Macaroni and Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese. It's the ultimate comfort food - creamy, cheesy, starchy, and nourishing. There are so many different ways to make it; I personally have four recipes. There's the one that's been in my family for at least four generations - gooey cheese sauce made from scratch on the stove, mixed with the noodles and then baked - and then I also have microwave, crock pot, and stovetop versions. That's not even counting the kinds that come in a box.

I like to add things to my macaroni and cheese, and often I don't use macaroni. I'll use rotini or penne. My favorite is vegetable rotini - it's made with zucchini puree mixed into the noodles for some extra veggie goodness. I also sometimes like to add broccoli or asparagus.

Over the past few weeks, I've been way too busy and exhausted to cook, and I've been massively craving mac and cheese. As a result, I've tried mac and cheese recipes from various restaurants in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Here's a review of what I've had lately:

1. Arcadia Tavern - I get together every now and then with a few friends on Tuesday nights because they have trivia night. We eat greasy food and sugary cookies and show off our knowledge. We usually do pretty well at trivia, which keeps us coming back because we win gift cards. This is the best place in Phoenix to get mac and cheese. The first time I tried it, I ordered off the kids menu, and it was only so-so - fake cheese taste. But last time, I ordered off the adult menu, and they use the good cheese, and there are options for add-ins. I did mushrooms, and it was delicious. The portions are enormous.
2. People Pizza Pub - It's been a while since I've been here, and the place is under new management now, but when I went, I was very impressed with the macaroni and cheese. There are several varieties, with various add-ins. I did mushroom, and I really enjoyed it. It's baked, so it's crispy on top. The portions are small but very filling.
3. Good Wood Tavern - The mac and cheese is basic but delicious. It's rotini, not macaroni, and the sauce has a cheddar-parmesan flavor to it. A little saltier than the other two, which is why I bumped it down to third place.
4. Red Robin - The macaroni and cheese isn't a full-on menu item. It's a side dish. I ordered a side of mac and cheese and a side of broccoli. They were both about the size of a cup of soup. The mac and cheese was pretty good, but it was of noticeably lower quality than the other options.
5. Panera Bread - The sauce is good - creamy with just the right amount of cheese, but the noodles are often a little on the mushy side. It's a good option if there's nothing else around, but it's not my first choice.
6. Wildflower Bread Company - Mac and cheese just got added to the menu, and I had high hopes because I love all the other pasta dishes I've tried. I was a bit disappointed. The sauce was bland and way too salty. (And if I think something is too salty, it's extra too salty because I love salt.) I'll stick to the other pasta dishes in the future.

There you have it - the quick review of macaroni and cheese in the desert. The results show that if you want good gooey cheesy noodles, go to a drinking establishment. The taverns/pubs had good offerings, the chain restaurant and the cafes were a bit lacking.

As far as where the family recipe fits in the list, it depends on who makes it. If I make it, it sits between Good Wood and Red Robin. If my mom makes it, it sits between Pizza People and Good Wood. Back when my dearly departed great grandmother made it, she was even ahead of Arcadia Tavern.

Books I've Read Lately

...or, rather, books I've listened to while driving to court lately.

Last year, I had a new year's resolution to read and review 12 books. I read a lot of books but never got around to reviewing them.

Now I'm so busy with work that I almost never have time to sit down and read a book. It's sad; I love reading. However, I'm spending so much time in the car driving to court hearings in far-flung locations that I've taken to listening to audiobooks. It's not quite the same, but it's still pretty good. So here's a list and mini-review of the books I've listened to lately:

1. Searching for Sunday - Rachel Held Evans

Traveling Solo

I just got back from a vacation to Northern Ireland. I went alone, which surprised many people. I never really thought traveling alone was all that remarkable, but I seem to be in the minority in that view. I didn't do it out of some desire to find myself or prove to the world that I could do it - I did it because I wanted to go somewhere and I didn't have anyone to go with.

When people found out I was going by myself, I got one of two responses:

1. Surprise
This usually came from men. Some were concerned for my safety, but many were just surprised at the notion of trekking halfway across the world by myself for no reason other than wanting to see the world. Oddly enough, I have some male friends who travel alone who acted surprised that I would do it, too. (There are legitimately countries I would like to see that I won't go to alone, but anywhere in western Europe strikes me as just as safe as the US, and I live alone, so I'm well equipped to safely and enjoyably handle the solo life.)

I got extra scrutiny at passport control because of my solo status - the immigration agent in London, while unfailingly polite, was quite skeptical that I was traveling alone and had a few extra questions for me. I think the only reason he let me in is because I'm a lawyer, so he could be assured that I have a good job waiting for me back home and was in no danger of overstaying my welcome. (I got extra scrutiny coming back to the US as well, from a very not-so-polite immigration agent, but it's not like I can be prohibited from entering the US. He was a jerk, and I suspect if I weren't a citizen, I would still be sitting in limbo at the Oakland airport.)

2. Envy
This usually came from women. It manifested in two forms. The first was "Oh! How cool! I wish I could do that!" The second was "You're really brave to be doing that; I would be so scared!"

I suspect some of the surprise or declaration of bravery probably stems from my chosen destination. Northern Ireland suffers from a marketing problem. So many people I talked to before I left still had the view that it was a dangerous place full of people blowing each other up all the time. Sure, 20 years ago it was, but it's not like that anymore. I walked around Belfast by myself at all hours of the day and felt completely safe. I only found myself in the wrong neighborhood once, and I very quickly found my way right back out before anything happened - but that's something that's happened to me right here in Phoenix, too.

There are pros and cons to traveling alone.

Pro:

• I can go anywhere I want without having to compromise with anyone else.
• It's easier to meet locals while not distracted by a traveling companion.

Con:

• There's nobody to share the experience with. I posted pictures and my friends commented on them, but it's not the same as having someone right there.
• It's a little more expensive because there's nobody to split costs with.
• There are some parts of the world where it's safer to go with someone.

Traveling is kind of like life, though. Sure, I would like to have someone to share the experience with, but in the mean time, I'm not going to let my lack of a partner stop me from enjoying myself. A traveling companion is not a prerequisite for having a great vacation or a great life.

And just because, here are some pictures of my trip:

 A castle in County Antrim

 Derry/Londonderry as seen from the train

"Hands Across the Divide" - a statue in Derry/Londonderry depicting a Catholic and a Protestant reaching out to one another in a spirit of peace