Ingredients for Macaroni and Cheese

Series Summary

Macaroni and cheese, or mac 'n' cheese as it is sometimes referred to in less formal circles, has long been a staple of the bachelor diet. While urban legend suggests it was Thomas Jefferson who first invented macaroni & cheese, its widespread popularity must be credited to those who appreciate the simplicity of a meal in a box. For many of us it was the first dish we learned how to cook. We went to college where we experimented with the recipe, substituting the milk with ranch dressing (perhaps out of necessity) or adding a dash of Tabasco sauce and Tony Chachere's, if for nothing more than just a flavor check. But as we get older, our culinary skills must improve. New ingredients must be added to the mix. New cooking methods must be explored. All species must evolve to survive, and boxed mac & cheese is not immune to this law of nature.

While the debate still rages between radicals and purists whether casserole variations can still be called "macaroni and cheese," experimenting with spam, hot dog slices and even tuna can have its own rewards. In this series of free cooking videos, a professional caterer share her recipe and tops it off with a delicious mixed berry dessert.

Video Transcript

"Hi everybody, I'm Lauren Taylor here at the bakers corner on behalf of Expert Village. Welcome, we are baking today, go figure. Today I am doing another one of my episodes where we have a meal a main course and a dessert all in one, well not in the same pan necessarily. But we are going to baking a creamy, yummy homemade macaroni and cheese we are going to bake it in the oven so it's going to get nice and bubbly and the cheese is going to get crispy around the edges, I'm making my mouth water. And our dessert another thing we're kind of throwing together and throwing in the oven is going to be a berry crisp some mixed berries on the bottom and nice sugary oatmealy nutty business topping on the top, put that in the oven let that bake and let it get golden crispy brown and cripsy on the top and those beautiful berries on the bottom, fantastic. But sometimes you need a break from cupcakes I know I should say such blasphemous things, but today I thought we would throw in a little bit of real food with that as well, so lets get started on our mac and cheese and our berry crisp."