Baked Mac and Cheese - A side dish?

[ColtHandorf]

That’s just A LOT of food to cook in one day! With no help! So it was more of a bow!

It was a two day affair with an hour nap.

 

[ShrekDawg]

It was a two day affair with an hour nap.

Ohhhhh that’s good!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh Jesus, my grandmother made fudge with Velveeta cheese.

This looks amazing, though!

 

[Painted Calls]

I also did a

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Both.
I wouldn’t feed other adults a meal of just Mac and cheese but if I’m just feeding myself and/or children then it can be a meal.

 

[ColtHandorf]

This looks amazing, though!

I also did a

Velveeta fudge is not a winner.

But yes, my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners when I cook are quite tasty if I do say so myself.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I also did a

Me too!

 

[sealer39]

Here in VA, we consider mac and cheese a side dish. I was just shown a M-F menu with today's meal being baked mac and cheese. Nothing else. Just mac.

Now I rarely refer to mac as baked, because that's the only kind we do around here. However, I still wouldn't fix just mac for supper. If I cooked Sunday supper at Mother Overo's house, and I just cooked mac.... everyone would be like ".??????."

What say you? Is mac a side dish or a meal?
View attachment 3297402

I feel Mac n Cheese, baked or not, is the gooey stuff that is similarly to what you get in the Kraft box or any restaurant. ‘Baked’ Mac is the stuff my mother used to make at least one a month and always for a Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was very cheesy but you could cut it with a fork. I wish I had that recipe now. This weekend I’m going to try to recreate it. I know a lot of eggs, cheddar cheese, butter, either cream or milk was used. I just don’t know the proportions of it all so it will turn out like my mother’s recipe. I’m looking forward to many failed attempts until I get it right.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I feel Mac n Cheese, baked or not, is the gooey stuff that is similarly to what you get in the Kraft box or any restaurant. ‘Baked’ Mac is the stuff my mother used to make at least one a month and always for a Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was very cheesy but you could cut it with a fork. I wish I had that recipe now. This weekend I’m going to try to recreate it. I know a lot of eggs, cheddar cheese, butter, either cream or milk was used. I just don’t know the proportions of it all so it will turn out like my mother’s recipe. I’m looking forward to many failed attempts until I get it right.

Try the recipe from Paula Deen linked earlier and bake it? I know after it has been refrigerated because it is like a brick. Perhaps that would be the right consistency? I've never baked it though.

 

[NatJ]

What say you? Is mac a side dish or a meal?

I typically treat it as a side dish, or add some meat & veggies if it's the main dish of a meal.

But I think if a grilled cheese sandwich can be a meal, so can mac & cheese. Either way it's carbs + cheese.

No, you're supposed to use a side pan now because of risk of salmonella poisoning. They say it doesn't heat up enough inside the bird to kill the bacteria.

Who is saying that? I've always seen the advice to check with a thermometer, to be sure the stuffing gets hot enough, before you consider the turkey done.

It looks like US government websites still have the "check with thermometer" advice:
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/20/youve-got-right-stuffing-tips-handle-stuffing-care
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/holiday-turkey.html