We've come a long way, baby

Dorm life is tough. You are arbitrarily chosen to occupy an (usually) uncomfortably small space with another just as equally arbitrarily chosen human being, with whom you often have nothing in common but your sex. And people wonder why NYU students aren’t allowed to access apartment balconies.

Fortunately, the human being with whom I was arbitrarily chosen to co-inhabit my dorm room this summer is fabulous. The kitchen, however, is not. If my kitchen were a person, we would be leaving horse heads in one another’s beds (boys, that one was for you). This is a kitchen that can’t bear much more than a one-pot meal, or some serious Ina Garten-inspired-make-ahead-of-time-and-then-assemble maneuvers for which I have neither the foresight nor the time. So, for now, until I can make it to Kmart to buy some sort of collapsible portable counter-space or convince one of my dear, city-dwelling friends to lend me their kitchen, one pot meals it is!

Last summer, one of my favorite dinners to make with the limited cooking supplies I had on hand was Macaroni and Cheese. It involved one pan and one baking dish, it was easy, and it was such a treat at the end of a long day at the office. I would make it and curl up in bed with a big heaping portion and watch the lights of the financial district fill the sky.

The recipe comes from my Aunt Michelle, and I have no idea where she found it but thank God she did. I’ve made it probably about a hundred times for most of my friends and roommates and always with extra onions- “Onions,” you scoff, “in mac n cheese? How odd!” and to you, I say, how delicious. I can never go back to Kraft or Stouffer’s and I’m a hideous snob when it comes to most restaurants’ versions.

Its not a super gloppy-cheesy sauce, its definitely cheesy – but not overboard, and can be adjusted according to taste. The trick is the flavors that go alongside the cheese that make this classic unique. It’s also too easy to add components – one of my favorite versions replaces the onions with leeks and adds Serrano ham or pancetta. You can also play around with cheeses... different combinations of good melting cheeses like cheddars and gruyere or whatever floats your boat. But here, first and foremost, is the classic

Michelle’s Mac n Cheese

Serves 4

1 box of fusili, penne, or macaroni (I love using fusili)
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated or chopped
1 cup aged white cheddar cheese OR sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325.

1. Boil a pot of water for the pasta and add pasta when ready, cooking only about 3/4 of the way through. Strain, pour into a baking dish, and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat
3. When butter has melted, add onions, sweating them on medium-low heat until they are soft and translucent. About 8 minutes.
4. Add flour, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to onions, stirring.
5. Add milk, slowly, while stirring constantly.
6. Bring milk to a boil, and let it thicken until it lightly coats a wooden spoon.
7. Add cheese, stirring constantly.
8. When cheese has melted completely, pour it evenly over the pasta, folding it in to cover every noodle.
9. Put it in the oven for about 25 minutes until the edges start to brown.