Very early in my marriage my husband and I lived in the Washington DC area (inside the Beltway to be a little more precise) compliments of the US Navy, and the wife of a friend of his was what I truly thought an anomaly among women-she could not cook or operate a washing machine when she wed.  When she first told me this I thought she was kidding, but her husband verified the fact that once they were back from the honeymoon he actually had to teach her how to boil water and scramble an egg.  She freely admitted to me that since she was going to college she knew that she would marry a "college man" and therefore would be able to afford to have a maid...so she never bothered to learn any homemaking skills whatsoever. 

Many years later I met a young woman, probably in her early twenties, who honest to goodness did not know how to boil water. Yes it is true and I kid you not...she did not know how to follow the directions on a box, measure the water, how to turn on the stove, how long to wait for the water to boil, or even what a rolling boil looked like.  My shock had little to do with her inability to actually boil water but all to do with how the women in her life had failed her by not teaching her something as basic as that. Be reassured that I did indeed take her step by step through the process and she did successfully not only boil water but made enough instant mashed potatoes to serve a large crowd. Soon after a good friend of mine and I decided to start writing a book about the importance of basic kitchen skills, but since life has a way of happening we just never got around to writing it.

Anyway...back to boiling water; truly there are so many edible yummies one can make once the skill of boiling water has been mastered, I mean think about it: eggs-hard boiled, soft-boiled, poached; gelatin, all things pasta, soups, steamed veggies, the list goes on and on. Then boiling water leads to boiling other things....like sauces...oh my.  I digress.. lets get back to boiling water and...oh yeah, pasta......

Apparently I have been on a blogging theme of comfort food, and perhaps that has to do with the changing of the leaves and the cooler fall weather. Today I have been craving pasta and cheese which this evening means mac & cheese but not just ANY mac & cheese, no that would be way too easy.

Tonight it's Chardonnay Mac & Cheese!

Pasta

2-3 Cups water to BOIL the macaroni noodles.

But wait...there's more!  Anyone can boil the macaroni in water, why not shake it up a bit by substituting chicken or vegetable stock for plain water? But if you do use plain water be sure to heavily salt that water, trust me you need it for flavor.  I Once heard a professional chef state that pasta water should be salty salt water, like the ocean.  

Boil until al dente (or cooked but still slightly firm, not mushy)   

Cheese Sauce

1/3 cup white onion finely chopped (I only had a red onion today so that is what I used)

8 oz each sharp white cheddar and swiss cheese-shredded

4 tbs butter

2-3 tbs flour-mix with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg (amount depends on your preferences)

1/2 cup milk (approximately)

Add onions to melted butter and saute until onions are soft (if you like you can add diced garlic too)     

De-glaze pan with about 1/4-1/2 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine then add flour a little at a time to create a paste then slowly add milk to create a thick liquid.

Slowly add 2/3 of the cheese and stir until cheese is melted and smooth.        

Add macaroni and stir.

Serve immediately and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Optional toppings: shredded chicken, chopped cooked bacon, chopped green onions, tomatillo salsa.

That my friends, is why one should know how to boil water!