Substitutes for Mac and Cheese

I know what you're thinking. A blog that writes about Mac & Cheese is suggesting something other than what it's constantly showcasing? Sacrilege! There must be some explanation for this insolence!

Nahh, there's nothing wrong with trying other foods. It speaks volumes to your taste palette to have a wide assortment of possible sides to include with your meal. Not just pasta related, but anything that you can pair up with dishes. In fact, I've found that the more you space out the times you eat Mac & Cheese between one another, the greater appreciation you have when you do sit down to devour a plate. This is especially true when you're dieting.

Recently, I had gain some weight over the first couple months of the year, in part because of being out due to some sicknesses I've had, but also due to the combination of my not-so-great eating habits along with what I had already ingested the months prior. Holidays are particularly susceptible to allowing people to binge eat and grab larger portions of meals, if not for the sake of keeping up with everyone on Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

What this has to do with Mac and Cheese is that when I did sit down to eat some, it just added to what all I already been putting in me, and began seeming like less of a treat and more of a quick fix to satiate my overeating. I felt guilty diving into my favorite Mac and Cheese dishes. Even if most aren't good for you, I just wasn't able to get past this new feeling. This will not do.

So I stopped eating Mac and Cheese. *gasp!*

...But thankfully I returned with a solution to how to approach my meals when I desire some!

Now these "substitutes" (as mentioned in the title) aren't just literally related to food substitutes themselves, but in a more figurative sense they are techniques for keeping yourself in shape and/or ways to go about eating Mac and Cheese so that you get the most enjoyment out of it whenever you decide do sit down and scarf on a bowl.

Deep, no? Well I'm about to get a little deeper... all the while keeping this practical. All this information is available out there, but I'm going to give you my personal account on what I ended up doing:

• Walk at least 30 minutes every day for 30 days. At the time I temporarily put a halt to eating excessive Mac and Cheese, I was knee deep into doing strength & conditioning workouts as a way to burn off the food I was eating. My workout was complex and required quite a bit of time a couple days a week. Not exactly ideal, but if you're in "gotta workout-mode", then this can get you results... at first.
  
  But like all workouts if you do them enough, you'll begin to hit a plateau point if you're not able to vary them enough. I didn't do this, so my workout I had turned from bulking up and burning fat into maintaining the status quo. It works until for whatever reason you stop...
  
  One day after a brief conversation with the security guard at my workplace, we were discussing what are considered the best workouts for you, and one of the ones that came up was walking. Not casual walking, and definitely not as high impact as jogging, but fast-paced brisk walking for extended time periods.
  
  So I made a goal to myself to walk for at least 30 minutes every single day. As it turns out, this is one of the single best things you can do for yourself. Seriously, as long as you walk fast and continuous, you'll be burning off fat in no time. I dropped about 15 lbs. in that time frame and it continues to descend.
  
• At the start of each day, drink a warm glass of water with some lemon juice. Before breakfast, go grab a glass of warm water and either squeeze a lemon or pour a couple tablespoons of lemon juice into your water and drink it quickly. (I prefer the lemon juice because it's easier to use, and only costs a couple bucks.) If it tastes too acidic for you, you can add some sweetener (Truvia works best) if you need to sweeten it up a bit, or just use less lemon juice.
  
  What this does is jump starts your metabolism so that it begins digesting what you end up eating faster. As you go about the day eating different foods, this will aid in burning whatever you eat and turning it into energy. Combine this with the brisk walking above and you'll start seeing results fairly quickly.
  
• When you snack, portion out bags of your favorite Trail Mix. Now this one you want to be careful on because it's really easy to buy a package of trail mix and devour all of it in one sitting, which ends up being over 1000 calories if you crab more than a few handfuls!
  
  What you want to do is find a generic store-brand package of trail mix (not the big name stuff... they're usually packed with hydrogenated oils and extra sodium!). I tend to grab ones with peanuts, cashews, dark and light raisins, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. If there's chocolate, make sure it's dark chocolate. And if that combination isn't available, you can always get them separate and mix them together.
  
  What usually ends up working out best is to go by the package's serving (1/4 cup typically). Where you can foolproof this is by getting some snack-size zip-lock bags and filling them with the 1/4 cup of trail mix. That way you're keeping yourself from taking too much.
  
  Now you're thinking why trail mix? Doesn't it have a lot of fat? Yes, but it's the fats you need to burn more fat. As long as you eat the right amount and combine it with exercise, it'll work in your favor. Combine this step with the 30-minute to hour long walks and starting off the day with warm water lemon juice above, and you'll be burning weight in no time.

Now these things I listed aren't a cure all or get-slim-quick-scheme or anything like that. This is all just what worked for me to lose weight, burn fat, and feel better. Figure out exactly what your body needs to maintain, eat plenty of healthy foods and ask your doctor or trainer about anything first and then act accordingly. If you're like me and you're approaching your 30s and getting older by the day, then I can say from experience that these techniques work wonders for getting my body to feel like it's 21 again.

