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The Right Way to Make Mac and Cheese

My Aunt Louise used a key ingredient that held everything together.

The Right Way to Make Mac and Cheese

Louise and her grandmother both enjoyed smoking Virginia Slims, often using a theater-length holder for their cigarettes. Louise's kitchen was a place where the mac and cheese was made, and it became a gathering spot for the kids during social events in the late 1970s Los Angeles neighborhood known as Miracle Mile. The neighborhood was multiracial, with the bungalow Louise and her husband Benny lived in featuring a red-clay roof and a courtyard filled with chimes.

Occasionally, Benny's hunting pals would bring fresh cod, crayfish, deer heart, or pheasant to share with the group, but side dishes were Louise's specialty. This included deviled eggs, braised mustard greens, and her famous mac and cheese. The recipe relied on using Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Shredded Cheese, beaten eggs, Knudsen whole milk, and a blend of spices like dry mustard and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.

Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at theatlantic.com →

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