Looking For a Good Book

I initially requested to read this book because my daughter, a vegetarian, loves macaroni and cheese and I thought it might be nice if we could find some variations rather than having her constantly mixing from a box.  But I found that I may use it more than she will!

Authors Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade are the owners of the restaurant HOMEROOM, a Mac + Cheese restaurant in Oakland.  Their success with the restaurant prompted them to share some of their favorite recipes and tips.  Among these tips are suggestions as to what wines would be best served with each recipe.  While I’m not big on wine with macaroni and cheese, I appreciate the gesture.

I made a few of these and found them to be truly delicious.  My wife is not a fan of macaroni and cheese and yet she liked these recipes very much. What I learned is that each recipe starts with a basic recipe that is the same for all of them.  It is essentially a white sauce that I learned to make when I was in middle school.  Then cheeses are (and other ingredients) are added to that sauce.

Our favorite recipe turned out to be one of our own devising (using Arevalo and Wade’s  sauce mix as a starter) when some the cheeses I was looking to make a specific recipe weren’t available at my local store.  But adding freshly grated cheese to a tasty sauce, then topped with panko crumbs and baked really does make for a wonderful dish.  Adding other ingredients … everything from hotdogs to bacon pieces to broccoli really adds a delectable touch.

The book is well presented, with beautiful, mouth-watering pictures and basic cook-book-style recipes, with a list of necessary ingredients.  The recipes are very simple to make and manage to make mac and cheese something more than just a lunch meal for a pre-schooler.  I only wish the book were longer.  I’d have liked twice as many recipes, but in truth … once the sauce is made and you have a grasp of how much cheese and other ingredients to add, it’s VERY easy to create your own dishes.

Almost every recipe book I own have a large number of recipes that I have not made, and probably will never make.  This book is full of recipes and I have no doubt I will make every one of them

Looking for a good book?  The Mac + Cheese Cookbook is a cookbook for one of the most basic of American dishes but adds some panache and is simple enough for nearly anyone to use.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Mac + Cheese Cookbook: 50 Simple Recipes from Homeroom, America’s Favorite Mac and Cheese Restaurant

authors: Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade

publisher: Ten Speed Press

ISBN: 160774466X

hardcover, 128 pages