But before I go, what all does this aid in getting me to enjoy Mac and Cheese?
What it all comes down to is this:

• When you eat Mac and Cheese, make sure you enjoy it without feeling any guilt!
  After doing the above things for a month or so, my body began to handle my food intake much better than it had months prior, and so when I sat down to eat a dish again, through what I had done to prepare myself, I was able to fully let go of the guilt I had of eating it. I'd let some time pass between the last time I had some and now, but I'll tell you... when I finally had it again it was exceptional. The mac and cheese was no longer adding to my overweight, but it became a treat again. And like all things, in moderation it's quite good :)

I hope this helps anyone out there who finds themselves torn between eating and ditching one of their favorite dishes. When applied in the right way, you'll find a way to keep your favorite foods in your life without having to give it up completely. Life is too short not to enjoy it :D

Noodle Shapes

Going through a lot of the packaged mac & cheese meals, it's notable that whenever most people think of a mac and cheese meal, the elbow noodle is the most commonly associated noodle to appear everywhere. And for good reason: It's small, cooks easy, and can hold a small amount of the cheese sauce to enhance your bite.

But what about all the other noodles that are out there? Not just the ones that brands pair with their mac and cheese flavors, but all sorts of noodle variety. In order to get a better idea of what all there is (as well as having a place to refer back to for noodle types), I’ll go through some others I've found in my searches that I’ll pair with in order to find out what the best noodles are and which cheeses go best with them:

Acini di Pepe – Very small shapes used in broths. Also called "Peppercorn"

Alphabet Pasta – Kid's pasta shape, normally used in soups, although I've seen it in some mac and cheeses

Anellini – Little pasta rings. Used in various soups, although most popular in packaged meals as the main noodle ingredient for "Spaghetti-O's"

Capellini (Angel Hair Pasta) – Very thin and delicate strands best used with thin sauces. In addition to spaghetti, it's also used in salads or stir fry meals. Also called "Fine Hairs" pasta.

Farfalle (Bow Ties) – Also known as "butterflies", these have a unique noodle shape, very handy for many different sauces. Can go with certain salads and soups.

Buctani – Thick spaghetti noodles whose special feature is that the center is hollow like a thin straw. Useful for casseroles or stir-fry dishes. Fits very well with just about any sauce.

Campanelle – Also known as "bells", these are shaped like a small cone with ruffled out edges. Useful for heartier sauces such as ones paired with meat, cream, vegetables or oil. Great with pasta salads.

Cappelletti – Pasta that is folded and then twisted to form a shape much like a small alpine hat. Became the main noodle used for Kraft's recent Extreme Cheese flavor packages.

Casarecce – Much like a cross between the bigger Penne noodles and the more bell-shaped Campanelle noodles, these are rounded at the ends, with one closed and one open. Best used with a variety of casseroles and meat sauces.

Cavatappi – Also called the "corkscrew" noodle, these noodles are shaped like a longer spiral-shaped elbow noodle. Blends well with both simple and more complex sauces. Used quite a bit with cheese sauces and broccoli.

Cavatelli – Noodles that resemble miniature hot dog bun shapes. Used most often with thicker chunky sauces and pasta salads, although it can be paired nicely with a variety of foods (meats, cream, seafood, vegetable sauces)

Ditalini – Also called "Little Thimbles", these small cog-shaped noodles go well with just about any dish, especially salads and stir-fry dishes.

Egg Noodles – Flat noodles that twist around, used most often in Stroganoff. Come in both medium and wide sizes. Medium shape used more in soups, salads, and baked dishes. Wide used most often in casseroles.

Elbow Macaroni – Versatile shape used in just about anything (sauces, baked dishes, soups, salads and stir-fry dishes), although most traditionally used to make Macaroni and Cheese.

Farfalline – A smaller version of the Farfalle "bow tie" noodles, also used for just about anything.

Fideo – Short thin pasta strands curved slightly, used most in soups.

Fusilli – Also known as "Twisted Spaghetti" thin and very spiral-twisted, they're used most often in salads and casseroles.

Gemili –

Gigli –

Jumbo Shells –

Lasagna –

Linguine –

Macaroni –

Manicotti –

Conchiglie –

Orecchiette –

Orzo –

Penne, Mostaccioli –

Penne –

Penne Rigate –

Pipe Rigate –

Pipette Rigate –

Radiatori –

Ravioli –

Reginette –

Riccioli –

Rigatoni –

Rocchetti –

Rotelle –

Rotini –

Small Shells –

Spaghetti –

Thin Spaghetti –

Tortellini –

Tortiglioni –

Tripolini –

Tubini –

Vermicelli –

Wagon Wheels, Ruote –

Ziti – Also called "Bridegrooms", a medium sized tubular pasta shape that goes great with chunky sauces and meat dishes

How My Review System Works

So I was looking back over some of my reviews I'd done the past month or so, and while I've got it all arranged, organized and contained in a precise layout I want to work with, I realized that I never actually explained how my review system works for the Macaroni & Cheese meals I cook. It's a system I planned out, set up, and implemented for a couple of specific goals I had in mind:

1. To be informative in bite-sized ways. (you know, I want these posts to be edible... as well as nutritious!)
2. To allow for explanation or elaboration on anything that needed to be addressed. (Can I say what I need to say in a sentence? Or does it need more explanation/jokes/education?)
3. To allow for an entertaining read accompanied with captioned pictures (so that you're not just skimming a shopping list of factoids.... although that's certainly and relevantly helpful for food shoppers.)
4. Most importantly, to allow room for improvement as I do this more and more. (Yep, I'm not going to stop tweaking how I do this... and I want to keep improving the way I review!)

I'd like to think that right now I'm properly covering each Macaroni & Cheese dish in the best way that I can, although as time goes on I certainly look to enhance what I'm doing in any way I can (and go back to previous posts to make the adjustments accordingly.)

So let's get started, shall we? I'll set this up just like a review, although I'll fill in the explanations with how each section works. (So it's really like a review of.... my review? Deep stuff.)

---

First, what you'll see at the top of each review:
(this one taken from my previous post)

     Nutritional info - daily value:
      Servings: 2.5 per box
      Calories: 270, (280 prepared)
      Fat Calories: 35, (40 prepared)
      Total Fat: 4g, (6-7% dv)
      Saturated Fat: 2.5g, (13% dv)
      Trans Fat: 0g
      Cholesterol: 10mg, (3-5% dv)
      Sodium: 530mg, (22-23% dv)
      Total Carbs: 47g, (16% dv)
      Fiber: 2g, (8% dv)
      Sugars: 5g
      Protein: 10g, (11-13% dv)
      Vitamin A: 2-4% dv
      Calcium: 10-15% dv
      Iron: 4% dv
      Thiamin (Vitamin B1): 10% dv
      Folic Acid: 10% dv

Essentially, I'll start each review with a shot of each box or package I'll be looking at, cooking, and tasting (the food of course. Not the box, silly goof). I'll almost always shoot this one on the same spot on my kitchen counter in front of our new toaster and spice rack... which so far I've found it makes for a good backdrop.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the nutritional info posted to the right of each pic. This is taken directly from the box itself, and I've kept it highlighted the same as how they arrange it so that you can refer back to it easily and jump right to the important and relevant info. (I've got dv next to just about everything, which stands for daily value)

Shortly after a brief introduction or lead-in, I've provided a quick-glance section where you get my full experience of the meal summarized in 3 simple questions and answers. This part is made to be less objective (that stuff is described in more detail in the bulk of the review below it) and more of my subjective experience of each dish. If you read nothing else on the page (though I can't imagine why you'd skip the rest), this is the section (along with the Overall section) is where you can get the gist of my review:

What I expected: My single sentence account of what I predicted the meal would taste like based off of what I know.

What I got: My single sentence account of what I actually tasted, based on tangible experience with the meal.

What other question I can make up on the spot: This question is more for wittiness, or just simply another observation I can make out of the meal (however closely related or far off it is to the actual dish I'm reviewing).

Pair-ability:
This is typically where I'll show a shot of the Mac & Cheese dish (pictured below from my Knorr Cheesy Bacon Macaroni review) I just cooked in a top-down view on a plate with other food items I happen to be eating that night. This selection is usually random for the most part, although I try my best to pair it with some sort of meat and/or veggie to go along with it. And I do my darndest to pair it with something green to balance it all out...

...Except not this meal. Corn grew from the green, right? Does that count?

While I don't determine how great a Mac & Cheese dish is with this section, I do take what I pair with it into consideration of how I plan to go about making with different mac & cheeses in future meals. Plus, this can give you an idea of some things to consider making with it (if you can't think of anything offhand).

Preparation: 
This section is where I'll describe, post pics, and grade how my experience preparing the meal is (essentially, the one section that has little to do with the actual taste itself unless it's by how the preparation affects it.) This isn't just a build-up to the meal itself though. It encompasses a before/after experience (in other words, how tough is the cleanup?). If preparing a meal does something out of the ordinary (something that isn't my fault), I'll usually point it out here. In addition, I'll describe how it's prepared, especially if something is different than other Mac & Cheeses.

I may end up adding in some more info here in the future. I've debated whether or not I want to place the actual cooking instructions online, although it may come in handy for those who have started cooking and for whatever reason lost the box in the process or just don't have access to the info for whatever reason. Right now, I'm mostly just preparing these meals with their stove-top directions (and sometimes deviating if I find a better way to cook them), although I may revisit these meals to explore how it is to make the microwave versions (and post the differences here). If it's something that will truly help, I'll put it in.

Shape-o-meter:
Here I'll mostly be talking about the noodle/shell/spongebob/whatever shape that each Mac & Cheese meal comes with. I won't just describe how it looks, but also take into consideration the texture of the noodle and how well it cooks as well as its firmness/softness level. This section is a little tougher to grade because while I've got my own personal preference on how I like my noodles cooked (I tend to fall under the "firm but with no crunch and not soggy" category), it doesn't necessarily mean that it's how you may prefer it. Basically, if a noodle ends up being a little firmer or softer, I'll put that out there and let you be the judge based on what you like.

