Smac Story
Smac, that’s what a dear friend calls the adult version of my macaroni and cheese. Mac and cheese she says is for kids, Smac is for adults. Smac is really for anyone, but she says the awesomeness of it is something she both wants and does not want to share with anybody. I shared some Smac with a mutual friend of ours last night and she told me it was the best mac and cheese ever.
In all honesty, I don’t think it is the way I make it, because I have never seen a professional chef make it my way. I think it is my secret ingredient, which I add to every dish I make. It is called LOVE. Love can make any food taste better. My wife calls it fairy dust. A friend of mine calls it slap powder. He says it makes any dish I make taste so good you wanna “slap yo momma.” It’s a phrase used sometimes about a dish that tastes so amazing that you would fight someone to get another dish of it. I remember hearing someone explaining it this way. When you thought your mom’s version of something was so good, nothing could top it. Then you eat something that makes you wonder why you never got to eat it this way all your life and puts your mom’s version to shame.
When I am cooking, I am not trying to outdo anyone. I just work to serve up the best version of a dish. I want to create that oh my goodness experience when I cook for people. This week, what bought it about was my smac and cheese. Since Zoe and I started eating vegan, I have been having to work on creating a vegan mac and cheese that scored as high on the taste level for her as my non-vegan one. I am still working on it and thought I was there, and I might be. However, this morning I may have found a vegan equivalent of one of the staples in my smac and cheese. If I can find it I may try to make some vegan mac and cheese my non vegan way.
Why do I think it is not how I make it. While there are a few commonalities anytime I make it, there are some things which vary from batch to batch. So what is common?
elbow macaroni, although you could use another small pasta
butter
heavy cream
eggs
Velveeta
cheddar cheese.
What varies from batch to batch is the following: the cheeses. I try to include some sort of curd because it gives you that ooey gooey stretchiness. I am not sure I can find a vegan version of this, but I am not giving up. I generally include at least 3 other types of cheese, but what kind varies depending on what I have in the frig, what they have at the store and what my budget it. Every once in a while I used to try to add some tallegio because I love the texture but it is expensive, so I add it on special occasions. Generally, my favorite combo is muenster, Monterey jack and at least 2 kinds of cheddar.
I don’t make a cheese sauce, I just mix everything together in my rectangular baker, top with more cheese and then bake.
When it comes out, the smac makes you want to slap somebody, even if it’s not your mom. Live near me and want a tray, ask me how you can get one.
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