revolutionary mac and cheese

when washington’s troops came to the delaware river, they knew they had to cross it in order to save the fledgeling nation of america. it was one of those things that weighted on general washington’s mind heavily night and day. so naturally, when the time came to actually do the deed, washington found himself procrastinating by cooking this revolutionary mac and cheese. would you rather wade through freezing water or munch on gooey cheesy goodness?

actually, the name comes ty: “o.O you have revolutionized my concept of mac and cheese!”

Baked Penne and Cheddar Cheese (adapted from alton brown)

ingredients
1/2 lb penne pasta (or, as pictured above, macaroni)
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 or 2 stalks celery, roughly diced
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp shredded cheddar
italian or panko bread crumbs
4 oz starkist tuna (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta in a pot of salted water to al dente, then remove from heat and drain.

While pasta is boiling, heat the butter until it melts. mix in the flour for about 5 minutes until mixture is smooth. add in milk, diced onions and celery and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Temper in the egg. (Add a bit of the hot liquid to the beaten egg mixture, then slowly add the egg mixture to the rest of the liquid slowly without cooking the egg into lumps.) Add about 3/4 of the cheese to the liquid. Fold in the pasta.

For a tuna mac & cheese, add the canned tuna to the cheese and pasta.

Pour the pasta and cheese into a casserole dish. Top with a layer of cheese, a layer of breadcrumbs, and another alternating layer of cheese and bread crumbs.

Let bake for 30 minutes.

This recipe was different from Alton Brown’s due to missing a few spices, and the addition of a few macro ingredients. Also, the pictured mac & cheese was from a different day and recipe, but both bring similar joy.

Length of procrastination: 30 minutes of preparation, 30 minutes more of baking
Ways to prolong procrastination:
Three hours before starting mac and cheese, starting baking cookies. Make the following: 25 macadamia nut white chocolate cookies, 25 chocolate chip cookies, 25 oatmeal raison cookies, and one large brownie cake. This should continue for about another 30 minutes after the mac and cheese is done, for a total of 4 to 5 hours of not doing the pset, or crossing the delaware.