"mac and cheese" news and stories

• Ever tasted a Dekopon? Well, now's your chance: The once-obscure Japanese citrus is popping in California grocery stores.
• The cioppino is a West Coast classic...and infinitely variable.
• Taco Asylum, a hip, stylized taqueria, seems to be hitting all the right notes.
• Yes, it's mac and cheese. But it's not just any mac and cheese. It's from the Bakersfield Sheraton.

Early Thursday afternoon, there was a big batch of mac' n' cheese brewing down south. In a massive, 250-year-old sugar kettle, New Orleans chef John Folse made a reported 2,100 pounds (that's 6,500 servings) of it, beating the previous Guinness World Record of 414 pounds, five times over, reports WWL.com (check there for the video, too).

In case you're wondering how to make 2,100 pounds of mac' n' cheese yourself, you'll need ...

McDonald's might be the home of a smiling clown and friendly "I'm lovin' it" ads, but when it comes to defending their trademarks, they're notoriously ruthless.

Erin Wade and Allison Arevalo, friends and small business owners in Oakland, CA, recently discovered it's unwise to tread on anything the burger giant considers a trademark. The duo planned to name their restaurant -- a neighborhood joint featuring macaroni and cheese made from artisanal cheeses and local ingredients -- Little Mac. But last week, corporate counsel for the Golden Arches nixed the name, claiming that the word "mac" is the intellectual property of McDonalds.

Wade says they were stunned: "We were like, wait a minute, we're a mac and cheese shop and we can't use the word 'mac' at all?"

• If wine lives in cellars, beer lives in caves.
• Slaw dogs take the humble hot dog to surreal, avant-garde heights -- and they're fantastic.
• If you've ever had the mac 'n' cheese at Yosemite's Ahwahnee, you want this recipe. And if you haven't, make it. You'll thank us later.
• An Italian pinot grigio is the wine of the week. That's amore!
• These chocolate Oscar dresses -- that's right, dresses -- put a new twist on the red-carpet question, "What are you wearing?"

There are few dishes more American than macaroni and cheese. Forget that we credit the Italians for pasta and the French for "the good cheese" -- it's here in the United States where we bring the two together together in glorious, comforting harmony.

Rumor has it that Thomas Jefferson introduced the dish to the United States. And though a boxed version was made wildly popular by Kraft over many decades, home and professional chefs have taken back the comfort food, and now make gourmet versions like this one from blogger Ezra Pound Cake.

This take on classic macaroni and cheese, adapted from a recipe in "The Gift of Southern Cooking," is made with grated onion, sour cream, half-and-half, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, eggs and cayenne pepper, as well as noodles and cheddar cheese. Fattening and flavorful -- just the way American comfort food should be.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.