Today was the Mac and Cheese Throw down that I mentioned in my last post. It certainly was not yesterday as I originally thought. I woke up bright and early yesterday morning, went to Target to buy a few last minute items, prepped and prepared my dish then drove two towns away in holiday traffic to my friend's house. It wasn't until I rang the bell for the third time that I began to suspect something might be up. I went back to the car and double checked the event information on my phone. I nearly died from disappointment. My lovely mac and cheese was ready...a whole day early. I had no choice but to go home put my crock pot in the fridge and do what I could to save it the next day. To take my mind off my epic failure, I made some macaroni headbands for my girls and myself and spray painted them gold to wear as good luck charms. (Or subliminal message to the judges maybe)

   This morning I crept down stairs and peeked at my poor macaroni. To my surprise, it had held up in the refrigerator. I set the crock pot up, plugged it in and crossed my fingers. I wasn't sure how well it would hold together reheated. Just to be on the safe side I made some extra sauce to pour over the noodles. Once everything was heated up and mixed together I called my husband over to taste test it. He gave it a thumbs up and my dreams of gold macaroni trophies were restored. Thank goodness for quality Target ingredients!

   Being a dedicated Target shopper I decided my entry would be made entirely from products purchased at. Target. Market pantry pasta and cheeses were the star of my dish and the crowning glory was the Parmesan crisps I made using the new Market Pantry shredded Parmesan cheese. They were super simple to make and very tasty. I will try to post a recipe soon.
 

   I was impressed with all of the efforts from the entrants. There were several dishes that featured bacon, a chili-mac, fried macaroni balls, and a few classic macaroni and cheeses. Although the ones to beat were a marinated mushroom mac and cheese stuffed bell peppers, and a "Captain Jack and cheese" featuring drunk chicken in the macaroni and a fleet of pirate ships surrounding it. This entry was accompanied by a shot of an adult beverage. Needless to say this was the winner, followed closely by the mushroom mac, leaving me with a respectable third place.

   Although I didn't leave with the coveted golden macaroni bowl trophy, I visited with friends, had fun and ate a lot of pasta, so in a way, we all won.