By Daniel Anderson

Evergreen Food Columnist

When I decided to write a column honoring National Cheese Lovers’ Day I knew I wanted to write about mac and cheese. But I wasn’t sure about how to make the national holiday personal.

I thought all night about how to put more of my personality into mac and cheese. It was difficult at first to come up with a fresh spin on something so classic, but I asked myself some important questions. If I wanted to create a dish with its own unique story, then I had to make sure I was telling a story with my food; I think that should always be the inspiration behind great dishes. What does mac and cheese mean to me? What is my association to it? And then it hit me. My college diet currently consists of boxed mac and cheese and pizza rolls. And it was in that realization that the idea, to combine the two dishes and create something reflective of who I am, was conceived.

Below you will find the recipe for the homemade mac and cheese recipe that I used as the base for the dish. The beauty of the pizza roll idea is the ability to substitute any kind of mac and cheese you want. The mac and cheese was the most time consuming, so I would recommend using boxed mac and cheese for a faster result. You can also play around with different flavors of tomato sauce, pepperoni and bacon. Note: we used half of the macaroni we made in order to make four calzone-like stuffed rolls.

SERVES FOUR

ACTIVE COOKING TIME: 30 MINUTES

TOTAL COOKING TIME: TWO HOURS

INGREDIENTS FOR MAC AND CHEESE

• One tablespoon unsalted butter

• Six thick slices of bacon (six ounces), cut into half-inch dice

• One medium onion, minced

• Two bay leaves

• One tablespoon sweet paprika

• Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper

• A third cup all-purpose flour

• Six cups whole milk

• One pound elbow macaroni

• One pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (five cups)

• Salt

INGREDIENTS FOR PIZZA ROLLS

• Two eight-ounce cans of Hunt’s Tomato Paste with oregano and garlic

• Two Pillsbury crescent rolls

• One small bag of pepperoni

• Optional amount of green onion

STEPS (See above for visuals)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about seven minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate.

Pro Tip: An alternative method for shatteringly crispy bacon is to simply boil it in water. Place the bacon in a sauce pan and fill with enough water to cover the bacon. Boil at high heat for a few minutes till bacon is crisp.

2. Add the onion and bay leaves to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about five minutes.

3. Add the paprika and cayenne and cook, stir until fragrant, about three minutes. Stir in the flour until blended. Gradually whisk in the milk until the sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisk constantly and cook until thickened. If sauce is too thick, add more milk. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce gently for 30 minutes, whisking frequently. Discard the bay leaves.

Pro Tip: Rub the bay leaves to release the aromas and flavors before adding to the sauce pan.

Pro Tip: Whisking is the most important action when making the mac and cheese. Be vigilant of the sauce and whisk methodically. This will prevent the sauce from overcooking or coagulating.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and boil until pliable but under-cooked, about four minutes. Drain the macaroni and return it to the pot.

5. Stir four cups of the cheddar into the hot sauce, add the bacon and season with salt. Add the sauce to the macaroni and mix well.

6. Roll out Pillsbury dough on a nonstick baking pan. Spread the tomato paste on one side of the dough sheet and place desired amount of pepperoni on top of sauce. Then ladle roughly two or three scoops of the mac and cheese. It is important to cover the pepperoni with the mac and cheese, but do not overstuff it or you will not be able to fold the dough over.

7. Place finished pizza roll into the oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy.

Plan ahead if you wish!

The assembled mac and cheese can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.

The photos show calzone sized mac and cheese pizza rolls. You can also make them actual pizza roll size by simply cutting down the amount of dough, sauce spread, pepperoni and mac and cheese stuffing.

Happy eating everyone. Cheers to cheese lovers’ day!