I've decided it's time to graduate from my cherished standby, Kraft Three Cheese Macaroni, and make my M&C from scratch. The thing is, I'm pretty intimidated by the prospect, since, damnit, the Kraft stuff is really, really good. I would go so far as to say it may well be my favorite thing to eat ever, along with a nicely steamed artichoke.

I know. I'm ashamed of myself.

So basically I'm asking for the GREATEST MACARONI AND CHEESE RECIPE ON EARTH, because that's the only thing that I can imagine beating $2.25 worth of bright orange corn starch in a cardboard box. If any of you can help, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks, all.

What a delicious Thai take-out meal to break the monotony of packing. Granted, we had to resort to plastic plates and sitting on the floor...

Menu:
Veggie spring rolls
Jasmine rice
Extra spicy basil shrimp
Mixed greens in oyster sauce
Red Curry Beef

( click for pics )

Hello Pornistas!
I've been informed by my doctor that I need to get my "good cholesterol" up. My overall score is fine, but my HDL level is low. She recommended eating a lot of foods with Omega 3 Fatty Acids and a lot of red grapes (which includes red wine! huzzah!).
The prospect of eating almonds and grapes for three months is sending my taste buds into a boredom coma. Any ideas on how I can spice up the menu a bit? I'm already thinking of adding almonds and red raisins to salads with an olive oil based dressing. Maybe a creative way to dress up the already delicious salmon fillet? Any and all ideas are welcome.
Thanks in advance for your help!

I have a two tubs (750 mL each) of yogurt, one raspberry and one plain. I thought I'd eat them but I haven't yet, and they expire on the 16th and 24th of this month, respectively. I'm considering making tzatziki with the plain stuff, and I know I can make a really tasty dessert with the raspberry stuff, but those ideas are kinda... boring.

Any thoughts on what I can do? (You guys are smart! You make really nifty things! Heck, even a nudge in the right direction would be awesome.)

Thanks!

At 3 years old, a cheddar has an almost acidic bite.

Tangy and assertive, it is difficult to imagine a more intense cheese experience. Arguably, a good member of the blue cheese family packs a powerful wallop and there are certainly cheeses that are more pungent; but few cheeses have the mouth puckering quality of a good aged cheddar.

Which is why it is incredibly difficult for me to imagine a recipe that can not only take advantage of this acerbic bite but enhance it.

But that is exactly the promise on which this recipe from Gourmet Magazine delivers.

My boyfriend and I bought a frozen goose last night at the grocery store. It's a little over 9 lbs.

I did some google searches - I found the basic roasting instructions here: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/46/Basic_Roast_Goose52633.shtml

Has anyone roasted a goose before? Any suggestions?

Further google searches turned up this recipe: http://cooking.genterist.net/2006/07/roast-goose-with-sage-stuffing-and.html


Any personal experiences or tips are much appreciated.

Our grocery store was running a good deal this week -- buy packaged lettuce mixes, and get free salad accompaniments. One of the freebies was a 10 oz. bag of shredded carrot (2-3 cups, maybe?). Well, this is great....except that my husband can't eat carrots raw, and I won't eat enough salad to get rid of it quickly. I did a quick search online, and it seems that the recipes that I came up with were either salads or carrot cake, and we really don't need the desserts.

Does anyone have any creative (but fairly simple!) ideas as to how I could use up this bag of shredded carrot?

Got a package of them at the store - just for gits and shiggles - but I have no clue how to prepare them, use them, whatever.

Any and all suggestions welcome.

while grocery shopping the other day, i picked up a butternut squash on a whim. not so much on a whim, to be honest, but more so because my good foodie friend seems to use them frequently in her cooking adventures, and i wanted in on the squashy goodness. so, if you could all be awesome and let me in on your favorite squash recipes, i would be forever indebted to all of you. thank yoooou!