Tag Archives: macaroni and cheese

Ribs with barbecue sauce

Best BBQ in T-Town

Dining Out, , , , , ,

My top priority when I arrived on the University of Alabama campus was finding out where the best restaurants in Tuscaloosa were­­–specifically the best barbecue.  I know as freshmen we are supposed to eat in the campus dining halls where our parents spend hard earned money, but let’s be honest – everyone needs a break sometime.  I am from the North where chain restaurants call themselves “barbecue joints” but fall seriously short.  I knew that once I arrived in Alabama, experiencing the famous cuisine that is synonymous with the South was a must.  Slow cooked tender ribs falling off the bone smothered in tangy, smoky robust sauce preoccupied my mind.  I started on my mission, to see if Southern barbecue was in fact legendary, or if it was all hype.

Hoo’s Q

Hoo’s Q is right across the street from Cook-Out. It is a “no gimmick, bare tin and wood walls” restaurant.  You order at the counter, the food is brought out in five minutes or less, and it is easy on a college student’s budget.

I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and a side of fries. The pork was very tender and had a nice smoky flavor.  Their special barbecue sauce had mild heat and enhanced the flavor of the meat. The fries were superb because of the special seasoning. They were extremely salty but the fries were an excellent complement to the sandwich.

 

Full Moon BBQ

The second restaurant was Full Moon BBQ, which is right off McFarland Boulevard. Full Moon calls itself the “Best Little Pork House in Alabama.” The restaurant’s decor is very inviting with paintings, pictures, and UA sports memorabilia from years past plastering the walls.

Full Moon specializes in trays, which include a main dish and two sides. I ordered a half rack of ribs with a side of mac and cheese and steak fries.  The ribs were excellent with the scrumptious meat practically falling off the bone. The mac and cheese was a perfect ratio of creamy cheddar sauce and al dente noodles. I enjoyed the crispy, steak fries with the soft insides. As an added surprise they give you a free cornbread muffin that was absolutely delicious with its mouthwatering flavor and moist, warm inside.

Dreamland Bar-B-Que

Dreamland Bar-B-Que prides themselves on “treating you like kin” and is located just over the bridge heading towards Northport. The amazing aroma of the open pit barbecue hits you as you step in the door. They cook all of their meats in wood ovens that you can see while you dine in the restaurant.

Before you order, you are served a plate of white bread with their famous barbecue sauce. A note of caution:  their sauce has a kick to it, so make sure you have a glass of water by your side before you dunk the whole piece of bread!  For my meal, I ordered a half rack of baby back ribs. The ribs at this restaurant are a tad tougher than Full Moon, but the overall size of the ribs are much larger. The seasoning on the ribs was flavorful and paired nicely with the sauce.

Tuscaloosa is a treasure trove of Southern barbecue restaurants.  I only sampled a small number of them, but I am thankful I have 3 more years to continue my research!  In an attempt to help other students, I have ranked the three places by the characteristics I feel are most important to college students.  It isn’t just hype….Southern barbecue is truly legendary and bucket list worthy.

Best Overall Place 

  1. Full Moon BBQ
  2. Hoos Q
  3. Dreamland BBQ 

Best Food for Price

  1. Hoos Q
  2. Full Moon BBQ
  3. Dreamland BBQ 

Best BBQ Sauce

  1. Hoos Q
  2. Dreamland BBQ
  3. Full Moon BBQ

If you would like to tell me about one of your favorite barbecue restaurants in town, I would love to hear about them! Please place your suggestions in the comments section.

 

Mac and cheese

Not Your Average Mac and Cheese

Dorm-Friendly Cooking,

Most people thoroughly enjoy the familiar taste of a warm bowl of macaroni and cheese. In my experience, mac and cheese always tastes best when it comes from a restaurant. The chefs use quality ingredients and are able to perfect the macaroni to cheese ratio. Recently, I tried the “Loaded Mac” from Jim ‘n Nick’s in Tuscaloosa––a delicious blend of cheeses coated the pasta with a layer of gooey, melted cheese baked on top. A heaping pile of moist barbeque pulled pork sat atop the mac and cheese and added a grilled, meaty taste. Luckily, my friend’s parents were visiting T-Town and brought me to lunch. However, as college students, we don’t always have the luxury of restaurants and gourmet mac and cheese.

