You totally made my day, Part 1

I have been called many things in my life, most of them at least neutral if not outright flattering, some of them funny. Joey, Deedle and Deedlebug, Joey Washington, Sarah Closet (rhymes with Farah Fawcett), Sister1, Topper, Wifey, Mama. And now Culinary Goddess. Yes, that's right, a culinary goddess. No, pigs are not flying (at least not in Monterey) nor is the Apocalypse nigh. Let me explain...

Rory had good buddy Ardan sleep-over at our house this past weekend - the first time he has had a friend spend the night and in the new bunk beds. It was something of a spur-of-the-moment event, as we had met Ardan and his mom at Dennis the Mennace park, where they had a blast exploring the train, running across the suspension bridge, going down the slides and watching the skateboarders. They begged to continue the fun when it was time to go home, so I took both boys back to our house and that evolved into a sleep-over. More about the weekend's activities shortly.

This morning I received the following email from Ardan's mom:

Do you share your macaroni and cheese secret? Evidently, "Rory's mom makes the best macaroni and cheese in the world. Really. For real."

And, there ladies and gentlemen, you have it from the utmost authority, for real. Being a good friend, I would normally write back straight away. However, like so many things in life, there is so much more to this than meets the eye. I am reminded of the lesson of Kung Fu Panda that there is no secret ingredient, there is just you. 

The sheer and utter delight (on a couple different levels) when I opened my inbox this morning is "reply-all" worthy. Although I really do have a secret, the irony in this case - it will all become clear in due time... wait for it, wait... do NOT scroll down to the bottom of the post or you'll spoil it! - makes me chuckle. 

First, my recipe for "mama mac 'n cheese," a modified version of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything:

Mama Mac 'n Cheese

Salt

2 1/2 cups low-fat milk

2 bay leaves

1 lb. shells (or other small cut pasta)

3/4 lb. ground turkey

garlic powder

4 tb (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

3 tb all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I like gruyere or fontina with cheddar)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Black pepper

1/2 cup or more bread crumbs

Basically, you'll brown the ground turkey with garlic powder, make a bechamel sauce, and mix the latter two with the cooked shells. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Full recipe is here.

Now while I would like to say that I made my famous "mama mac 'n cheese" for Ardan and Rory and though I think it a particularly righteous recipe, I wouldn't be telling the truth. You see, my children do not like their foods mixed. Now, some kids don't even like their foods to be touching, never mind mixed. Mine just like them kept pure. So I have only ever made "mama mac 'n cheese" twice - it went over well enough the first time (the novelty, I suppose) but elicited howls of protest the second. The recipe beckons, however, awaiting the day when Rory and Myer are teenagers and desire a little more oomph at mealtime.

So, just what IS my secret? This is too good to keep all to myself, as laughter is best when shared with others and this "secret" is so ubiquitous as to be un-secret. 

Drumroll...

Ta-dah!

Organic Shells and Cheese, $0.89 at Trader Joe's. Ta-duh.