Who doesn't love the singular contentment found in a plate of gooey mac and cheese? Everyone needs a "go-to" mac and cheese recipe, or for the purists out there, macaroni and cheese recipe. This humble dish is currently one of the most sought-after comfort foods on American tables, fitting every taste and budget. If I was forced to declare a singular, quintessential comfort dish, it would have to be mac and cheese.
"Among comfort foods, mac and cheese has more degrees of freedom and fewer preconceived notions and rules," wrote JM Rasmus and Nichole Fromm of the local blog Eating in Madison A to Z.
Some have suggested that macaroni and cheese was created by founding father, Thomas Jefferson, but regardless of what side of the controversy you land on, today's recipe is definitely the creation of Alllrecipes' cook, Kristin. This ever-so-humble dish is delicious and satisfying as is, but Kristin definitely jazzed it up with some jalapeno and her Adobo meatballs.
This week's Allrecipes' cook, Kristin, hails from Westminster, Colorado. For the last three years, she has worked as the Family Selection Manager for Habitat for Humanity and that's where we started this week's webisode. Kristin loves to unwind by cooking, gardening, entertaining friends, and traveling with her husband.
Kristin loves to cook and eat anything with a lot of spice or heat, hence her nickname "Pepper". She enjoys preparing Middle Eastern, Indian, Tibetan, Nepalese and Pakistani food. The rich gravies are loaded with spice, and the dishes are much healthier than food from many other countries (though not always!). She's also a bit of a coffee freak, hence the moniker, Javagoddess.
"If I could be a food I'd be peppers. They are complex, very diverse based on the type, and a little mysterious because you can't always be positive that you'll get heat or sweet!"
"He is the cheese to my macaroni." ~ Juno MacGuff, the movie Juno
"I hate having people feed me fine French meals when all I want is macaroni and cheese." ~ Kurt Cobain
We started our trip this week meeting Kristin at a Habitat for Humanity site. The Family Selection Manager showed up in her bejeweled hard hat, excited to show us the progress here on Ivanhoe Street in Commerce City. There was a score of people already busy in the frigid temperatures putting hammer to nail bringing the dream of home ownership closer to reality for 7 partner families. Each week, hundreds of volunteers will work with these families to make the dream of homeownership possible.
From there, we headed to Kristin's kitchen and I knew immediately I was going to like this cook! With peppers hanging from the ceiling, chili beer in the fridge, and a spice rack to be envied, this dish was going to pack some heat! Hand rolling our meatballs with adobo seasoning and a mix of spices, I couldn't wait to taste these morsels! Kristin educated me letting me know that in a well-made adobo, none of the spices dominate, but rather the taste is a delicate balance of all the ingredients. The spices vary, but generally include several types of peppers (in addition to the chipotle and most likely those on hand), ground cumin and dried oregano. Adobo seasoning is flavorful, but not generally hot.
With the mix of many cheeses, spices, and personality, this proved to NOT be my mama's mac and cheese. Everyone needs a "go-to" comfort food and this recipe is an odds on favorite!
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver Blog
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver empowers families who are willing to work hard to achieve their dream of homeownership. We are a community-based organization that relies on the strength of our volunteers.
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