Letter M: The crème de la crème

While I technically already used the letter F for a post about my most favorite things, I thought that today I would put a spin on that concept. So, this is a list of my favorite food things that start with the letter M. Enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese
I don't even think there's much I need to say to convince anyone of why this was the first thing I thought of. Mac-n-cheese is a perfect food. It's multifaceted in the ways you can enjoy it. Here are just a few:

• You can eat it straight up. This is the comfort food level. Any version that provides a haven from real life is acceptable, whether it be homemade, out of a box or freezer, or from your favorite restaurant. Anything goes here as long as it takes the pain of real life away. I am lucky because any mac-n-cheese version is a comfort to me.
• You can deep fry it. This is reserved for those of you that know how to cook. Or if you're me, you get it at every restaurant that offers it. I've seen it made on TV before: You make you mac-n-cheese and stick it in a big casserole dish so that the mac-n-cheese is about 2 inches high and smoothed out on the top. Stick that in the fridge to get cold and hard. Then you cut it into little squares, roll it in bread crumbs and fry it up. Amen.
• You can put stuff in it. Whatever you want to. I like to put stuff into Kraft Mac-n-cheese, like ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Or chicken, salsa, and cheddar cheese is good too. Of course, there's always bacon...sweet, smokey bacon....*sound of me sliding off my chair* Too bad my husband doesn't like bacon. Don't ask me about it because I can't even talk about it. He's not human. 
• You can put it in stuff. Stir some left over mac-n-cheese into tomato soup. It's divine poor people food. Here are some other ideas I just had that someone needs to try: Mac-n-cheese inside a hamburger or meatloaf, mac-n-cheese inside an egg roll, mac-n-cheese wrapped in a deep fried bacon weaved pirogi. Someone make those happen and send them to me. 

Maraschino Cherries
Sweet mother of god, is there anything better? A jar of these won't last five minutes in our house. They are the centerpiece of my most favorite cookie, the Cherry Wink. My mother used to make them every Christmas and now my sister does and I love her for that. Jennifer, if you wouldn't mind, could you please post the recipe as a comment? I think everyone should be able to experience the Cherry Wink. Maraschino cherries are also the finishing touch to a Whiskey Sour or an Amaretto Sour (both with a little juice)...both drinks I love. All of the leftover juice goes into anything carbonated: coke, 7-Up, sprite, etc.

Marshmallow Fluff
Take 2 slices of toasted Wonder Bread (or Martins Potato Bread) and lay them open. On one side, put about a 1/2 in of creamy peanut butter and a sliced banana. On the other side, put about 3/4 of an inch of fluff. Stick them together. Before eating, unlock your front door and call 911 to tell them that you think someone in your house fell into a diabetic coma. Then eat.

Miracle Whip
I don't care what you think about it. Seriously. Everyone hates Miracle Whip and they all suck ass. Miracle Whip is freaking amazing. It's great on any lunch meat or "salad" (tuna, chicken, etc). If you really want to experience the true power of miracle whip, order yourself an Italian Meats sub from a sub shop, but get it with no condiments on it. Go home and mix up miracle whip with Italian dressing and slap it all over the sub. Take off your pants, then eat. You're welcome.

Marzipan
Almond meal ground up with sugar into a paste that taste like cherries? How can that not be awesome? Take that shit and spread it on a square of that wicked bitter chocolate, like a 78% cacao one. It's life changing. There is something about marzipan that makes me want to eat it until I puke and then eat some more. If in life, you ever come across anything with marzipan in it, get it. Tell your friends.

Mike-N-Ike
They are in a 3-way tie with Swedish Fish and Good-N-Plenty for best candy ever. We keep a container of these up next to the bed and if we get snacky while watching TV, there is nothing more satisfying than a handful. My favorite combinations are:

• Red and Green: Cherry Limeade
• Pink and Yellow: Strawberry Lemonade 
• Red and Red: I LOVE CHERRY CANDY.

Maple Stuff (including pancake syrup)
I know a lot of people are groaning reading that since to THEM, pancake syrup doesn't have real maple syrup in it so there fore it doesn't taste like maple. But I like them both...equally. I like maple everything: maple ice cream, maple bacon, maple candy, maple scones, maple frosting, maple ANYTHING. If fact, I don't like real maple syrup on pancakes because it soaks in and fucks up the texture of the pancake. Give me a ridiculous gelatinous pile of Mrs. Butterworth any day for pancakes and waffles. I do, however, prefer real maple syrup on crepes with powdered sugar.

Now, I am starving. Seriously starving. I could eat the ass out of an elephant. Time for Hot Pockets!

So if everyone could do me a solid and share their favorite M foods and recipes, that would be pretty cool.

Thanks!
Dana C.