Movies and mac and cheese.

I'm having a friend over for dinner tomorrow (technically tonight), and after the little ones are into their beds, we are going to watch what are potentially the best movies of the century.

Now, I love horror movies. In fact, I might be the biggest fan of cheesy horror movies ever. I pick horror movies based solely on the cover. Which has led me to some of the very best movies you've never seen. I look at the artwork on the front. If it's hand drawn; involves a gaping mouth; a small child; a picture of a something totally innocuous and yet creepy- I will watch it. Avidly.

So, tomorrow when my friend arrives, we'll sit with the kids, talk shop, have dinner and later, we'll grab a couple glasses of wine, some popcorn and watch Evil Dead 2. Followed by Army of Darkness. We're not watching ED (the original) because I find it redundant when one is watching 2. We may also watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I know all the words to the entire movie, and will happily re-enact it for you at any given time).

I have a list here of movies that are always welcome in my living room.

E.D.
E.D.2
A.O.D.
Monty Python, "Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian".
Dog Soldiers
The Color Purple (which I know isn't a horror, but I do love it)
Any Harry Potter movie (again, I just love the movies so much)
Adam and Evil (it's the worst movie ever made, and I loved it)
Bubba Ho Tep (I will marry Bruce Campbell if he ever gets close enough for me to handcuff him)
Silence of the Lambs (nothing out creeps Hopkins)
The Omen (NOT the remake. EFF the remake)


There are others; but, these are the ones that strike me right now.

Anyways, when my buddy gets here tomorrow, we'll be having homemade (by me) grown up Mac and Cheese (I will share the recipe eventually). It's one of my favourites; involving shallots, bacon, four cheeses and happiness baked in a two quart casserole dish. It's the best part of being a grown up. That and staying up until 2 am just because nobody can send you to bed. OUT!



EDIT: Here's the recipe I use for my grown up Mac and Cheese.

1/2 lb of chopped bacon- fried to medium crispy-ousity
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 green onions, chopped
1-2 shallots (or 1/2 a small onion) chopped
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
fresh pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (you will hardly be blown away in the end, it mellows)
2 cups shredded cheese- I used marble this time, but anything will work
1/2 cup mozza (makes it stretchy)
1 cup shredded OLD cheddar (or sharp) for max flavour
1/2 cup parmesan or asiago

5 cups al dente pasta (any shape is fine, but mostly I use elbows)
1/2 cup bread crumbs,
2 tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Fry your bacon whilst you simultaneously melt the 1/2 cup of butter in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan and start a HUGE pot of water to boil for the pasta.

3. When the butter is melted, but before it starts to brown, add your chopped onions, and saute gently for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you like garlic, add a clove now and let it cook too (I also toss in 1 bay leaf; but take that out BEFORE SERVING). When your onions have started to soften (but before they have cooked completely) dump your flour in. All at once, and stir to make sure it all gets buttered up.

4. Continue to stir the flour-y butter (or butter-y flour) for two minutes to cook the flour and prepare it for the milk. Now, add the milk, and whisk the crap out of it. You want to get it completely lump free. You could, of course, heat the milk separately and whisk it gently- but I don't bother to make extra dishes if I don't have to.

5. Add your seasoning whilst the milky buttery flour mixture thickens. Add your bacon now too. When it becomes thick (or stops thickening if you wait long enough) decide if you wish to add another splash of milk to 'loosen' it up. If you like the mac and cheese slightly runny, then add milk, if you like it to be stiffer, then don't. Once you add the cheese the whole mixture will thicken and stiffen more.

6. Add the cheese, I reserve about 1/2 cup total of the different shreds to use with my topping. You don't have to, you could grate more, or skip it completely.

7. Toss the pasta (slightly UNDERcooked is way better than over cooked because you'll be baking it as well) into the sauce you've created. Place in a casserole dish large enough to hold it and top with the breadcrumbs, mixed with melted butter, left over cheeses and a sprinkling of parmesan to finish it up.

8. Bake until crispy top, and hot through. Eat all of it before your husband gets home from work.