Volunteering and Mac 'n Cheese

I've been volunteering with the American Red Cross for the last six months. At first I just jumped in to help with special events as they came up, like the April children's Bicycle Rodeo. I helped set up tents and then I manned one of the obstacle course stations. We had the oh-so-tricky weaving obstacle. Lest you think that's something just anyone could do, let me assure you, it took brains and skill to set the orange cones precisely the right distance apart from each other. And that distance depended on not only the age, but the skill level of the participating kid.

Lately I've been working with the Publicity Chair to get the Red Cross message out to the community. Mostly that means I am the liaison to the Armed Forces Network radio station, but sometimes I do the in-briefs for newly arrived personnel. I've recorded a few commercials about classes the Red Cross provides to local servicemembers and their families, and one about the importance of volunteering. My favorite part of this gig though, is my weekly live radio spot. It's nothing big, but it's a lot of fun. Every other Tuesday at 0900 I go in and get to be part of the morning show. So far I've worked with three different djs and I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of it. The first two djs I worked with were just subbing, and all three of them have different styles. The regular lady and I do a longer conversational interview, whereas the first two djs had me do several shorter spots where I mostly did the talking. My goal is to get through an entire interview without being stumped by a question! So far I've talked about CPR, Wilderness and Remote First Aid, and Baby-sitting classes along with Emergency Preparedness month, the Red Cross Club at the high school, and the Veterans History Project. It's a good way for me to stay plugged into what's going on. And also to hear the sound of my own voice...

I had a short meeting today at the Red Cross office to talk things going on this month. Both myself and the Publicity Chair will be traveling, so we are making a plan to have others cover the radio spots for us. I wrote up a few blurbs, talking points, and questions for her. I think she's going to take the first spot, and we'll ask one of the teens from the Red Cross Club to take the second spot. Anyway, while we were there, a few of us started talking about dinner plans and of course the recent Halloween chili cook-off. Someone mentioned macaroni and cheese, and I got that idea stuck in my head. So after the meeting, I went to the commissary and got some cheese and shells and came home and made mac 'n cheese for dinner! It came out delicious.

While the shells (half of a one-pound box)
were boiling to al dente, I melted about four tablespoons of butter, into which I whisked 3T of flour and 1T of ground mustard. Oh and 3 cloves of garlic, too. Because garlic makes everything taste better. Then I added about 3 cups of milk, some paprika, some cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Then I tempered an egg and added it, along with about 8oz of grated extra sharp cheddar and another 4-6 oz of pepper jack. (I'm not sure exactly how much. About half of a 1lb block of the cheddar and a little more than half of an 8oz block of pepper jack. But I saved a little bit from the sauce to put directly on top.) I strained the shells and threw them in a casserole dish with my sauce, and stirred it up. I topped with the rest of the grated cheese and somewhere between a half a cup and a cup of panko bread crumbs. Then I popped it in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Did I say how delicious it was? I would definitely do this again!