How to Labor Day the Right Way
copyright Art of Living, PrimaMedia Inc
Editor: Katelyn Kelly
This week, we are delighted to have special guest Kathi Lipp who has shared the BEST
macaroni and cheese recipe with us tonight on the Maria Liberati Show Podcast!
In this episode, we are discussing Labor Day and the ways in which Labor Day is
celebrated in the US. Labor Day is marked to be the end of summer and the start of fall,
a new season for all! A day off from work is given to the working class to sneak in a last
three day weekend trip. The beach, anyone?
Street parades are also held to showcase “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade
and labor organizations” of working class communities. In attempts to celebrate the
contributions of working class people, barbecues and parades are held, as well as end
of the summer sales from retail corporations as a transition to the start of the autumn
season.
I want to ask all of you, what better way is there to celebrate an American holiday by
having the day off work, to kick your feet up and indulge yourself in as much good food
as your heart desires?
What better way to spoil yourself on this year’s Labor Day by cooking Kathi Lipp’s one
of a kind macaroni and cheese recipe? Maria Liberati shares that it is really yummy!
Don’t be shy, you deserve it!
Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 (16 oz.) package penne pasta
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
6 T. unsalted butter
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1½ cups panko bread crumbs
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. smoked paprika
4 T. butter, melted
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, and drain.
- In a large bowl, combine the Gruyere and cheddar cheese. Reserve 2 cups of
the cheese mixture for later use.
- Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl and drizzle it with the olive oil while still
warm. Stir to coat the pasta, then set it aside to cool.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and
continue whisking for about 1 minute, until bubbly.
- Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until smooth. Continue whisking
until the mixture bubbles again, then whisk for an additional 2 minutes.
- Season the sauce with salt, pepper, dry mustard, garlic powder, and nutmeg.
Stir to combine.
- Gradually add handfuls of the cheese mixture to the sauce, whisking until
smooth between each addition. (Do not stir in the 2 reserved cups of cheese.)
- Pour the cheese sauce over the cooled pasta, stirring to fully coat the pasta in
the sauce.
- Spread half of the pasta in the prepared baking dish, sprinkle with the reserved
2 cups of cheese, then top with the remaining pasta.
Get your copy of the Gourmand World Award-winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays and Special Occasions-2nd edition
Listen to more food, travel, DIY, Home, and Garden on The Maria Liberati Show, heard anywhere podcasts are heard, and now on WWDB AM RADIO in Philadelphia on Saturdays at 1:30 and https://wwdbam.com/shows/the-maria-liberati-show/↗on https://wwdbam.com/shows/the-maria-liberati-show
