“1 (8oz) package of Macaroni”
Now…see, that isn’t specific enough, no
You need little elbow macaronis,
shells in a pinch.
yadda yadda “butter”
yadda yadda “flour”
yadda yadda “milk”
“1 lb. Velveeta cheese”
Now you’re talking.
And, no don’t mess around with
cheddar, american, gruyere, whatever.
The only way you’re gonna do like Mamaw
and get that smooth, silky, milky,
oozes-all-over-everything-else-on-the-plate
consistency?
Velveeta
Then, once the macaroni is tender,
you gotta start making the mixture,
“stir constantly.”
This is where my generation might be
flubbing it up. Why it’s always.
just a little off
when we fix macaroni.
Momaw is mindful of macaroni.
Chant that.
The stirring turns the Velveeta, milk and flour into
divine electric yellow goop.
“add macaroni, mix well”
And ignore that crap about the bread crumbs,
double ignore baking it to unnatural death,
and triple ignore folks who start throwing in peppers, spices, whatever the hell else.
This is, I believe, where many fail.
They want the macaroni to be like something served
in a trendy soul food cafe you’d read about in “Garden and Gun.”
Well, that’s like putting too much makeup on a cute country girl.
Velveeta goo is subtle, understated and perfect all by itself.
Of course, it will sit next to
city ham, rolls,
cooked to death green beans with salt pork,
baked apples with melted marshmallows on top,
broccoli or sweet potato casserole,
them fried chicken dippers the kids like.
But amongst 10 or 15 Cottons?
It’s the centerpiece,
it’s what everybody’s eating,
it is, as my Aunt Terri always jokes,
our family’s favorite vegetable.
By Danny Wayne Cotton