My kids love Mac N Cheese … if you are referring to that bright orange stuff that comes out of a box.  In a somewhat health-conscious state of mind,  I decided to nix the neon orange stuff by Kr@ft,  and I found a substitute that we all love from Trader Joe’s.  It’s their organic “Shells & Cheese” and it rivals the name brand stuff AND it’s dirt cheap at $.89/box.  I should mention, if you really want to indulge yourself, check out TJs frozen Mac ‘n Cheese.  You will be happier (and fatter and poorer) for having tried it.  But I digress, this post is not intended to be a Trader Joe’s commercial.

Everyone knows that while the processed stuff is good, homemade is always better, right?  Right?!?  Well … opinions  vary if you ask the under six crowd.  When I saw the Pioneer Woman’s “Not Your Granny’s Mac ‘N Cheese” recipe, I knew I had to make it.  If you read her recipe, you will see that it has a fair bit of heat to it (green chilies, jalapeno, pepper jack cheese) — or as we’ve taught our kids to say, “has a little kick to it.”

Unfortunately, my kids (namely Wendy & Sam — Adam hasn’t formed an opinion yet) don’t like even a hint of “a little kick”, so when I make this, I cut the heat considerably – I skip the jalapeno and cut the Pepper Jack in half, substituting Monterey Jack instead.   Mike & I find this amendment perfectly delectable, but W & S find the “heat” intolerable.  To make matters worse (in their minds), the mac ‘n cheese has been further compromised by all the other stuff in it like corn, red peppers (both of which they like), and (the horror!) onions.

So now, my kids have developed an aversion (phobia?) to this delicious dish, which I continue to inflict on them because, well, *I* like it, dang it.

The other night (read:  early February), I served it, loved, and woofed it down.   The reactions from the kids, however, were not quite as receptive.

Tags: around the house