Mac And Cheese

I will get to the mac and cheese in a moment.

You guys are gonna kill me when I tell you this. I would kill me, too. Today, my dad and I walked all through downtown Ann Arbor as I haven't been down there for any significant amount of time in a couple years and I wanted to see what had changed. I didn't take my camera because I didn't want to be bogged down. Bad, bad Mandy.

The most exciting part was us deciding to have "ice cream taste test" lunch. We needed to know which was better; Kilwin's or Washtenaw Dairy. These are both Ann Arbor ice cream landmarks, if you will.

Kilwin's

Dad: Small wafflecone (oxymoron) of Kilwin's Tracks

Mandy: Small cup of Pecan Praline

I had not had this ice cream since high school and it was as good as I remembered it. And exactly the same, which is important, yes? Don't go changing perfection.

Washtenaw Dairy

Dad: small cup Snickers ice cream

Mandy: small cup peanut butter brownie

Now, Kilwin's small cup and Washtenaw Dairy's small cup are two entirely different things. I think I probably consumed a generous 1/2 cup of Kilwin's by finishing my small cup. The "small" cup at WD was probably 1 1/2 cups, including a HUGE, 2 inch by 3 inch chunk of peanut butter. I listened to my body and stopped about half way through and let dad pick up the slack. Thanks, dad, and no more sugar for you today!

Verdict: Kilwin's Pecan Praline and Washtenaw Dairy's Snickers ice cream won, hands down. Not that I'd kick the others out of bed.

We walked close to five miles, so we just about earned all that ice creamy goodness. I still went for a jog later, because I'm paranoid.

Thanks, dad!


I decided to make some of my mac and cheese for the family to try. Now, this was not completely gluten free, since I used real breadcrumbs, but the pasta is made from brown rice. And although I used almond milk as the base of the cheese sauce, I used real cheese for the rest. When I make it for husband, it is completely vegan.

This was, however, low fat and rings in at about 350 calories for a 1 cup serving. Click here for the original recipe.