Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of mac and cheese! Especially on a crisp fall night, before trick or treating or in my case feeding an army of Halloween partygoers. People are left to their own devices and come up with their very own creations. Easy set up and a lot of prep can be done the day before!
For Boos & Booze 7 in 2019 I wanted to try something a little different than the usual buffet I have built up before. (GASP!) My friend Laura suggested a mac and cheese bar. Everyone loves mac and cheese and people have more choices. Such a smart idea. Most of the prep happened the night before. Cutting up and cooking the meats and veggies. Portioning sauces in squeeze bottles. Putting other accouterments in containers.
I left the cheese sauce and pasta making till the day of. Further retrospective, I should of cooked the noodles the night before and just had them warmed up again the day of. Pots of boiling water take forever! I had a couple of different cheese sauces for people to choose from using different kind of cheeses. Those resided in crock pots to keep warm all night.
The table was set up with noodles, cheese sauce, and all the fix ins. After talking with a vegan friend, I wished I had asked them to help me make a vegan friendly cheese. Now I know for next time. It was a huge hit and everyone loved making their own bowl of comfort. The night was so busy and the food went so well, there aren’t any actual pictures from this mac and cheese bar. Please enjoy the stock photo in the header. I just need you to know it was EPIC. Have questions or want to tell me your favorite combo? CONTACT ME!
Here are a list of things you can include in your bar. I didn’t include all of these, but here is a VERY LARGE list of items. Go wild!
MEAT
- Bacon
- Pulled pork
- Pepperoni
- Buffalo chicken
- Ground beef
- Ham
- Sausage
- Hot dog
- Lobster
- Ground turkey
- Roast beef
- Prosciutto
- Chorizo
- Grilled chicken
- Shrimp
- Taco meat
- Kielbasa
- Popcorn chicken
- Smoked turkey
- Fried egg
CANNED
- Artichoke hearts
- Olives
- Capers
- Diced green chiles
- Sundried tomatoes
- Pickled onion
- Chipotles in adobo
- Baked beans
- Black beans
- White beans
PRODUCE
- Steamed broccoli
- Roasted cauliflower
- Roasted red pepper
- Chopped green onion
- Chopped red onion
- Chopped fresh garlic
- Roasted garlic
- Diced jalapeño
- Charred Brussels sprouts
- Diced tomatoes
- Sautéed asparagus
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Sautéed green beans
- Caramelized onions
- Fried cabbage
- Roasted butternut squash
- Diced avocado
- Sautéed kale
- Wilted spinach
- Edamame
- Fresh mushrooms
- Fried leeks
- Fresh arugula
- Collard greens
- Peas
- Coleslaw
- Fried shallots
- Bean sprouts
CHEESE
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Feta
- Goat cheese
- Cotija
- Pepper jack
- Parmesan
- Asiago
- Mozzarella
- Gouda
SAUCES
- Barbecue sauce
- Buffalo sauce
- Pesto
- Hot sauce
- Bacon-onion jam
- Salsa
- Salsa verde
- Sour cream
- Bruschetta
- Chili
- Pico de gallo
- Chimichurri
- Guacamole
- Horseradish
- Sriracha
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Ranch
CRUNCHY
- Breadcrumbs
- Croutons
- Crushed Ritz crackers
- Panko
- Toasted pine nuts
- Crushed potato chips
- Chopped almonds