Talk of the Town: Help! I’m having a ‘Cheese and Mac’ attack!

Ah, comfort food in the winter to take the chill off your bones. When I really want to splurge and treat myself to something hearty, there’s nothing better than macaroni and cheese-that childhood joy that always made me ask for seconds please!

Mac ‘n’ cheese is about as all-American as you can get—as far as warm, gooey, cheesy food goes.

Anecdotally, it was “invented” by one of our own presidents - Thomas Jefferson - who had something similar to our modern-day macaroni and cheese while visiting France.

As told by Alton Brown of the Food Network’s Good Eats program, Jefferson, upon failing to receive an Italian pasta-making machine, designed his own, made the macaroni, and had the cook put liberal quantities of York cheddar and bake it as a casserole. The rest is American history at its best.

Macaroni and cheese, sometimes referred to as macaroni cheese or mac ‘n’ cheese in parts of the United States, Canada and the British Isles, is a common dish, similar to the British dish cauliflower cheese, whose main ingredients are cooked macaroni, often termed elbow macaroni in the U.S., and a cheese sauce.

Cheddar cheese is the traditional choice (or cheddar-like processed cheese), but other cheese may be used. Similarly, other shapes of pasta can be used, though it may still be (technically incorrectly) called macaroni and cheese.

Packaged versions are available, consisting of boxed pasta and a cheese powder, to which are added butter and milk (or water). Extra ingredients, like ground beef, canned tuna, ketchup, sliced hot dogs, ham, bacon, peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables are sometimes incorporated into the dish as well, though some might say that such recipes are no longer “macaroni and cheese.”

Food writer Jeffrey Steingarten describes an 1802 recipe as the “very first recipe ever printed on the back of an American box.” Not technically on a box, the recipe was still part of the packaging. It was printed on sheets of paper wrapped around bundles of dried vermicelli and macaroni produced in Philadelphia by one Lewis Fresnaye. The historic recipe:

Take six pints of water and boil it with a sufficiency of salt. When boiling, stir in one pound of pasta. Let it boil about eight minutes, then strain the water off and put the pasta in a large dish, mixing therewith six ounces of grated Parmesan or other good cheese. Then take four ounces of good butter and melt it well in a saucer or small pot, and pour it over the pasta while both are still warm. It would be n improvement after all is done, to keep the dish a few minutes in a hot oven, till the butter and cheese have well penetrated the pasta.

It may be rendered still more delicate by boiling the pasta in milk instead of water and put a little gravy of meat, or any other meat sauce thereon.

Boxed versions (the stove top method) of the macaroni dish have been available since 1937 and are known for the rich yellow-orange color, resulting from the use of powered “cheese sauce mix’ rather than actual cheese.

L.J. Kraft obtained a patent in 1916 for a processed cheese that would not spoil. People weren’t so keen on the idea, and Kraft ended up selling 6 million pounds of the powdered cheese to the US Army. Eventually, Americans came ’round, especially when Kraft rolled out its box of instant Mac ‘n Cheese, which only cost one ration coupon in those frugal times of war.

Though considered a “comfort food,” be careful consuming large amounts of this golden delicacy. If prepared according to the instructions, one box should yield 2,120 mg of salt, equal to about 90 percent of your recommended daily salt intake. Yikes!

Vote with your dollars! Kraft created elephant-shaped “Republican” and donkey-shaped “Democrat” boxes for the 1996 Presidential conventions.

For purists who desire nought but cheesy mac goodness, there is a restaurant in New York City called S’MAC that only serves Macaroni and Cheese.

Crayola added to color “Macaroni and Cheese” to its 96-box of crayons in 1993, along with the colors Granny Smith Apple, Asparagus, Timber Wolf and Razzmatazz.

Let’s go from comfort food to comfort music. I recently had to opportunity to interview and listen to a rehearsal of the vocal ensemble known as Classix, a six-member group of some of the most talented and gifted singers I’ve yet to encounter in the Green Valley area. They are delightful.

