Confession No. 19 — Here we go again with the blasted healthy lifestyle change
I think I’ll quit scheduling autumn doctor appointments. Probably the winter ones too.
It appears, after listening to the trimonthly lecture from my friendly neighborhood endocrinologist this past week, that the days of making everything better with heavy cream are history. Bacon and all other fatty meats will no longer be the norm in our diets. I guess it’s also a good thing that I recently cleaned the deep fryer and put it in the storage building. Damn me!
Familiar territory
It was almost two years ago when the same doctor delivered the diagnosis that my father always warned me about. Fear followed disbelief, and I went to the extreme.
I became an herbivore.
Before you stereotype me, there are a few things you should know. I do own an Apple computer, but I do not drive a Volkswagen. Nor do I wear Birkenstocks, or consider Seattle to be Mecca. Also, I’m not a big Phish fan. — I was just an out-of-shape overweight guy who was looking for a healthy, but delicious alternative.
Being a vegan is easy if you like most vegetables. Obviously, it’s even easier if you can live without meat. Living without starches, such as I did, made the transition a little more difficult. Still, I had a lot of fun — even bringing my wife along for the ride. The pounds came off. The blood glucose levels came down. I felt better. Then came the next doctor appointment.
Dangerous pats on the back
If you’ve ever played a team sport, you know that most good coaches don’t like to tell you how good you are … not until the end of the season, anyway. The same thing can be said for musical ensembles or live theater productions. The director wants you to worry, until the performance is over.
When the doctor tells me how well things are going, I tend to celebrate by breaking all the rules. I’ve done everything from developing a cigar habit (when I grew out of monthly asthma attacks) to stopping my antibiotics (when the physician told me the nerves would likely grow back together in the finger I’d deeply sliced). When I left the endocrinologist after that second ever appointment, I treated myself to two chili cheese dogs, and a mound of frozen vanilla custard topped with caramel and salted pecans. It went downhill from there.
Yes. I am the reason your coach made you run laps. I am the reason your band director was an out-of-control flake. I am the reason your drama director was a drama queen. Who am I? I am the person who truly believes “it won’t happen to me.”
And again…
I am neither committing to a life of veganism nor running marathons, though I do plan to bring back a few meatless menu items and air up my bicycle tires. Chili cheese dogs and I have a love affair that cannot be broken up — not even by disease. I’ll just eat them less frequently, and order one. The same goes for bacon. As for heavy cream, I’ll plan on buying the smaller pint-sized versions and replacing with Half & Half when I can.
The next doctor appointment, however, will have to wait until spring.
The following recipe is neither vegan, nor healthy. But it is a cold-weather staple, and a main dish for a lot of people. I’ve tried numerous methods for making homemade macaroni & cheese. Some include a custard mixture, while many others call for breadcrumbs. Those are not for me. I also have a difficult time introducing other ingredients such as tomatoes and green chiles. I believe that a macaroni & cheese dish should be creamy and savory, and nothing more. The method below fits that bill. I confess that I have not found the ‘perfect’ cheese mixture. The mix in the photo was about 50 percent queso quesadilla (a Mexican melting cheese), 40 percent sharp cheddar and 10 percent smoked provolone. It was topped with sharp cheddar and Gruyère.
Macaroni & Cheese
1 lb. – tubular pasta
No matter how rich it is, I cannot seem to latch onto the idea of macaroni & cheese as a meal in itself. Baking in ramekins not only makes the cook appear more refined (than I really am), it helps to control portions.
1/3 cup – salted butter
1/4 cup – all-purpose flour
4 cups – whole milk
2 lbs. – semi-hard cheese, grated (cheddar, provolone, etc.)
1 cup – semi-hard cheese (preferably cheddar, for topping)
½ cup – hard cheese, grated (Gruyère, Romano, etc.)
1 teaspoon – Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon – garlic powder
¼ teaspoon – ground mustard
⅛ teaspoon – ground cayenne pepper
Chili powder
Boil pasta in salted water to al dente. Set aside.
In large saucepan, or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes. Slowly pour in whole milk, working the whisk the entire time to avoid lumps. Once mixed, add Kosher salt, garlic powder, ground mustard and ground cayenne pepper. Stir regularly for about 6-8 minutes. Mixture will be slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add 2 lbs. Semi-hard cheese. Stir until all cheese is melted.
Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce mixture and stir until combined. The mixture should look thick, but soupy at this point. Otherwise, add milk to the mixture until it resembles a chowder.
Place macaroni and cheese mixture into buttered 13×9 glass baking dish, or in individual ramekins. Top with the 1 cup of semi-hard (cheddar) cheese and ½ cup hard cheese. Sprinkle with chili powder to desired color.
Bake uncovered in 350F oven for about 20 minutes, until top is slightly browned and bubbly.
I love Macaroni Cheese. My mum used to make it in a big dish and serve our family (6 kids plus parents). There was always enough for seconds and I would always be stuffed after it. My advice: Forget the ramekins. Go large. Just don’t do it every day…
Great post.
Conor
Good advice, Conor! Thank you!
Good luck with your health!
I love vegan/vegetarian meals. I tend to make a few or more a week. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat, but I love variety even more. And as I believe I’ve stated before, I adore veggies! Can’t wait to see some new ideas that I’m sure are to come
Nothing can bring the heart back to the present than baked homemade macaroni and cheese…mmm
True, M.G., which is why I’m trying to raise that bar. I’m experimenting with deep fried mac & cheese.
