First and foremost, today I’d like to start by saying THANK YOU to all the veterans out there who have served this country. I am the proud granddaughter of two Marines who fought for us in World War II and several members of my family have followed in their footsteps and served as well.
Four years ago today, on Veteran’s Day, we laid my Grandpa Forsman to rest and so today’s recipe is in his honor. My grandpa was an amazing man who loved to work with his hands and create things. When I was a young kid, he arranged a pirate treasure hunt with a raft and wooden swords for us grandkids. He built us a zipline before ziplines were a popular vacation activity. He even built a working hovercraft! So needless to say there was always a little bit of sawdust laying around.
My grandparents had 10 kids and money was always tight. So as the story goes, when my grandma wanted to make this recipe she’d ask my grandpa to go down to his workshop and bring her some sawdust to add to the macaroni. Of course it isn’t sawdust, its breadcrumbs toasted in butter and then tossed with macaroni.
True or not, the story and the name of this recipe always reminds me of my grandpa and all the things he created in his workshop. I highly recommend serving it with baked beans on the side.
When my mom would make this for us growing up, it was often accompanied by baked eggs and hot bologna. Hot bologna is an Ely specialty that is only made and served on Thursday. Therefore, we hardly ever get to have it anymore. Needless to say, any time we are in Ely on Hot Bologna day, we’re pulling into Zup’s for some hot bologna and serving it up with sawdust and macaroni on the side.
Here’s what you need:
Cook the macaroni according to package directions.
Meanwhile make the sawdust. Start by melting some butter over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to completely coat with the butter. Stir occasionally until toasty and golden brown. About 2-3 minutes.
Add the toasted breadcrumbs to the drained macaroni.
Stir to mix together
I like to serve this with baked beans on top. It functions a little bit like a sauce.
I’m not gonna lie, when I’m home alone and feeling particularly lazy I’ve made and had sawdust and macaroni and beans for dinner. I guess for me it’s one of those comfort foods that makes me think of home and my family.
- 2 c pasta
- ¼ c bread crumbs
- 1 T butter
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir to coat with butter. Stir occasionally until toasted and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Combine pasta with toasted breadcrumbs.
- Serve with baked beans.
Ok, I have to wipe away the tears before I can type…tears of missing my dad, and tears of laughter when I remember this family joke. Thank you for remembering Grampa on this Veterans Day. The land of the free, because of the brave. God Bless all veterans (their spouses, too) and thank you for your service!
And God Bless America.
Also known in the Erzar household as “Creamettes and Crumbs”. I love this dish and is also one of my go to fast comfort foods. We also great up having it with baked beans and (omelet-style) eyes, but we’ve never had it with Hot Bologna – sounds good thought!