Hey Everyone,
Our last controversial conversation had us hashing it out over pumpkin spice -- let's move on to tackle an even more opinion-inducing cold weather favorite comfort: pasta.
For whatever reason (don't judge!), one of my favorite comfort foods is the original boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese. I don't know exactly why, but it just is. It can't be a store brand (I've tried, and I just can't,) it can't be the "deluxe" version, BUT, I have found a close contender in Annie's Organics (the one with the bunny) ever since Kraft changed its recipe that boasts no artificial colors or flavors. Call me crazy but somehow I liked the taste of the "artificial version" better (and why not, because I know any true foodie is going to tell me that Kraft mac'n'cheese is not real food to begin with!)
At any rate, I figured I'd scored a real deal when I saw some boxes of what I THOUGHT was my familiar version of Kraft mac'n'cheese marked down to 50 cents, and eagerly scooped up 4 boxes.
However, when the moment of truth came for me to open the box and actually pour the pasta into the water, all my hopes melted like a stick of Velveeta when I saw that the macaroni was shaped into SHELLS, NOT the REGULAR ELBOWS I prefer. NOOOO!!! It can't be shells! It can't be Pokemon or Scooby Doo or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any of the million other cartoon franchise Kraft has paired up with!
No, no, no!!!
And this particular box had me fooled, because the classic elbow shape was RIGHT THERE under the name, but my brain skipped right over the actual picture, which indeed, features shells.
No, no, no!!!
I has to be the classic elbows. Why? I've found that shapes with large openings (like shells -- and Sponge Bob's head) often traps "clumps" of the cheese powder you pour in to make the "sauce." To me, the elbows get coated with the right amount of sauce, but their hollows are too small for any unsettling "clumps" to form in the middle.
But... those are just MY pasta principles!!!
What are YOUR proverbial truths for pasta?
For instance:
* Do certain pasta dishes or dishes that include pasta HAVE to have a certain shape or size of pasta? (Can alfredo be made with spaghetti noodles? What shape is best for YOUR mac'n'cheese? Can any old noodles be thrown into chicken noodle soup?)
* Can the noodles ever be broken? (I've read that some cultures consider it bad luck to break long noodles; I've known others who insist on breaking them; some people I've met would rather break my arm rather than their noodles!)
* What ingredients do you prefer your pasta be made from? I know there are endless varieties and we all know the plain flour kind, but what about rice noodles, bean thread noodles, whole wheat pasta, or pasta made from chickpeas or other veggies, etc.? Especially if someone in your family is allergic to gluten or other ingredients?
* Does the water HAVE to be salted when boiling pasta?
* What other "pasta rules" do you follow when making your favorite dishes, or does anything go? (If you overcook your pasta, do you find a way to salvage it or is your dinner now "ruined"?)
Come join in on what might pasta-bly be our most controversial conversation yet!!
Pasta la vista, baby!!
Our last controversial conversation had us hashing it out over pumpkin spice -- let's move on to tackle an even more opinion-inducing cold weather favorite comfort: pasta.
For whatever reason (don't judge!), one of my favorite comfort foods is the original boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese. I don't know exactly why, but it just is. It can't be a store brand (I've tried, and I just can't,) it can't be the "deluxe" version, BUT, I have found a close contender in Annie's Organics (the one with the bunny) ever since Kraft changed its recipe that boasts no artificial colors or flavors. Call me crazy but somehow I liked the taste of the "artificial version" better (and why not, because I know any true foodie is going to tell me that Kraft mac'n'cheese is not real food to begin with!)
At any rate, I figured I'd scored a real deal when I saw some boxes of what I THOUGHT was my familiar version of Kraft mac'n'cheese marked down to 50 cents, and eagerly scooped up 4 boxes.
However, when the moment of truth came for me to open the box and actually pour the pasta into the water, all my hopes melted like a stick of Velveeta when I saw that the macaroni was shaped into SHELLS, NOT the REGULAR ELBOWS I prefer. NOOOO!!! It can't be shells! It can't be Pokemon or Scooby Doo or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any of the million other cartoon franchise Kraft has paired up with!
No, no, no!!!
And this particular box had me fooled, because the classic elbow shape was RIGHT THERE under the name, but my brain skipped right over the actual picture, which indeed, features shells.
No, no, no!!!
I has to be the classic elbows. Why? I've found that shapes with large openings (like shells -- and Sponge Bob's head) often traps "clumps" of the cheese powder you pour in to make the "sauce." To me, the elbows get coated with the right amount of sauce, but their hollows are too small for any unsettling "clumps" to form in the middle.
But... those are just MY pasta principles!!!
What are YOUR proverbial truths for pasta?
For instance:
* Do certain pasta dishes or dishes that include pasta HAVE to have a certain shape or size of pasta? (Can alfredo be made with spaghetti noodles? What shape is best for YOUR mac'n'cheese? Can any old noodles be thrown into chicken noodle soup?)
* Can the noodles ever be broken? (I've read that some cultures consider it bad luck to break long noodles; I've known others who insist on breaking them; some people I've met would rather break my arm rather than their noodles!)
* What ingredients do you prefer your pasta be made from? I know there are endless varieties and we all know the plain flour kind, but what about rice noodles, bean thread noodles, whole wheat pasta, or pasta made from chickpeas or other veggies, etc.? Especially if someone in your family is allergic to gluten or other ingredients?
* Does the water HAVE to be salted when boiling pasta?
* What other "pasta rules" do you follow when making your favorite dishes, or does anything go? (If you overcook your pasta, do you find a way to salvage it or is your dinner now "ruined"?)
Come join in on what might pasta-bly be our most controversial conversation yet!!
Pasta la vista, baby!!
You're not wrong there. It's so 
to bite into a spoonful of what you're expecting to be creamy, cheesy goodness only to find a clump of powder disintegrate in your mouth.
(they like to eat the traditional pasta plain sometimes too).
No wonder it's getting harder to get away with anything these days... 
well, lets see...
need I go on?