Often times, Kraft is the cheap and convenient solution to a mac and cheese craving. No longer solely available in its original bright blue box, you can now purchase Kraft in individual microwavable cups. According to the directions, just fill the water to the line and in three and a half minutes, “dinner” is served. Though new shapes like Finding Dory, SpongeBob and Star Wars make the dining experience a little more exciting, nothing about Kraft screams gourmet or filling. It’s the kind of thing you crave at two in the morning after a night out, or what you eat as a last resort meal when you don’t feel like leaving your room.

Before I moved into my dorm, my mom and I went to Costco to buy what looked like enough food to last the whole school year. Because I wouldn’t have a car here, she thought I might starve to death and purchased things in bulk. As we perused the aisles, I saw a twelve-pack of cups of Kraft Easy Mac. Without hesitation, I grabbed it and tossed it in the cart. Fast forward to February: it’s the second semester and I have been here since August. How many of those twelve cups are left? Ten. That’s because the idea of orange powder and “just add water” is unappetizing to me. Though I’m definitely not the healthiest eater around, I cannot tell you the last time I resorted to eating one of those artificial, preservative-packed, sodium-filled, ridiculously orange mac and cheese cups. I have, however, tried some alternatives. Annie’s Organic Mac and Cheese made me feel like I wasn’t putting strange toxins into my body, but the taste was still unsatisfyingly fake. I figure if I’m going to eat powdered cheese, I may as well splurge on the calories for the familiar and reliable Kraft kind.

Though I’m a college student on a budget, I still enjoy the finer things in life and I decided to try and upgrade my mac and cheese experience. I found a recipe on The Kitchn for microwavable mac and cheese. One bowl, a few ingredients, fifteen minutes, and it’s all done in the microwave. This recipe is perfect because it achieves an authentic taste in a short amount of time. All it requires is pasta, water, salt, milk, shredded cheese, and a microwave safe-bowl! You can even personalize the recipe by adding diced vegetables, cooked meat, salsa, dried mustard, or chili powder. I decided to add some breadcrumbs on top to recreate the texture of a baked mac and cheese casserole, and I absolutely love the way it turned out. Although I will always prefer the gourmet version at a restaurant, I’m thrilled that I can recreate a delicious, comforting, non-toxic, somewhat nutritious version of macaroni and cheese in my dorm room. You can too by using the recipe below.

One Bowl Microwave Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup of elbow or shell pasta

½ cup of water

¼ teaspoon of salt

¼ cup of milk (any percent)

¼ to ½ cup of shredded cheese: cheddar, Monterey jack, provolone

Optional: diced veggies, cooked meat, salsa, dried mustard, chili powder, bread crumbs

Equipment:

Deep microwave-safe bowl

Oven mitts/kitchen towel

Microwave

Spoon

Instructions:

  1. Combine the pasta, water, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl
  2. Microwave the pasta for 2 minutes. Microwave on high power, then stir. Watch to see if the water is foaming over the side of the bowl and stir sooner if needed.
  3. Continue microwaving in 2 minute intervals until the pasta is cooked. Stir between each interval and continue microwaving until the pasta is soft and cooked through. This should take 4 to 8 minutes total, depending on your microwave strength. If the pasta absorbs all the water before the pasta is cooked, add another 2 tablespoons of water.
  4. Stir the milk and cheese into the pasta.Use oven mitts or a kitchen towel to remove the bowl from the microwave. Stir in the milk, cheese, and any extra add-ins.
  5. Microwave in 30-second intervals to melt the cheese: Microwave on high power for 30 seconds, and stir. Continue microwaving in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. This should take 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes total.
  6. Eat immediately. This mac and cheese is best when enjoyed piping hot. If you need to reheat, add an extra splash of milk.