Mac and Cheese, Outside the Box The making of an American comfort food It’s a bit of an American institution; the pacifier of peckish progeny; the survival rations of empty-pocket college students; the late-night master of munchies. And I’ve long sort of loathed the stuff: mac ‘n’ cheese. When my brother and I were little kids and my mother stayed home to take care of us, she found much-needed income from child care for some neighbors. Best way to feed a bunch of whiny kids with mouths open like needy nestlings? A meal right from the box to the burner, ready in as long as it takes to boil noodles.