So, for those wondering about my culinary endeavors, I will tell you mine and you can share yours.

Bacon Mac
Ingredients:
1 pound mild to medium cheddar cheese (I use Tillamook, but if you don't have it, use the best local brands)
5 rashers of bacon (Oscar Meyer is best. If you have personal preferences to certain brands, use that.)
1 pound elbow macaroni (Barilla's texture gives it more depth)
1 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
4 Tbsp stick butter (I recommend stick as spreads have strange effects)

Equipment:
Cheese grater
Frying pan
Large pot
Mixing spoon
Small bowl
Colander
Casserole Dish

Appliances:
Stovetop
Microwave

1.) First, grate 1 pound of the cheddar cheese and set aside.
2.) Fry the bacon until crispy. Chewy bacon won't help.
3.) Chop bacon into little pieces and set aside.
4.) Boil enough water to cook 1 pound of elbows.
5.) When it comes to a boil, add the noodles and boil for 3 minutes. Any further and you'll end up with a collapsed casserole.
6.) While the noodles are boiling, melt the 4 Tbsp of butter for 1 minute on high on a 1000W microwave. (Adjust if your wattage differs)
7.) When the butter is melted, mix the panko in.
8.) When the 3 minutes of boiling is up, drain and return to the pot.
9.) Add the bacon pieces and the cheese until melted and incorporated
10.) Transfer the casserole into the casserole dish.
11.) Place in microwave for 7 minutes.
12.) Take casserole out and serve.

No milk? That's different. The Tillamook sounds like an interesting variation. I love how many different kinds of mac 'n cheese there are.

More food! Hooray! While I don't imagine I'll actually have that many contributions to this thread (I tend to just guesstimate things- I seldom use a recipe), I look forward to seeing all the culinary delights people share here, as well as the ones that show up in the Whatcha got Cookin thread!

Since you started with mac 'n cheese, PANDAQUEEN, I'll have to share the mac 'n cheese my mom used to make. She used Betty Crocker's recipe mostly, with Velveeta. Later, because we all objected so much to the Velveeta, she started using Monterrey Jack. As was explained in the old Betty Crocker cookbook, mac 'n cheese was essentially a noodle pudding, which is why I was surprised that you made yours without milk, although it is perfectly fine to make it that way.

This is the mac n' cheese I would come home from school singing about. Well, actually, I would sing Yankee Doodle Dandy and after the part about Yankee Doodle sticking a feather in his hat and calling it macaroni, I would shout, "I want macaroni and cheese!". I loved my mother's - Velveeta and all, although I think it's better if made with an actual cheese and not "cheese food". Many other mac 'n cheeses are made with a cheese sauce, but this one depended on layering the ingredients and covering the assembled casserole with milk. When it came out of the oven, the top was bubbly and a little bit hard and the rest was creamy.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...a0-690ac294918b

This is really interesting and we could possibly end up with the 50 ways of Macaroni and Cheese. I don't remember my mom making Mac and Cheese when we were growing up but my son really liked Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (boxed). I was a working mom and sometimes caved when it came to shortcuts at mealtime. To make me feel less guilty about it, I added tuna and peas to it and he got "Macaroni and Cheese, Tuna Fish and Peas." The little brat liked the rhyme, I liked the convenience.

Now I want to make real mac and cheese. So, thank you for the recipes

Doing both is also permitted. In mine, layers of mac (which can be penne, ziti, etc. etc.) alternate with layers of cheese, and where you reach the milk-pouring step, I use a mornay sauce (i.e. more cheese). If I have a sharp or crumbly cheese that doesn't melt nicely into a sauce, like some of those sheepy ones that Spaniards make, then it can go shredded into a layer. More mornay-able cheeses like medium Cheddar, Gouda, etc., participate in the sauce which carries smooth cheesiness percolating down amongst the tubes, whilst also supplying that crucial bubbling-cauldron aspect that you described. The overall policy is: good cheese and plenty of it.

I always sometimes put sausage and bacon into my mac and cheese .. it this an abomination? I believe Ms deNoube's theory wholeheartedly, "good cheese and plenty of it."

