If you've been yearning for the comfort of your childhood during these troubled times, you're going to want to celebrate National Mac and Cheese Day July 14 like it's the royal wedding of cheese. Because it is. While it's unclear who we have to thank for the genius invention of macaroni and cheese, the website When Is Holiday reported that this comfort food dates back centuries.
"Among the contenders [for inventing macaroni and cheese] are Etruscans, Romans, Chinese, [and] Koreans. As for cheese, its production, in general, refers to prehistoric times and, apparently, the discovery of such a tasty product was accidental," When Is Holiday noted. "Cheese is the earliest seasoning, including those for pasta. Before any recipes were written down, mac and cheese [was] already admired in the early Middle Ages."
While eating a piping hot dish of mac and cheese might not sound too appealing while it's eleventy-million degrees outside, if you turn up the A/C and draw the shades, you can pretend it's winter. You can also head out to a restaurant for some free A/C and gourmet mac and cheese dishes. The Yard House has a fried mac and cheese appetizer that's to die for, and it's half off if you order it during happy hour or off the late-night menu. Because, whether it's morning, noon, or night, it's always mac and cheese time. Here are some creative ways to properly honor your favorite holiday.
1Go Old School
If you want to go traditional, you can opt for an out-of-the box stovetop mac-and-cheese dish, or even a microwaveable mac-and-cheese dinner like Kevin in Home Alone. Whip up this nostalgic meal and watch your fave throwback '90s shows on Netflix.
2Eat Outside Of The Box
If cooking is your jam and you want to get fancy, National Mac and Cheese Day is the perfect time to try out some new recipes. "From the classic mac and cheese with cheddar or American cheeses to the spicy cowboy mac with bacon and jalapeños, there’s a combination for everyone," National Day Calendar noted on its website. "Mix up the cheeses or load up on seasonings, set the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end of the cooking time and let the cheese get a nice toasty crust." Don't forget to get some Instagram-worthy snaps and hashtag #NationalMacAndCheeseDay.
3Creative Stovetop Mac And Cheese Dishes
If you don't have A/C and you just can't bear to turn on the oven to cook up some mac and cheese, it's OK. There are plenty of easy stovetop mac-and-cheese dishes you can make to satisfy your mac-and-cheese desires. The website Wisconsin Cheese Talk has great recommendations, including herbed mac and cheese, chili mac and cheese with cheesy puffs, smokey barbecue chicken mac and cheese, and summer greens mac and cheese.
4Delicious Vegan Mac And Cheese
If you've recently become vegan, and you're having a hard time finding a cheese substitute that doesn't taste like kindergarten paste, there's good news. A new wave of vegan cheeses have hit the market, and some of them are actually pretty good. The blog Vegan Easy recommends seven taste-tested vegan cheeses that are worth a try. Once you choose your cheese, follow this recipe on YouTube from The Vegan Mom to whip up your very own vegan mac and cheese so you can avoid National Mac and Cheese Day FOMO.
5Attend Local Mac And Cheese Events
Mac and cheese is so beloved that there's a good chance there's a mac-and-cheese-based event in your city or town. If you're in New Orleans, the House of Blues is combining Friday the 13th with National Mac and Cheese Day for an epic celebration of cheese and terror. There's a mac-and-cheese tasting, a mac-and-cheese-based menu, live music from bands like Werewolf, an '80s costume contest, and more. The best part? You can enter to win tickets so you can get your mac and cheese on for free.
6Make A Mac And Cheese Sandwich
I can't believe I've never thought of this because you can literally make anything into a sandwich. Make this mouthwatering mac-and-cheese sandwich the same way you make a grilled cheese, but instead of just putting cheese in the middle, you put mac and cheese in the middle. Yes, please!
7Dress Like Mac And Cheese
If you really want to show your love for mac and cheese, mac-and-cheese clothes are mandatory. Don't have any mac-and-cheese outfits at the ready? Mac 'N Noodles has got you covered. From dresses to shirts to leggings to backpacks, there's definitely something to satisfy your inner mac-and-cheese fashionista.
8Don't Forget The Accessories
Clothes that look like food not your jam? Fear not. There are others ways to show your devotion to mac and cheese, like these quirky mac-and-cheese rings from iCandy Petite Treats on Etsy.
9Have A Mac And Cheese Sing Along
Obviously there's a mac-and-cheese song, and if you love mac and cheese as much as you say you do, you have to learn it and convince your friends to join you in an Instagram Live mac-and-cheese singalong. Don't forget to hashtag #NationalMacAndCheeseDay.
10Watch Mac And Cheese Movies
There are mac-and-cheese movies. I mean, of course there are mac-and-cheese movies because mac and cheese is magic! If you want to properly honor National Mac and Cheese Day, invite your besties over for a mac-and-cheese potluck, and have a mac-and-cheese movie marathon. Cue up the French comedy Macaroni and Cheese, the short film Mac & Cheese, another short film of the same name, and season six of Friends where Joey stars in that ridiculous show Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E.
Luckily, National Mac and Cheese Day is on a Saturday so you can spend all day honoring your food BAE and comforting yourself with cheesy goodness after the anxiety of Friday the 13th. Whether it be cooking, dining out, dressing up, singing, or marathoning cheesy movies, there are tons of ways to get your mac and cheese on like a boss.