I'm working on a noodle gauge meter graphic that will help with this and make it easier to determine if this is one you'll like. Stay tuned...

Size-o-meter:
This section deals more with the portion size of the meal itself. Is it big enough to feed several people? Will it fill you up, or leave you wanting more? What portion sizes would work best for your needs?

While I will grade this one based on what the box comes with (this includes other package contents like cheese, toppings, etc.), it's ultimately up to you on how you divide the meal out.

Flav-o-meter:
Ahh, here is the meat of the review (meat? err- no, this is the cheese of the review!) where I go into everything about the meal's taste. Everything from how flavorful it is, how cheesy/dry it is, how the noodles affect the taste, extra toppings that affect the overall flavor. Bottom line: Does this taste good to me? Again, while I do have my own preferences, I'll present my experience as best as I can (and keep it objective enough) so that you can arrive at your own conclusion. Ultimately, much of my overall grade centers on the taste (that is why you're eating this, right?).

So until an invention comes along one-day where you can taste what's shown on your computer screen, this is the best I can do. But until then.... please don't lick your computer screen, that's gross.
 
Nutriti-o-meter:
Even though I open the review with the nutritional facts, if anything nutritionally is out of the ordinary or needs to be pointed out, this is the section to do it. What it all comes down to is this: Is this meal something you can enjoy with or without a healthy diet? Or is this dish more of a guilty pleasure?

Overall:
This won't need too much explanation, but I'll basically sum up all the important bits from throughout the review. If a meal is highly recommended, I'll make sure to point out all the good stuff to drive home the fact that if you're a Mac & Cheese fan, you need to try this. Or if the meal stinks, I'll give you all the reasons you might want to stay away. Most of the time I'll go through both pros and cons of everything to keep the summary balanced. (pros and cons list... I think I'll add that in :) )

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So there you have it. My current review system. It's certainly not perfect, but it gets the job done. As always, I'm all ears for any ways you have to improve upon it. If you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in a Mac & Cheese review, please let me know and I'll do my best to implement it if it aids the review. Thanks for reading, and cheers!

Review: Annie's Homegrown Shells & White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

Not so sure about... wait- it's got the
"Rabbit of Approval"? But of course it does!

     Nutritional info - daily value:
      Servings: 2.5 per box
      Calories: 270, (280 prepared)
      Fat Calories: 35, (40 prepared)
      Total Fat: 4g, (6-7% dv)
      Saturated Fat: 2.5g, (13% dv)
      Trans Fat: 0g
      Cholesterol: 10mg, (3-5% dv)
      Sodium: 530mg, (22-23% dv)
      Total Carbs: 47g, (16% dv)
      Fiber: 2g, (8% dv)
      Sugars: 5g
      Protein: 10g, (11-13% dv)
      Vitamin A: 2-4% dv
      Calcium: 10-15% dv
      Iron: 4% dv
      Thiamin (Vitamin B1): 10% dv
      Folic Acid: 10% dv

Jumping back toward the side of healthier mac & cheeses again (but thankfully not one that tastes like gerber baby peas), today we're taking our first look at another big brand name you're likely to find at any store that's larger than a mini-mart... and if not on the isle where all the other pasta dishes are, then certainly in any fully-stocked whole foods section (you know, that section of the store where *gasp!* the food is better quality while rocketing the prices up!).

That brand: Annie's Homegrown. Having everything to do with going green, eliminating unnatural and unnecessary preservatives and giving you healthier alternatives to everything from breakfast, to snacks, pastas and condiments...

And that bunny: Bernie. Undoubtedly having nothing
to do with Bugs, Trix, or Cadberry Cream Eggs.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that you're probably paying a buck more on average for an Annie's box, inevitably I've found that you're getting a product that is much more organic and natural than your average box of Kraft, Store-brand, or other factory mac & cheeses. Check out their site for more info on exactly what they're all about.

Now today I decided to pick one flavor that I've had before to start off with, so while I know you'll still want to check out the rest of the review below for the nitty gritty, I'll get this out of the way... Annie's White Cheddar & Shells is actually pretty darn good! I remember grabbing a few boxes out of curiosity back in my college days, and seeing as I do enjoy Kraft's blend of white cheddar mac & cheese, I'd never had the shells before.... and once I was done, I wondered what took me so long to finally try it.

So I'll be going at this from more of a "How do I like it now?" angle, comparing my experience from several years ago with what I'm finding now:

What I expected (before): Another off-brand mac & cheese that compared most store-brand low-priced mac & cheeses... only with the higher price. 

What I got (before): A scrumptious dish of perfectly cooked shells and tasty cheese that fills you up without weighing you down. Who knew that healthier mac & cheese that could be so delicious? 

What I expected (now): Perhaps I was really hungry when I first tried Annie's White Cheddar & Shells, so my memories may have been painted by nostalgia and it may have tasted better in hindsight than it does now. 