I use the same motto for wine ....

A simple dessert that is slightly iconic in New Zealand but very yummy ... and so easy a child could do it!

Ambrosia

To make your own ambrosia, you’ll need the following.

The equipment:

– A large bowl.

– An electric beater.

The main ingredients:

– A 500ml of cream. Don’t go and get light cream thinking you’re being smart, because it won’t whip properly and your ambrosia will be all sloppy. Just bite your lip and get full cream!

– 1 Ltr of yoghurt. Traditionally the recipe calls for berry yoghurt.

– Berries. Fresh are best – a punnet of strawberries, raspberries or boysenberries, or a cup of frozen mixed berries.

Additional (add all of these, or pick and choose!):

– Marshmallows. Mini marshmallows are easiest, but you can cut regular marshmallows into halves or quarters. Hint: This is a lot easier with scissors.

– Chocolate pieces. Buy chocolate chips or cut up a bar of chocolate.

– Crushed meringue. Ideally you would have made some meringue earlier on (you organised person!) but otherwise you can buy some meringue and crush it up.

– Crushed biscuit pieces. Your favourite biscuits/cookies

The method:

1. Pour the cream into the large bowl and whip.

2. Add the yoghurt, berries, and your additional bits and pieces. Try different combinations – vanilla yoghurt, crushed white chocolate cookies and raspberries for example – or just throw anything in. The more the merrier! Fold until combined.

And you’re done!

Measurements .... I didn't convert to imperial but the basic rule is half cream to yoghurt.

Personally I prefer lemon yoghurt, Oreos and crushed meringue, dark 80% cocoa solid chocolate shavings and marshmallows .. but that's just me ...

I'm trying to lick it.

Noubie, I love the idea of extra cheesiness. I know my son has experimented with various types of cheese in mac 'n cheese, and I've already forgotten what he said. I'll ask him today when we talk and if there's anything to add here, I'll get back to you all.

Thran and PANDA, adding meat to mac 'n cheese would make it a more hearty dish, so why not? Unless, you're a vegetarian like I am, but then some of the fake sausages and bacon make good substitutes. I actually prefer the taste of vegetarian bacon over the real thing.

Ambrosia....oh! I've never had it and it sounds wonderful!

Make bacon.

Make mac and cheese.

Eat bacon.

Throw away mac and cheese.

ARE YOU INSANE? Throwing away perfectly good Mac and cheese is a sin, and as such, I ask of a special recipe from you that you feel like sharing.

I never used milk as the Tillamook is creamy on its own.

Rotisserie Chicken Quarters

Equipment needed: Electric tabletop turbo cooker


1) Season 3 or 4 thawed chicken quarters to taste
2) Cook in turbo cooker at about 400F for 50 minutes (best to follow cooker instructions for various meats)
3) Serve and enjoy

but... Bacon. Pure bacon!

One of the things I miss most about Ireland is the bread; particularly Irish soda bread. It's basically an unleavened bread using bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk as the raising agent. The bread is fantastic buttered with cheese or honey or smoked salmon .. or anything .. It doesn't keep well and is best eaten on the day of making, use within two days anyway ...

White Soda Bread

4 cups (16 oz) of all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
14 oz of buttermilk

Brown Soda Bread

3 cups (12 oz) of wheat flour
1 cup (4 oz) of white flour (do not use self-rising as it already contains baking powder and salt)
14 ounces of buttermilk (pour in a bit at a time until the dough is moist)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly grease and flour a cake pan. In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape - this bit is really important, don't overwork it.)

Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough (traditionally done to let the fairies escape )

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the traditional bastible pot). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped to show it is done.

Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.

Allow to cool before cutting and enjoy!

ps .. If you can't get buttermilk .. plain, full fat yoghurt will do - or even milk that is slightly sour.

I love Irish Soda Bread! I make it at least 6 times a year, but I add raisins to mine. The next day it's so good with apricot or red raspberry preserves.