Founded two years ago, Classix is made up of singers Eloise Fredrickson (second soprano), Ron Bell (baritone), Ruth O’Brien (soprano), Bill Krinke (tenor), Judy Brown (alto, tenor) and Don O’Brien (bass).

The group uses arrangements from The King’s Singers, a group of six male choral singers from King’s College Cambridge, England, who started their ensemble in 1968. From mediaeval to renaissance, romantic to contemporary, folk and pop, their repertoire is all encompassing.

Like the King’s Singers, Classix voices blend, harmonize and flow, creating a sound like no other—rich, melodic, and just a joy to hear.

After listening to the a cappella group and their intimate harmonies, I knew right away that the group would be ideal luncheon concert entertainment and just perfect for a high tea performance.

To book Classix call the O’Briens at 398-6405 or Eloise Fredrickson at 648-7317.

Here’s a little low-down on these musical folks.

Judy Brown: Hails from Carson City, Nev., where she began her love affair with close harmony after discovering Sweet Adelines International. After years of barbershop chorus and quartet singing, she moved to a small Dutch island in the Caribbean and was a founding member of the St. Eustatius Vocal Ensemble, which performed everything from madrigal to gospel music.

After returning to the U.S., she attended Cal State Chico to complete her history degree and sang with the university chorus.

She currently sings with the Green Valley Community Chorus and with St. Francis Episcopal Church Choir.

Ruth O’Brien: A former vocal music teacher, she taught in Wisconsin, where she met her husband, Don. She also taught in the International School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Over the years she has taught piano and learned to play the guitar; sang with and directed a 16-voice madrigal group in Maryland; sang with the Philharmonic Chorus of Madison, Wis.; sang with various choirs and performed in various musical productions wherever she and her husband lived. Ruth says she also enjoys singing with the Green Valley Community Chorus for the past three years.

Don O’Brien: Began his musical career as a boy soprano in Wisconsin, singing on local radio programs and for various religious conventions.

A retired chemist, he has remained active in music as an instrumentalist (trumpet, guitar) and singer. He played with the Livermore Symphony Orchestra (Calif.) for two years, and sang with the Philharmonic Chorus of Madison for 15 years.

He has appeared in a number of community theater musicals and plays and has sung with large groups as well as ensembles. While living in Saudi Arabia, he gave classical guitar recitals for the American community. He too, performs with the Green Valley Community Chorus.

Ron Bell: Started singing at age three with his dad and brother and took some piano lessons as a child. He played the clarinet and saxophone, sang in school, and then played and sang in dance bands for 20 years. Later, he sang in large and small choruses and sang solos, which has continued. Ron started taking voice lessons at age 50.

Bill Krinke: Hails from Echo, Minn. A University of Minnesota graduate with a BS in music education and a double major, saxophone and voice. He taught high school band for eight years, was assistant director of bands at the University of Minnesota for one year and finished by teaching band and choir at least 11 years before retiring. Bill also farmed for 20 years.

He and his wife Susan, who plays the sax, live in Quail Creek Resort Community for six months, returning to their Minn. farm the rest of the time. They have two children—Jennifer, a music teacher in Minn., and Jeff, a computer programmer in Nebraska, and his wife, Kathy, a music teacher. They have four grandchildren.

Eloise Fredrickson: Says her childhood home was filled with music. Her dad was an Irish tenor, her mom played the piano and was the organist at the little country church until Eloise took over the position when she was 12. Every year she sang solo in the Sunday school Christmas program.

She started college at 30, when her children were old enough to go to school, getting two degrees—in music and English. Throughout her career, she has sung in church choirs and played the piano for her own enjoyment. Eloise now sings in the Valley Presbyterian Church Choir, the Green Valley Community Chorus, the Arizona Repertory Singers, as well as Classix.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740