What I got (now): Thankfully, it's still wonderful after all this time. Even more delicious now than I remembered it, and a healthy alternative that I can gravitate towards!

Pair-ability:
Steamed broccoli with an oven-baked chicken (seasoned with sage and soaked in pineapple chunks)... and a cold mug of Guinness beer.

Yes, I quite enjoyed a hearty Guinness with this otherwise extremely healthy meal.
Funny thing is, the mac & cheese was actually tastier than the already delicious pineapple!

Preparation: 
One thing I noticed on the back of the box (and to be fair it's something that is on a lot of mac & cheese boxes in general), that you need to prepare your mac & cheese with copious amounts of water, and boil the noodles for an average of 10 minutes. While I'm sure there's a reason those instructions are provided, I've found from my personal experience that you don't need nearly that much water, and you certainly don't need to soak the noodles in scalding hot water for quite that long to get the job done.

Of course this will vary depending on how firm/soft you like your noodles to be, but I've found that 3 cups of water is plenty for encompassing all the noodles provided in an average mac & cheese box. And provided you're paying close attention to the cooking process, when you're making it on the stove, once you reach the 6-7 minute mark, you can simply take a spoon or fork and carefully scoop up a noodle to test it. If it's too firm for your taste, then simply wait another 30 seconds or so and try again. Keep repeating the process until they're just the way you want them... just makes sure not to scarf all the noodles down before adding in all the other essential ingredients, m'kay?

See? I can entertain and inform! ...either that or switch from goofball to informative manual and back.... or lose your attention span by the end of this sentence.... umm, hey look, bunny!:

Annie, I think I beat your record with "Matt's Way in 7 Minutes"...although
I'm sure Bernie, the rabbit could probably beat me in a race with no trouble.

Any wabbit, the rest of the preparation is pretty standard, and the clean-up is fantastic since nothing burns and sticks to the pan. There are some noteworthy suggestions from Annie on the bottom to try out if you desire (I did try substituting the milk for yogurt once "for a tangier taste"... it wasn't quite my cup of tea, although I recommend trying it out for yourself, you might enjoy it). Annie's site offers even more suggestions to alter the recipe, so hats off to her for going the extra mile on this aspect*.

*(Side note: One of my goals for this blog is to eventually try out and promote different recipes through mac & cheeses, and this is actually one of the places I got that idea from. Thanks, Annie! :) )

Shape-o-meter:
With these noodles being rather not-so-noodley and more shellish, I rather enjoyed the shape and firmness these clams offer. They're never too chewy, nor do they break down too easily from sogginess. They also provide one of my all-time-favorite things about good mac & cheese noodles (which I'll elaborate more on below in the flav-o-meter section).

Behold: Sneak a peek inside the box for
a treasure trove of gold... clams, that is.

Size-o-meter:
Size-wise, at roughly 280 calories per serving, you actually get a good portion of food when you split this box with someone else. While I did include a main dish and other side with this meal, I'd say that this side dish could still potentially compete with the entree in terms of portion sizes. Bigger families could still split this 4-ways and get plenty for a side dish. Nevertheless, this is one situation where size isn't an issue, since the quality of the food trumps the quantity offered. Any way you slice it, you can't really go wrong here.

Flav-o-meter:
This is one of my two main reasons Annie's White Cheddar & Shells shines in my eyes. It doesn't hurt that I already love most white cheddar mac & cheeses, but with the way that the shells are built, they capture all the flavor for scrumptious bites that explode with cheese. The most amazing part is that it contains none of the extra additives that most companies use and it simply tastes great! Your opinion may vary on just how much you enjoy white cheddar, but I find that you can't really go wrong with this option.

Just look at how much cheese is contained in each of those shells.

Nutriti-o-meter:
With no preservatives, less than average fat/calories going in its favor, there's really no question as to whether or not you're getting something better for your body, especially once you start stacking Annie's mac & cheeses next to other options on the shelf. Parents, you can rest easy. This one's a keeper for the kids. College agers and people on the go, this one's a great option for giving you a tasty/healthier dish among the jarringly impulsive decisions to grab something faster instead, provided you have 7-10 minutes to spare in your schedules.

Overall:
Revisiting this mac & cheese has proven to be a wonderful decision, and my wife who's never tried it before also found it to be one of the better ones I've reviewed thus far. As I've stated many times already in this review, it's cheesy, healthy, tasty, and filling in all the best ways. My only knock on this one has to do with the price in comparison with other options, as nearly every other brand can be found for less. But if you don't mind spending a little more and cash isn't a big factor, then you're hard-pressed to find a better option to go with. Especially if your goal is to go green. Highly recommended!

If you've made it this far down
the page, Bernie thanks you for it!

