There are some childhood favorites that I will never outgrow. The Care Bears, wearing my hair in braids, and an intense love of reading (and authors like Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein) are just a few of the things that have taken me from single digits to the present day. (I still have my Care Bears lunch box - no, I don't actually carry my lunch in it, but it does sit on my desk and still sees some use as a rather large pencil case.)
There are childhood food favorites as well, but most of them have grown up a bit. I still love macaroni and cheese (who doesn't?!) but it no longer comes in a blue box; it's homemade and uses real cheese rather than some strange fluorescent orange powder. Any time that I have a craving for those blue box inspired memories, I make the adult version and am not only transported back to childhood, but I have a meal made of whole ingredients that kids of all ages enjoy.
The same goes for that can of "o" shaped pasta swimming in cheesy tomato sauce... you know the one! There are some healthier organic versions available now that weren't around when I was a kid, but they are still loaded with sodium - and a little bit pricey for what you get. Pasta, tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese are a wholesome start to this meal that takes just a few minutes longer to cook from scratch than it does to heat up the contents of a can.
Homemade Spaghetti Os
30 oz tomato sauce
3 c water
2 t sugar
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1 c pasta (I use 3/4 c ditalini and 1/4 c stelline which are tiny tubes and stars; any small pasta will do)
1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 T butter
-Stir together tomato sauce, water, sugar, garlic powder and salt and bring to a boil.
-Add pasta and turn heat to medium.
-Cover partially and simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 - 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Be sure to stir constantly for the first 5 - 10 minutes so that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
-Turn the heat to low and stir in the shredded cheese until melted.
-Add butter and stir until incorporated.
-Add salt to taste.
