My Favorite Dish

There are many different meals my mom cooks that I enjoy. I love to sit down with my family at dinner time and hear all about each other’s days. It is the one time where we all come together and focus on each other. Phones and other electronics are not allowed at the table, forcing all of us to talk to one another and not have any distractions. Although dinner may only last close to an hour, it is nice to spend quality time with my family. I enjoy eating my mom’s home cooked food and relaxing at the end of my day. Now that I am in college, there is nothing better than going home and eating my mom’s food. I especially miss my mom’s homemade baked macaroni and cheese dish. Homemade mac and cheese is my favorite meal because it brings my family together during special occasions.

The dish is made with elbow pasta and American cheese topped off with bread crumbs. To start with, my mom will boil water and add pasta into a bowl. Then in a separate bowl, she will prepare the cheese. She uses around one pound of cheese to make the dish. She adds milk, butter, cheese and a little bit of flour to create the cheese melt. After the pasta is cooked and the cheese melt is done, she will pour both into a large pan. Subsequently, she will begin making the bread crumbs. My mom melts two sticks of butter into a pan and then adds two to three cups of panko bread crumbs. She will then mix both ingredients together and add the crumbs on top of the pasta. Lastly, the mac and cheese has to bake in the oven for about thirty to forty minutes before it is ready to eat. The cooking process start to finish takes around an hour.

To describe the dish in detail, first I will begin with its appearance. My mom typically uses Barilla elbow pasta. The pasta is in the shape of a crescent moon and has little lines running down it which add to the texture of the dish. The cheese is a light yellow creamy color. The bread crumbs are really small and give the dish its finishing taste. The crumbs are a tan color with little green flakes of parsley mixed in. Overall, the bread crumbs serve to complement the main flavor of the dish. Once the dish is placed in the oven, the smell of the mac and cheese will waft throughout my entire house. The smell is heavenly and will get your taste buds flowing. I savor every bite of pasta while eating this dish. Altogether, the taste, smell, and appearance are absolutely appetizing and delicious. (Image to the left)

My mom’s home cooked mac and cheese is not only appealing but affordable. Buying all the ingredients to make the dish costs around $20. There are no special ingredients and everything needed to make it can be found at a local grocery store. I have helped my mom make the dish several times before and it is quite easy. Not only could someone else effortlessly buy all the necessary ingredients, but they could also easily prepare the pasta. Personally, I would be afraid to cook the pasta on my own because my mom is a master at making the dish,  and I know mine would not turn out the same. However, I like to help my mom prepare the food because it is rare when she makes the dish.

As previously stated, I do not have the pleasure of enjoying my mom’s home cooked mac and cheese very often. She will make the meal only around holidays or for special occasions. It takes around an hour to make, therefore it is understandable that my mom does not want to cook for a long period of time on a regular basis. Everyone in my family is extremely busy, and it is more convenient to cook something fast. However, it is guaranteed that every Christmas Eve, my mom will make the dish for our family party. All of my cousins greatly enjoy the mac and cheese, and the whole pan is empty by the end of the night. When I think of my mom’s homemade mac and cheese, I associate it with the special occasions spent with my family. This dish holds significance to me because of all the memories associated with it. I remember when my mom first asked me if I wanted to help her cook it. I love helping her tear up the cheese and mixing all the ingredients together. It is nice to spend time with my mom and be able to help her. I love the dish not just because of the taste, but because I get to spend time with my family while preparing and eating it. If my mom made her mac and cheese frequently on regular nights, it would not be as special. The meal is nicer, tastier, and better when it is served only during family gatherings. The food is amazing and rich, but my family is far more important and it is nice to spend quality time with them.

I hope to one day host parties and family gatherings in my own home. In the future I will continue to cook my mom’s homemade mac and cheese for everyone. My family has a special connection with the dish and we all love it. When I asked my mom what her personal relationship was with the meal, she stated, “It is wonderful comfort food that fills you up. It is easy to make for the family and everyone enjoys it.” As I continued to ask my mom questions about the dish she explained why she believes I love it so much, “I think you love this meal so much because of its delicious taste and because it is filling.” Her mac and cheese always leaves me satisfied and nourished. Although home cooked mac and cheese is my favorite meal, my mom considers chicken teriyaki and rice pilaf to be her favorite. She loves the flavor of the chicken and rice together. The sauce used for the teriyaki is sweet and extremely appetizing. Additionally, the meal is easy to cook and does not require great preparation. My mom expressed that easy to cook meals are her favorite because “they are convenient for the whole family.” When going to a restaurant my mom likes to order meals that she knows are on the healthy side and will not upset her stomach. She prefers to order chicken when going out, but on occasion will order pasta. Although my mom and I do not have the same favorite meal, we both enjoy an easy to cook dish.

Ultimately, my favorite meal is my mom’s homemade mac and cheese due to the sentimental value I place on it. It is nice to have a meal that the whole family loves and can enjoy. It is a tradition to have on special occasions and I love helping my mom prepare the dish. On Christmas eve, we all gather around the table and come together to eat as a family. It is nice to catch up with everyone and hear all about the new exciting events happening in their lives. I connect the food with all of these memories, which is partially the reasoning for why it is my favorite. Altogether, cooking and eating with my family is a way in which we show love for each other and I cherish the time we spend with one another. 

 

Link below is a recipe similar to my Mom’s:  

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14140/baked-macaroni-and-cheese/

Below are some Family Pictures: