Super Safi’s Monday Morning Musings 23 – Macaroni and Cheese recipe

Morning Musically-Minded, Medically-Minded, Masticators!

(Today’s post is sponsored by the letter “M”)

Over the past 600+ episodes, The Simpsons has taken us on an amazing journey involving music, science, and food to name a few concepts.

And what better way to start your week, then by discussing some of these concepts Monday morning?

So let’s get started this week by discussing another recipe from the twenty third episode of The Simpsons, macaroni and cheese.

In the twenty third episode of The Simpsons, Bart Gets Hit by a Car (Season 02, Episode 10), when Bart gets hit by a car, Homer tries to create a lawsuit against Mr. Burns. Both Mr. Burns and Homer (with the help of Lionel Hutz and Dr. Nick Riviera) elaborate on the true story, which leads to yet another strain on Marge and Homer’s marriage.

Eventually when Marge costs the Simpsons a million dollar settlement, Homer is upset with her which leads to this wonderful exchange at the dinner table as presented through Homer’s point of view:

Homer’s Brain: “A million dollars. My wife cost me a million dollars.”
Marge: “Homer, would you like some more macaroni and cheese?”
Homer’s Brain: “Yeah, a million dollars worth, you treacherous snake woman.”
Homer: “No, thank you.”
Marge: “Some string beans?”
Homer’s Brain: “No, I don’t want any string beans either, you two-timing, backstabbing—Uh-oh. Better answer.”
Homer: “No, thank you.”
Marge: “Some celery with cream cheese on it?”
Homer’s Brain: “Just mouth polite nothings.”
Homer: “No, thank you.”

But have you ever wondered how do you make macaroni and cheese?

So here from the Food Network Canada is a recipe for “Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese”:

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 1 lb(s) elbow macaroni
• 2 ½ cups half-and-half
• ⅛ – ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 lb(s) cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 oz sharp Cheddar, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 3 oz Gruyere, shredded (about 1 cup)

Recipe:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.

2. Heat the half-and-half and cayenne in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until the half-and-half is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

3. Add the macaroni to the saucepan and stir to combine. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Season to taste with salt if needed. Serve hot.

Now that we know how to make macaroni and cheese, be sure to come back next week when we continue our Monday morning musings with the next episode of The Simpsons from season 2.

What’s your favourite Simpsons pasta reference/image/scene? Have you ever made your own macaroni and cheese? Or do you prefer KD? Will you try the recipe above? Sound off in the comments below. You know we love hearing from you.