Chili dogs and mac and cheese…you’re speaking my language. So hard to resist!
This mac looks incredible. I’m with you on keeping it simple – I don’t need a lot added in if the cheese is good. And I have a soft sport for gruyère.
A ramekin of this would go fantastically with the “meat” loaf I made for today… which is vegan and healthy. It’s all about balance.
I have the same soft spot for Gruyère … similar to my soft spot for Brie and Stilton. Thanks for the kind words.
Delicious!
Thank you, Missy. Let me know if you come up with the ‘perfect’ cheese combo. I’ll take all the help I can get.
Man, you weren’t kidding about that “best ever” thing; that sure does look good! I like the idea of using provolone. I’ve never tried that in a mac and cheese before. This looks creamy, cheesy, and delicious!
Smart Cookie – Provolone is very under-appreciated. It has a deeper flavor than many of its commonly used counterparts, and it melts nicely. I’m especially a fan of smoked provolone.
I live in Seattle and got rid of my Volkswagen lol, I am a certified Apple(Mac) whore its ridiculous. I think hot dogs are better with bacon wrapped around them and although I indulge myself and eat stuff that is bad for me I do it in moderation. This mac and cheese sounds fantastic! I love all the cheeses…. although I do tend to put bacon in my mac and cheese and top it with panko lol. I would however tries yours as is as it sounds to good to pass up.
Bacon and panko are good, and I might even like them. Heck, who am I kidding? I’d really enjoy bacon and panko! Especially if you deep fried the bacon in panko! So, let me ask you something, Susie. Did you trade in the VW for a Prius?
Thanks for stopping by. I really hope you are a regular around here.
I’m so sorry about the doctor’s report and hope that you’re able to moderately fix the issue. Personally, I’m glad you’re not heading back to the vegan lifestyle because we’d have been robbed of this recipe if you had! It looks absolutely amazing! I proudly embrace my omnivore nature, along with chicken, beef and pork. But I do also hug the occasional tree. Glad I found you, Adam. I love your writing style.
Thanks for your concern, Mom Chef. It’s all good. I didn’t heed Dad’s warnings, and now I have to pay the price. Life happens. I might do a vegan thing here and there, but I’ll always share the deep fried, cholesterol laden dishes that brought me to this point in my life. Just enjoy them in moderation (unlike I did for 42 years).
Ack! That sucks that the Dr visit wasn’t ended with him telling you that you are in perfect health, he wishes he had the willpower and dedication that you do and him asking you for advice on how you did it all before he says that you will never need to see another doctor again. But then again… had that happened, it probably also would have been a great day to buy a powerball ticket. Sigh. Hopefully you can get your health back on track so that things like this amazing looking mac and cheese aren’t guilty pleasures, but just…pleasures.
The thing is, Janet, I’ve discovered that gorging is not necessary to enjoy something. But seriously … I’m just really happy that the doctor gave me plenty of samples … I’ve been able to use my flexible spending account to buy fiber pills and high-alcohol beer to get me through the holidays.
Yep – Mac and Cheese is the best comfort food. Its all I ate when I had my ‘adult braces’ on – cheered me up no end. I like a breadcrumb crust on stop and pieces of gammon (I can’t resist bacon and cream either).
Adult braces? Yes, my wife had those too. Last time I went to the dentist, I had a daydream about the hygienist. Or was that a Seinfeld episode?
My kids would seriously eat mac and cheese every meal of the day, every day of the week. Sometimes the monotony makes me want to stab my taste buds out with an ice pick. I will have to try and see if I can sneak this one on the table and pull a fast one on them!!
Good luck with your new diet! Our family goal in 2011 was to try and eat more local and organic foods and it has really made a world of difference in our home!
Fuller Family – I’ve tried the icepick on the tastebuds … Not a good idea for most people, but I found it pleasant, since I enjoy mouth pain. I’m putting my reputation of being ‘normal’ at-risk by admitting this, but what the heck? I ate Italian food and watched “Clara’s Heart” about 3-4 hours after having all four wisdom teeth cut out by an oral surgeon. Though I had to inhale the pasta (my mouth and neck were basically numb), I still had enough sense to despise Doogie Howser. Yes, I was expecting a stand-up routine from Whoopi Goldberg, but I was instead ‘treated’ to the boy wonder’s introduction to the big screen.
Looks tasty! I didn’t grow up with Mac ‘n Cheese in Germany, but have learned to appreciate a good one every now and then in the U.S.
Kiri – I want you to know that the only mac & cheese I grew up on was made from a box. You and I are in a similar boat. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you make it a regular stop in your Web browsing.
First time visitor to your wonderful blog! Im pretty sure mac and cheese can solve most problems but perhaps not health related ones :/ It is my most favorite comfort food. Ever. I make mine with shrimp and fried pancetta!
Thank you, Beth. Believe it, or not, my ‘mac & cheese’ comfort food comes in a blue box. Sure, it’s powdered junk. But it’s what I was raised on. I’m hoping my version will become the comfort food of my children.
The only thing I would want to add to this would be ‘bacon’. Which I am not supposed to eat often either. Like your post!
Thanks!