtime, I had made the microwave macaroni and put the plates down in front of both children. My son, who particularly loved this dish tucked in with great happiness. My daughter, however, got the look on her face that indicated that a storm was brewing. She refused to eat. I was normally pretty cool about what my kids ate or didn't eat and I never forced them or made a big issue about it. However, turning down something that had been willingly consumed on previous occasions was not acceptable to me. We tried to face each other down.
The situation escalated, as these things tend to do, and neither of us was willing to back down. She got louder and more vehement about not eating the macaroni. At the height of the tantrum she screamed at me, "I WILL NOT EAT THIS CRAP!" and with a great flourish lifted her plate and turned it upside down. The entire mound of macaroni adhered to the plate, a congealed mass of pasta. The three of us laughed so hard we could barely breathe and she conceded that the macaroni had pretty much stolen her thunder. I've made macaroni and cheese many times since then, but I've never done it in the microwave again.
According to the article in the paper today, Kafka used a 700-watt oven and most new ovens use 1,100 watts so you would have to change the cooking time a bit.
Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4
2 cups milk
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups cooked macaroni
1. Combine milk and cornstarch in a 10x8-inch dish and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add cheese, salt, pepper and butter. Fold in cooked macaroni. Cook, uncovered, for 4 minutes 30 seconds.
Difficulty Level: Easy
-
- {}
