i do not hate valentine's day

this is my admission for the day, readers. i always feel like a huge fraud admitting this, and usually i try to avoid it. the reason is because basically every other single woman i know hates valentine's day, and i always feel like when i tell them i don't that they either think i am lying or else just get annoyed with me. but the fact is that i just think there are many worse holidays, and while no i do not feel like paying $35 for your special restaurant meal that i could get for only $30 as half of a couple, i also do not hate it. it just is, and there are other things i actually do hate which take up my energy (such as walmart and usa today and beets). valentine's day i can take or leave and at least i can usually get some free candy out of someone on this day.

anyway, so i had some friends at work who were feeling down about today and since i am always looking for an excuse to cook for people, i decided to have them over and make the unbelievably awesome nytimes macaroni and cheese recipe that lina made for me once that i have been craving constantly ever since then, and that was like 2 years ago. i made it and it was excellent, despite my less-than-reliable oven temperature (i put it on 375 and it basically takes its pick of any temperature between 300 and 500). thanks magic chef!

here is the recipe:

Crusty Macaroni and Cheese
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
12 ounces American cheese or cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 pound elbow pasta, boiled in salted water until just tender, drained, and rinsed under cold water
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Salt
2/3 cup whole milk.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Combine grated cheeses and set aside two heaping cups for topping.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne (if using) and salt to taste. Place in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over surface. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes. Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty on top and bottom.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

the leftovers

along with this romance-busting pile of cheese and noodles and butter, we also had caesar salad (from a bag), shrimp cocktail, fruit salad, and chocolate mousse cake, along with 3 bottles of delicious wine. on top of that, there was a ridiculous amount of gossip and drama. a good time was had by all.

make this macaroni and cheese and you will get so fat and happy that you won't even care if you are alone forever, which you probably will be in the end anyway since even if you do find your someone special, 50% of marriages end in divorce. happy valentine's day!