If I want to make it vegan for my son, I pour a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, then add almond milk to equal the required amount of milk. Let it sit for at least a few minutes before adding it to the flour mixture. The vinegar curdles the milk (not sure if that's the proper word, but it thickens it to resemble something like buttermilk. You don't taste the vinegar). I also use vegan margarine because the recipe I've been using calls for 3 tablespoons butter/margarine.

Will try your recipe next time T.O.

I'd really happy someone has heard of it!
Wow, that's useful about the almond milk and vinegar, I'll remember that
My Great-aunt used to add raisins or sultanas to hers too, especially on a Sunday for a treat when I was little .. I can still taste it
I prefer the brown version with seafood or cold cuts .. or better yet, seafood chowder or leek and potato soup..

Linda -- @lindali365 the Space Pony! -- yes, curdles is the right word. The result is curds: under acidic conditions, a protein solidifies and comes out of solution and that's what you see as the little thick places.

When you use actual buttermilk, is your proportion of buttermilk to baking soda about what @Thranduil Oropherion stated? The reason I ask is that the word "buttermilk" might not mean quite the same thing everywhere. I hope the kind that North Americans have on store shelves is close to what Irish and New Zealanders have, but I don't really know my buttermilk.

You can use the vinegar trick with any kind of milk and the results should be the same. The brown version will open a whole new soda bread world for us, sounds delish with the seafood or cold cuts and soups/chowders!

I think you may have a point there, Ms deNoube .. I'll clarify what I mean by buttermilk .. here is the best definition I can find:
"Traditional or old-fashioned buttermilk is the liquid left over after churning butter. During the traditional butter making process, milk was left to sit, sometimes up to a day, to allow the butterfat to separate from the milk. During that time, bacteria naturally found in the milk would proliferate and ferment the milk’s lactose. Lactic acid, which is the byproduct of lactose fermentation, gives buttermilk its characteristic tangy flavor."

Also I looked for a traditional buttermilk substitute and find that lindali365's trick with the vinegar (or lemon juice) is probably the best.

Ahh, thank you for that explanation about curdling, acids and proteins. Sounds like chemistry madness!

The recipe I've been using calls for 1 cup buttermilk (8 fl. oz.) to 1 teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon baking powder. @Thranduil Oropherion 's description of buttermilk sounds spot on.

I've only understood one thing in this whole thread so far and that's:


Yes, that's right - BACONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

Bacon is a health food!

Really, I used to make all kinds of baked goods. All my recipes were out of an OLD Betty Crocker cook book. The new BC Cook books are all politically correct recipes that would kill me pretty dead if I ate them, though the old book was bad enough. It gave me type II diabetes. I'd love to eat that Irish Soda Bread; it is much like the biscuits I used to make, only bigger. I also was famous for pies - apple and pumpkin pies were my speciality. And beer-rocks and meat pies and meat tarts...

Now, Bacon... it's human food. Fat and protein! You can't get fat eating fat. Eating fat won't make you skinny, tho. I think of all the things I can't eat but Bacon... it keeps me sane.

I'm actually not a big fan of bacon. If I want pork fat in my life I'm so much happier with a nice slow cooked pork roast of some sort, strangled for six or seven hours on low heat until it gives up any resemblance of resistance and falls off the bone without prompting.

While we're on the subject of pig meats, my father has this crazy belief than the first burned animal sacrifices were God's way of barbecue as he was the first pitmaster.

Don't give my dad too much credence, he's from a family of Catholic screwballs that engage in nightly pun-offs at dinner and sadly, I am one of them.

I actually have a "gummy bear using Jell-O and Knox" recipe. I need to get it off my phone.

I do like bacon, just not as much as I make it seem. My absolute favorite pork fat is the fat on a good pork chop - when you let it get slightly burnt, but not to the point of "tastes like charcoal" burnt. If someone were to serve me a pork chop and then want to take it back, I'd have to cry and ask them if I could just have the fat off of it. That's how much I like it.

/me promises the next time I post in this thread I'll have a recipe to share.. but forewarns that any measurements would be guesstimates since I don't measure anything unless I'm baking something.