If you're such a perfectionist you'll have to buy your
cheese a wheel at a time. I knew people who did that
kind of thing

Sadly, it's way too much for a household of just two.

One could conceivably portion it out into 2# or so
blocks, wrap tightly in cheesecloth and then less
tightly in something else.

Canada consumes more mac & cheese than any other nation

A dubious distinction (I originally typed extinction).

I'm not sure if that's really true or not. It is also claimed that

A problem with tagline truth, unless it's something
like gnorw og nac gnihton.

we eat more doughnuts per capita than anyone else.

New England claims that distinction as well, and not
just for doughnuts, for ice cream as well.

Title: Bacon and Cheese Macaroni Bake
Yield: 4 Servings
1 lb Sliced bacon

That's a quarter pound of bacon per serving
- very nice.

1 sm Onion, chopped
2 cn Condensed (10 3/4 ounce)
Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 c Milk
1 tb Worcestershire sauce
1 ts Dry mustard
8 oz Elbow macaroni, cooked,
-and drained
1 c Sharp Cheddar cheese
Shredded
2 tb Diced pimiento

One might improve things by substituting real
cheese sauce for the soupstuff.

... Never underestimate the power of termites.

I read tamales, whose power is not underestimatable
despite the cartoon characters with fire coming out
of their mouths.

New Orleans-style hot tamales
Categories: louisiana, celebrity, snack, fusion, not so hot
Yield: 6 to 7 dozen

4 lb ground chuck
2 lg yellow onions, minced
1/2 c minced garlic
1 cn Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, with juices
2 cn diced green chiles, with juices
14 1/2 oz petite diced tomatoes, with juices
2 1/2 oz Mexican chili powder
1/4 c plus 2 Tb chili powder (regular)
2 Tb chipotle chile powder
2 Tb paprika
5 ts kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 Tb ground cumin, plus more to taste
1 ts cayenne
1 ts Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
5 c water
1 lg pk dried corn husks, for rolling tamales
4 1/4 c white cornbread and muffin mix
- such as Martha White (with leaveners)

Heat a heavy, large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the ground chuck and onions and cook
until meat is browned and onions are tender.
Add garlic and cook for 2 min longer. Drain
the beef in a sieve or colander, reserving
the drippings.

Return the meat to the pot over medium-high
heat and add the Rotel tomatoes, green chiles,
diced tomatoes, Mexican chili powder, 1/4 c
regular chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne,
salt, and oregano and stir until combined. Stir
in the water, bring to a boil, cover the pot and
reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook, covered a
nd stirring occasionally, for 45 to 60 min. Taste
and adjust the seasoning with salt, chili powder,
or cumin. The mixture should be overly seasoned
since you will be adding cornmeal to it. Strain
the mixture again in a fine sieve, pressing
slightly to get some of the liquid from the meat;
reserve meat and the spicy broth separately.

Add 2 1/4 c cornbread mix to the drained meat
mixture along with 1 c reserved meat drippings.
Stir well to combine and then set aside to cool.
Taste and season again with salt, cayenne, chili
powder and cumin, if necessary. At this point the
filling may be refrigerated for up to 2 days
before rolling the tamales. The filling should
be moist and somewhat sticky but not overly wet.
If you have the time, it will be easier to work
with the filling if allowed to sit for several
hours or overnight.

Place the dried corn husks in a large bowl and
cover with hot water, pulling the husks apart so
each husk is allowed to soften. The husks should
soak for 30 min or up to overnight. You can change
the water and add more hot water if the husks seem
too stiff to work with. The longer the husks sit
in warm water, the easier they will be to work with.

When you are ready to roll the tamales, place the
remaining 2 c cornbread mix and the remaining 2 Tb
chili powder on a plate or wide, shallow bowl and
mix to combine.

Form each tamale by shaping 2 Tb filling into a
small log shape and then rolling it lightly in
the chili-cornbread mixture to coat. As each
tamale is rolled, transfer it to one of the long
sides of a softened corn husk. Roll the corn husk
up (side to side) around the filling, then fold up
the narrower bottom portion of the husk, leaving
the wider upper portion open. The mixture should
come to within 1/2-" of the top edge of the corn
husk - it will expand as it cooks. Stack the rolled
tamales on their sides (seam sides down so that
they do not unfold) until you have rolled all of
the tamales. Fill one large or two smaller high-
sided pots with the tamales, folded ends pointing
down, and fitting them snugly so that they hold
each other upright but not so tight that there is
no room for expansion. If you prefer, you can turn
a large pot on its side and stack the tamales
directly into the pot as they are rolled. Position
the folded ends pointing down towards the bottom of
the pot, fitting the tamales snugly against each
other and filling the pot nearly to the top; leave
a small amount of room for expansion. Then turn the
pot upright and proceed as described below.

Combine the spicy chile-broth with any remaining
juices from the meat. Using a basting bulb or a
narrow funnel, pour enough of this mixture into
the pot (around the tamales but not over them - you
don't want the liquid to go into their tops). The
broth should come within 1 1/2" of the top of the
tamales. If it seems too low, add a bit of water
to bring the level up.

Cover the pot and place it over medium-high heat
until the broth is bubbling around the tamales.
You don't want the broth to bubble into the open
tops of the tamales, but it should be simmering
near their tops. Lower the heat to low and cook,
covered, for 1 hr. Let the tamales stand for at
least 30 min, then carefully remove them from
the pot. Serve the tamales drizzled with any
broth remaining in the pot and serve hot or warm.
The tamales will continue to firm up as they cool
and will be even more flavorful after sitting for
several hours.

after Emeril
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