Thanks for the link Ginger. I wanted to make some ice cream bars but ice cream melts really fast! I ended up making little balls, coated them and refroze and it's a really good topping and will make again. Wait until the kids see dessert today! Way better than Revello's as I used a better quality ice cream. More like a Dove bar or that other brand (blanking at the name) at a fraction of the price.

I use various cheeses. My favorites are fontina, monterey jacks, cheddars (sharp especially for us), gouda, edam, gruyere, mozzarella, parmesan, romano, and provolone. I have melted asiago once and it came out okay too. The trick is to make your white sauce first and then add the cheese as the milk warms in small chunks or shred it. Stir contantly and don't whisk it, just easy stirs. Velvety sauce everytime is my experience. If you aren't making a sauce, or adding it to other ingredients, then almost anything will do I would think, but fresh cheeses like goat cheese can separate on you, I've had that happen once. Most cheese have a huge fat content and have salt. The fatter the cheese, usually the easier it melts I would think. We eat a LOT of cheese in our family, but we like it fresh cut or in a sauce best. Cheddar and mozzarella are the basic toppings for pizza or like tuna melts. Our favorite cheeses for macaroni and cheeses when I do it homemade is a mixture. I will do tomato sauces or white sauce based cheese sauces based on what tag ends of cheese, or cheese I need to use are in the fridge. Fontina is a favorite white cheese around here for melting. And, I think I forgot plain swiss in my list. But, baby swiss to nice ripe swiss cheese always tastes good mixed with beef. Try fontina cheese mixed in with ground veal, and don't forget to use feta cheese with lamb!!

I have a lactose intolerant friend and found it hard to host parties and have enough of a variety of things for him to eat. I found out that he loves deviled eggs so I make them especially for him along with a few other things. Here's the recipe I use: Deviled Eggs 12 hard-cooked eggs 1/4 cup light or regular mayo depending on taste 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons butter or margarine(for my friend I use lactose free margarine spread), softened 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry Chopped chives Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork. Stir in the mayonnaise, vinegar, butter, sugar, pepper and salt. Add spinach and mix well. Spoon into egg whites. Top with chives. I sometimes add prepared mustard to the mixture to make them more traditional tasting. Enjoy!

delicious..... Macaroni and Cheese This is without a doubt in my mind the best Macaroni and Cheese you'll ever eat, so whip up a batch and invite me over. Ingredients 1 cup elbow macaroni 1 cup milk 2 tblsp margarine 1/4 tsp salt 2 tblsp flour 1 lb longhorn cheese Cook 1 cup elbow macaroni for 8 min. Drain and set aside. Make a medium white sauce using 2 tblsp of margarine, 2 tblsp of flour, 1 cup of milk and 1/4 tsp of salt. Melt the margarine(low heat), add all but 1/4 cup of milk and the flour. Add the flour to the remaining milk in a covered container and shake. Add to the mixture and stir continuously until it thickens - about 5 min. Add the macaroni Use a 1 lb longhorn cheese. Slice enough cheese for 3 layers in a 1.5 qt casserole dish. Cut the rest of the cheese in chunks and melt with sauce and macaroni. Starting with the cheese make layers of the cheese and macaroni in the casserole(cheese,macaroni,cheese,macaroni,cheese). End with a layer of cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees, about 1 hour or until all the cheese is melted. ***************** MACARONI AND CHEESE Serves 12 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces 5 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruye or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) pecorino Romano cheese 1 pound elbow macaroni Sour cream, for garnish (optional) 1. Heat oven to 375°. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set the bread crumbs aside. 2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a medium pot over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. 4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère or 1 cup pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside. 5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturerÂs directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different speeds; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce. 6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano, and bread crumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream if desired. ************ super rich....... Macaroni and Cheese 2 cups Macaroni, elbow or other variety 1 cup grated/shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup grated/shredded Jack cheese 1 cup grated/shredded Colby cheese 1/2 cup butter 1 cup bread crumbs 1/3 cup flour 3 cups milk Cook macaroni per package instructions. Mix 3 types of cheese together. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Mix in bread crumbs and add 1/2 cup of cheese mixture. Set aside. Melt remaining butter, stir in flour to make a roux. Gradually stir in milk. Cook until it thickens. Add cheese mixture until it melts. Stir in Macaroni. Pour into a baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.