Monday, February 15, 2010

The Red and the White


Last weekend, we were joined by a whole pile of our wonderful friends who gathered in our wee abode to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Paul and Lisa came up from Seattle to take in the sights and the sounds reverberating through our fair city. And they also came to stir the pot. "Which pot?", you might inquire. Well, see - when Lisa read about the Great Mac Off of months gone by, she kinda threw down the gauntlet. Yup. She challenged us to a Mac Off because she was convinced that SHE made the world's best Mac 'n Cheese. When Paul got wind of all this posturing, he too wanted to join in the fun with his "old school" homage to creamy goodness. "Old school?" you say. Did I mention that there are only 4 ingredients? One of them is pasta. The other major ingredient is Velveeta.

So we decided that there was no better way to watch the launch of some winter games, than with a big ol' mess of yummy comfort food. In the spirit of competition, four of us cooked up our own special variety of Mac 'n Cheese. We invited Lori and Shayne, and Pooter, and Annie and Lara to join us for a slice of life and a slice (or 4) of Mac 'n Cheese as we all entered the fray. It was delicious. Every single Mac was completely different from the one that came before.

And with those kinds of odds, you could say that everyone was a winner. Well, actually no. NOT everyone was a winner. Paul was the winner. I won the silver medal. Lisa was our bronze medallist. And - um - [leans in and whispers] well, Mister Man was kinda last. Shhh. He gets all pouty if you bring it up, so let's just leave it at the door shall we? Here's our prize winner, merrily holding his booty.

I will also tell you that Lori made her first layer cake, and it was delicious. And beautiful. So fitting, don't you think?

It was a red velvet cake. Delectable.

The rest of the weekend was filled with much fun, and more red and white than I've ever seen in my life. It was enough to fill a gal's heart with a teary kind of pride. Here are some red and white highlights for you.

And here's a gentle reminder of history - the truths that have come before. Because, contrary to popular belief, it's not all fun and games.

9 comments:

  1. Paul's mac was ok,,,,but velveeta? really? mine was based with a classic bechamel sauce with smoked gruyere. velveeta? why not just microwave some cheese-whiz and pour that on noodles! i fault the judges, a bunch of philistines!

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  2. um, dude. you were one of the judges.

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  3. yeah, but i went totally canadian and voted for somebody else

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  4. and the americans probably went american and voted for themselves. so, mister man...?

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  5. ok,ok, my mac sucked. i'm never cooking again

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  6. Mr. Man was robbed - ROBBED I say (um, I say not having tried any of them...but I'm sure it's the truth)

    Velveeta? I don't even think that qualifies as that mysterious modern creation, "cheese food"?

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  7. mister MAN! your mac is a thing of beauty. a true reason to continue to live. please don't make lara cry with these harsh words. i'm saying the canadian was canadian and voted for others. the americans were probably american and voted for themselves. the cultural odds were stacked against you.

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  8. ok, new rule. no more than two americans at a time allowed

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  9. Um - I know I'm a little late to the party, but I DID come in second!!!!

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