The toast was always, “Next year in Cuba.” This year that is finally possible. The adults had rum in theirs, but ours was just as special. I remember my grandparents serving a drink at Christmas that was a Cuban version of eggnog called Crema de Vie, or Cream of Life. I am now 85 years old and have three grandchildren in the military. I would give anything to see that boy get his mother’s pumpkin pie. I don’t know what the post office would do today, but in my day we cared about our military people. It has been many years now, and I don’t remember the soldier’s name or his mom’s, but I vividly remember that cake. It was handled by hand through every PO station, and I later learned it was in perfect condition when the soldier got it. She had it wrapped with heavy cellophane so we could see the cake. I retired from the postal service in 1990, but I remember once we had a birthday cake a mom had mailed to a member of the armed forces. I recently read in your column where a mother wanted to send her son in the service a pumpkin pie (and was looking for a shippable alternative). The stories include the purported origin of Hot Chicken - a “rampant carouser” named Prince whose girlfriend decided to punish him for straying by dumping a whole lot of pain into his favorite fried chicken - along with some interesting notes about how whites had to come to the back door at Prince’s to get their chicken, and got a taste of segregation if they wandered mistakenly into the dining room. But what I love most about this little book are the anecdotes and the recipes for iconic sides, from pan-fried okra to black-eyed pea salad and vinegar slaw. There are a couple of recipes for the Hot Chicken itself, such as a paste made with bacon grease, cayenne, paprika, ground mustard, garlic, sugar and salt. It’s a preparation so fierce that even the “mild” as served at any of many Nashville emporiums will break you into a sweat, and always it is served on a slice of squishy white bread, with pickles. Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese over the top.To those who have never had the pleasure, hot chicken is a fried fulmination, chicken brined and rubbed and battered in loads of hot chili. Fry on medium heat turning by sections as the bottom starts to cook and brown.Ĭook until the eggs, macaroni, and cheese are all blended and you have lots of crusty golden brown sections. When the butter is starting to sizzle add the macaroni mixture. Heat a large non-stick or cast iron frying pan over medium heat and add the butter or oil. Add the 1½ cups cheese and drained macaroni and stir together. In a large bowl beat the eggs, salt and pepper with a fork until well mixed together. You may now proceed with the recipe or refrigerate the cooked macaroni for a day or two until needed. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. That's what I'd call a hard morning's work!ġ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese + ½ cup for topĬook macaroni according to package direction until al dente or to your liking, usually anywhere between 6-8 minutes. In between turning the macaroni I was able to chop a few vegetables and lettuce for a salad to go along with the meal. and it was ready for Don's dinner as he came in the door at 12 noon. From start to finish, using the cooked macaroni, it only took about 15 minutes to make and have ready for the table. I had already cooked the macaroni and had it waiting in the fridge so it was only to postpone it until the next day.
I was going to make this for dinner the other day but I went shopping instead and by the time I got home it was too late to make it (and I was too full from eating out). This dish can be put together in a matter of minutes, especially if you have the macaroni already cooked ahead of time. I've changed it some so it isn't quite the same as the original which called for a full half cup of butter! That's a lot of butter and as the cheese oozes with fat as it melts I thought I'd cut the butter to 2 tablespoons which proved to be quite sufficient. I've searched several times even doing an advanced search but could not find the source. I found this recipe online some years ago but I can't find the site to give credit. This is actually a fried macaroni and cheese casserole! Don't confuse this with the deep-fried macaroni and cheese bites or nuggets that are so popular on the internet. If you love the crispy bits around the edge of a baked macaroni and cheese casserole you'll love this Fried Macaroni and Cheese. This isn't your regular one-pan or skillet meal that you may be familiar with but, nevertheless, it's a quick and easy meal to prepare. From start to finish, have this Frying Pan Macaroni & Cheese on the dinner table in 30 minutes or less.