Review: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - Homestyle

Whenever I hear Kraft mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind (at least for me) is usually their regular type that you can find anywhere: elbow noodles with a packet of powdered cheese sauce thrown into a box. While kids and anyone who wants a quick mac & cheese meal can greatly appreciate the fast preparation that the boxed stuff offers (made faster by the Easy-Mac meals!), I'm sure a lot of us crave something more homemade on our plates from time to time. I know for a fact my parents wouldn't touch boxed mac & cheese with a 10-foot pole, unless it was to feed us kids. Growing up, before I gained an appetite for cheeses, I was essentially the exact opposite; I always craved the more processed stuff. It seemed sweeter, more flavory to my young taste-buds, so when I did occasionally try home-made mac & cheese, something about the taste seemed off to me, and I tended to shy away from it for a while.

Nevertheless, my appetite finally did mature, and so I now greatly appreciate a good mac & cheese homemade casserole when it's offered to me. The cheese is typically more real cheddar, and there's usually a greater quantity of it. In short, though it's normally lacking extra sweetness in the cheese, it nourishes you, tastes and feels more like you're eating real food.

So what happens when the king of the mass-marketed noodle factory decides to tackle on a more homemade palette? You get the new Homestyle package you see above! It comes not just with cheese sauce, but also seasonings and... bread crumbs! How does it fare not just against other Kraft mac & cheeses but also in regards to what could be a relative's secret home-style recipe? Let's find out...

What I expected: Honestly, based on the portion size and what came with the package, I expected some slight variant of Kraft's other big seller, Velveeta, but with little crumblies.

What I got: A delicious hearty mac and cheese that I like better than the Velveeta stuff, with great flavor and texture to it. Not at all disappointed. 

What similar-colored food I tried to pair with this meal:  A dry, sad old orange that ended up not getting eaten since the juice was nearly dried up.

It's okay, sad orange. You'll always be #1 in our hearts!

Pair-ability:
For this meal, I was going for an all-around "orange colored" assortment of food. Since the orange ended up not working out (and since my wife kindly pointed out that we needed to include some meat with this dinner), I ended up including the last of our Buffalo Chicken Bites... which did not-so-kindly burn my thumb orange. Other "orangy" sides included chopped carrots and peach green tea:

The peach "green" tea is O-R-A-N-G-E, I tell you!
The tea-bag tag is orange, so it counts.

Preparation: 
When it comes to making the Homestyle mac & cheese, it actually starts out exactly the same as preparing any of the more processed cousins of the Kraft family. It's so home-made that the package actually forgets that a microwave even exists. You boil the water, throw the noodles in, heat & stir for 6-8 minutes, and drain the noodles when their done... only now, the journey continues as you place them right back on the burner minus the water.

For this part, unless you've got the butter, milk and sauces at the ready, be prepared to race against the clock as you're constantly stirring the noodles to avoid bottom stickiness while you get all the ingredients in. You'll be turning down the heat as you do this, although the stove will still likely be on full heat when you're ready for this part. Put the butter in first, then pour the milk, followed by adding the seasoning (smells almost like a Parmesan cheese), and then the cheese sauce. At first glance, it appears exactly like how the Velveeta cheese is, only it's got a darker hue and different smell.

Mount Goo-Cheesius erupting on the stove.

After that, all that's left after mixing the cheeses is the bread crumbs, which actually emit a delicious baked smell that goes great with the mac & cheese. So there's a little more to it than your average box of Kraft, and I probably ended up with a little bit of sticky noodles on the bottom of the pan for clean-up, but otherwise, it's really not a whole lot harder to prepare for what you get.

Shape-o-meter:
For this, we get the big spirally elbow-noodles you'd find in the Velveeta mac & cheese, slightly larger than the ones you get in most other Kraft varieties. They never get too small, and even with my slight overcooking of the noodles, they retained enough solidarity to keep them great for the other ingredients.

Size-o-meter:
For this package, you get a real generous portion included. This could easily feed 4 people as a side, and split between a couple people, this will definitely be a big part of the meal for those that are really hungry. I don't see anyone finding this meal to be too small at all.

Flav-o-meter:
As a boxed mac & cheese emulating a homemade style, this truly succeeds. Both my wife and I were pleasantly surprised by how good this was. The cheese flavor was plentiful and you could tell that the added seasonings and bread crumbs really added to the lasting appeal of this dish, from the first bite all the way to the last. My only complaint I have is that it seemed to cool off quicker than a lot of the mac & cheeses usually do, but aside from that, I found nothing bad at all flavor-wise about this dish. Does it beat out the really good homemade baked mac & cheeses that chefs can customize to their liking? Probably not, but gosh darnit, I still loved it anyway!

Now there's a genuine homemade-looking mac & cheese!

Nutriti-o-meter:
Being a bigger packaged serving than the other Kraft boxes, you'd do best to watch how much you intake if you're concerned about dieting. To make it healthier, you could probably tone down the butter usage a bit and still keep all the great taste. It is packed on the calories, so do keep this in mind when adding sides to it.

Overall:
For a homemade dish emulation, Kraft certainly doesn't disappoint here. It's a great, full dish that you can sink your teeth into and feel satisfied afterward. If you're someone who's always on the go, I'd probably skip it until you have more time, but when you can settle down and for those who do, you'd do well to keep this one on hand to enjoy. Parents can finally make something that's on a different level than all the other more "kiddy" mac & cheeses out there. It puts the class into mac & cheese without necessarily having all the extra preparation that the more homemade stuff can have. I'll definitely be buying this one again.

