Beat This: Macaroni and Cheese
Written By Ann Hodgman
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Ann Hodgman says her recipe is better than yours. Prove her wrong.
I'm not saying I'm the best cook in the world. But I do have some of the best recipes in the world. I have the best recipes for the things people always say their mothers had the best recipes for. Brownies, potato salad, meat loaf, sugar cookies — that kind of thing. This is the absolute truth, not an opinion.
And yet there are cooks out there who actually believe that their recipes are better than mine. Sometimes they get mad at me for claiming mine are the best. (A woman once sent me a letter that contained the single sentence "Your pot roast — what a joke.") Sometimes they send their recipes in for me to try. And sometimes, although it's impossible, their recipes really are better.
When that happens, I don't get grumpy. Why should I? The world can only be improved if a better apple pie turns up. I start using that recipe instead, my family is happier, and the person who sent me the recipe stands a little taller knowing that hers (okay, or his) is actually the best in the world.
Maybe that's why Wondertime is letting me challenge readers — to spread world happiness. Or maybe they just want to give me a chance to brag. Anyway, I'm regularly going to offer readers a recipe that I believe is the best in the world. If you think your version is better, send it in. The Wondertime judges will test my recipe against yours and decide on one winner. If I win, I'll be as braggy as ever. If you win, you'll get an actual prize: This time, it's a Cuisinart stand mixer.
Of course there are a couple of rules. No previously published recipes or prepared mixes allowed. We're really looking for the best recipes. Not the most healthful, not the quickest, not the cheapest, but the best. There are plenty of other contests for cheap, quick, or healthful imitations of good recipes. We want the kind of food that people force you to give up the recipe for. Take, for instance, this macaroni and cheese recipe. I seriously doubt you can beat it. But if you really think yours is better, bring it on! I'll tell you one thing, though: Bacon makes a big difference in macaroni and cheese. If you want to win a recipe contest, consider adding a little bacon. (Just a tip to show you what a good sport I am.)
HOW TO ENTER: E-mail your best macaroni and cheese recipe by September 30, 2008 to wondertime.editors@disney.com with "Beat This" in the subject line and include your name, address, and phone number. For contest rules, click here.
The winner of this macaroni and cheese Beat This competition will receive a 7 Quart Cuisinart Stand Mixer in brushed chrome, valued at $450.
Next: Get the Recipe
Bonus! You can now log in to the Community site on Disney Family.com and join the Beat This: Recipe Challenge Group. Just log in with your Wondertime log in (or create a log in there if you currently do not have a log in name), and follow the instructions. Then you can share recipes, comment, join other groups and challenge everyone to Beat Your recipe!
Learn the winner of the Beat This: Macaroni and Cheese challenge
