Macaroni and Cheese

Oh yes. This is a good post. A very yummy post. A very fatty post. Honestly, who doesn't love Macaroni and Cheese? Anyone that says yes is a liar and should not be trusted.

We at Cherryvale Farms are interested in the Macaroni and Cheese market. Who are the players? Where are they getting their ingredients? Can a Macaroni and Cheese be organic, sustainably sourced and have environmentally-friendly packaging? Hmmm...so many questions!

Today we began testing commercial instant mac and cheese mixes to see what the potential competition holds. Wow, were we shocked at just home many mac and cheese mixes are on the shelves! At Target, we counted no less than 40 different kinds. At Whole Foods, no less than 20. That's a lot of mac and cheese! Americans must really like it. Oh, right, they do! Well then why not bring another player into the mix?!

We have an amazing (and top secret) idea on how to revolutionize mac and cheese here at Cherryvale Farms. Though we're not ready to share it just yet, we have a big ace up our sleeve and we think the forecast looks, well, sun-shiny. Stay tuned.

Today we tested an Archer Farms Five Cheese Macaroni Entree from Target. Serving 5 people, the box was less than $3. All you add is butter and milk. The interesting thing about this deluxe mix is that you bake it after you mix the cheese and sauce - an attempt to recreate the homestyle version.

Took about 35 minutes to make (so, not super busy mom-friendly) but it had a lot more "real" feeling as we went through the steps. I mean, who really feels like making a roux when you have screaming kids running around? Hence, insta-mac-and-cheese!

We followed the directions and, shockingly!, it wasn't that bad. Definitely not restaurant-quality-oh-my-god-I-will-regret-this delicious, but pretty darn good. We could actually eat it. And then we ate some more. And them we got a tummy ache.

Anyway, here's how it turned out. Don't you just love when you make something and looks like the picture?! I love that. It makes me feel special. Mostly because I am the worst at following directions. And following orders. Ha.

Did you know Kraft's version was invented in 1937? Isn't that crazy?
Time for an update! A la Cherryvale Farms.