Hope this review was helpful and entertaining. Thank you for reading, and cheers!

Review: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - Veggie Pasta

Veggie pasta?... Minus the visible veggies? I'm curious.

Most likely, anyone growing up in the United States who's ever had any mac and cheese will at least be familiar with Kraft. For a name brand variety, they've probably been the most consistently delivering company out there for boxed dinner mac and cheeses. There's a great deal of choices out there for most anyone's taste palate, save for those who don't really enjoy packaged mac and cheese.

If you've ever wondered what you're going to make for dinner, but don't seem to have the time to make a full-fledged multi-side meal, and often leave out the vegetables from the mix, Kraft has the answer for you: Add the vegetables into the mac and cheese! But wait, this sounds like something that anyone might do. Just throw them in the bowl and the kids will eat it and get their veggies for the day, right? Well, as many a parent out there knows that kids love to play with their food, and often if they see vegetables, they'll sooner pick them out than even think about ingesting them.

Well Kraft has an answer for this problem as well. Because they're not just putting vegetables in there. No, they're literally hiding them inside the creamy orange guise of what looks like an ordinary bowl of Kraft mac and cheese. Here's what the back of the box has to say:

Pretty cool. I'm totally getting in touch with my vegetableness... though I sure won't see any of it.

Just so I don't spoil right away what this ended up tasting like, I'll spare the "what I expected / what I got" details until the Flavo-Meter section near the end. The rest must be covered first before I can let out the big reveal of what it really tastes like (or you might just spoil the surprise for yourself and jump down to the end... up to you).

Pair-ability:
10-pieces of buffalo chicken bites (pretty good actually), plus a bowl of mixed fruit.

I think the orange in my mixed bowl of fruit looks cheesier than my mac and cheese.

Preparation: 
Making this mac and cheese is basically just like any other you've probably had: You boil your water, throw your noodles in, drain the water when it's done, and add the butter/milk/cheese sauce combo. It's pretty much the same deal as always. Clean-up is of course similar. You won't be scraping off any excess dried cheese, so this part is actually well done. Kraft has mastered their... craft... albeit with vegetables hiding inside the powdered cheese sauce.

Deceptive with its slightly off color, this one is.

Shape-o-meter:
These elbow noodles are the same as always. Nothing new here. They'll go firmer or softer depending on how long you cooked the noodles.

Size-o-meter:
Serving size is the same as a normal Kraft Mac and Cheese box. This one will feed two (with other meal items to go with them), and definitely feed any kids.

Nutriti-o-meter:
Where this Veggie Pasta scores very high on is this area. It's got most all the benefits of normal mac and cheese (high protein, high iron), plus with the added benefit of that extra half-serving of vegetables. Couple that with minimal butter and milk additions, and you've got yourself or your family a mac and cheese dish that you won't feel guilty at all eating. So it's a good choice for those looking for a healthy way of enjoying mac and cheese.

Flav-o-meter:

Now let's get to what my expectations and delivery of this meal entailed.

On the first bite, I thought this had an interesting taste to it, although I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what it was. I felt like I've had it before, though it's been way too long for me to accurately pinpoint where it came from.

Thankfully, my wife was also there eating with me, and she quickly let me know exactly what she thought it tasted like. And once she revealed what it was, I too tasted it...

Before I say what it is, I'll let the pictures below do the talking...

What I expected:

Mac and cheese that thinks it's replacing your garden variety vegetables

What the box says I got:

Joy. I'm getting Cauliflower... that definitely does not taste like cauliflower...

What I got instead:

It's almost like peas but with that logo it-- (!) I knew it!

So let me get this straight... the box claims you're getting vegetables, while it actually gives you a smattering of finely chopped Cauliflower, but then the taste itself is just like Gerber Baby food with Peas? Definitely not going to be making this one again... at least not for me. There is very little actual cheese sauce, so it dried very quickly. On top of that, the cheesiness flavor was mostly absent as well! The Gerber Peas pretty much overtook the dish's taste.
 
Overall:
Parents, you now have a food you can perfectly substitute for your child's baby food, have him/her eat it without trouble, AND get their vegetables in. On that ground, Kraft's Veggie Pasta wins. As for everyone else, I'd say avoid.

Review: Kentucky Fried Chicken - Macaroni & Cheese Side Dish

Q: Which of the box's adjectives above describes the mac and cheese side dish?
A: ALL OF THEM!... but only if it looked and tasted exactly like grilled chicken.

Being that my aim is to review all types of Mac and Cheese that I can find, I don't want to just stick with the package box stuff (though I've got plenty of them to choose from in the meantime), nor do I only want to do the homemade dishes and concoctions. I also want to include restaurants and places you'd go out to eat as well, whether it's obscure or a place you'd frequent. This not only entails dine-in places, but also the realm of fast food, which one doesn't often associate with Mac and Cheese.

Think about it. How many fast-food places can you think of offhand that offers mac and cheese as a side dish, much less the main course? Not too many.... McDonalds? Nope. Arby's? Definitely not. Wendy's? Negative. Long John Silvers? You're more likely to fish up an empty plank (I know, bad pun, I couldn't resist). Even if it was offered at your favorite fast food joint and if you were torn on a side dish to go with your burger, would you honestly pass up an order of curly fries in favor of a partially mixed mass batch of macaroni that's probably been sitting in its pot for a couple hours? Not likely. Most sit down restaurants will offer some sort of mac and cheese dish in the kid's section of the menu, but for fast food, what realm did we need to venture into in order to make this happen?

None other than the cholesterol kitchen itself, where Colonel Sanders has mastered his recipe while simultaneously collectively raising the nation's weight average... I'm talking about KFC. Nevertheless, despite my dieting tendencies and slight knocking of the place, I do occasionally enjoy a satisfying meal of perfectly fried chicken. And from what all I've had out there, you'd be hard pressed to find a better place to fulfill that craving for crispy, crunchy chicken than KFC. My wife and I do really enjoy the taste of fried chicken once in a while, and for this meal we opted to treat ourselves.

But any tangent, back to Mac and Cheese...

My wife pointed out to me one night that KFC has a mac and cheese side dish, and not only that, but she loved it as well. Needless to say, this piqued my curiosity. When we ordered our food, seeing as mac and cheese was offered as a side alongside mashed potatoes, biscuits, corn and beans, I just couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer and so I put aside my indifference and sideswiped my card for a dish (yeah that's too many sides, not just for this meal, but also this sentence!)

What I expected: A so-so processed mac and cheese side dish with not much to stand out from something you'd get at a middle-school cafeteria. 

What I got: A mildly flavorful creamy side that was decent for what it was. Not as good as some of my favorite mac and cheese dishes, but a little better than I expected.

What I knew was KFC's ultimate side dish:  The mashed potatoes and gravy, of course!

Pair-ability:
3 piece Extra Crispy Fried Chicken, plus a biscuit and mashed potatoes (big pieces too, so without a doubt... not the healthiest meal.)

The horrified look on my meal's face when it realized what all I was eating tonight.

Preparation: 
Being something you eat out (and from a fast food place nonetheless), there's not much to this step. Simply walk into KFC and order it. Although to be fair, I did watch the kitchen workers prepare it. From what I could tell, they made a big batch of the mac and cheese a little while before we got there, which they stored in a big container and kept warm (newsflash: It was once made fresh daily, but now it comes pre-made... so much for it getting it fresh). And whenever someone wants it, they plop it out into the little round dishes you see here:

"Plop! Plop!"
Translation: "These noodles are swimming in cheese for sure!"

Shape-o-meter:
Very soft elbow noodles that have probably been sitting in a pot somewhere for a while. The cheese really influences these noodles' solidity. For those who want a creamier mac and cheese, this dish will be right up your alley. You'll never really have the issue of a dry side here.

Size-o-meter:
For a side, it's exactly what I expected it to be, size-wise. Any smaller and it would be done in just a few bites, and any larger than that and it would compete too much with the abundance of what all else you'll be eating with this meal. (Believe me, I was pretty full when all was said and done!)

Flav-o-meter:
The creaminess definitely helps out a bit with the flavor. While I prefer many other mac and cheese flavorings, this one does carry a distinct slight sharpness to the cheddar which will be palatable with most mac and cheese lovers. I'm knocking this part slightly though since I felt it carried a bit of the "leftover" taste with it, since it's not made fresh... just kept warm.

Nutriti-o-meter:
With all the potentially competing sides and entres in terms of how bad for you it is, this one side dish alone is just shy of 300 calories (and high on sodium and saturated fat). For the mac and cheese itself, this isn't really so bad, but put it next to all the other things you'll be eating with it and it's almost overwhelming. If you're on a health kick yet you also really like KFC's mac and cheese, then I'd say go for it, but limit your chicken and other side intake. Otherwise, if you can't pass up the extra chicken, then I'd say forget this dish and go with green beans instead. On a side note (har har), despite all the other protein you'll inevitably be getting from your KFC meal, this mac and cheese side dish also sports a decent amount of protein as well (24% of daily value).

Overall:
Walking into KFC, I didn't expect to be wowed in any way by this side dish, and in many ways I got exactly what I expected. While I do certainly wish it was made fresh, for a dish of its type this certainly wasn't bad at all. I've had worse at many restaurants. If you like your mac and cheese on the creamier and more cheddary side, then this is great to go with. It never seems like there's too much or too little, especially since you're never eating this side alone. Nevertheless, I do caution you to consider what all else you're eating in addition, since it's all too easy to go overboard at KFC. While I wouldn't move mountains to go eat it, if you're curious, I'd say give it a try. You may end up loving it.... but not lovin' it like McDonalds would if they had any.

It's okay, Colonel Sanders. I'm letting you off easy this time.