• I made Ina Garten’s “grown-up” mac and cheese recipe. 
• The recipe features Gruyère, extra-sharp cheddar, and blue cheese, plus bacon and breadcrumbs. 
• I thought Garten’s mac and cheese was delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving.

The holidays are nearly upon us, which means it’s time to indulge in one of the most universally beloved pastas.

I’m talking about mac and cheese, obviously.

I’m a huge pasta fan, especially when the recipe is by Ina Garten (I’ve even been ranking them!). So I decided to try her “grown-up” mac and cheese just in time for Thanksgiving.

Ina Garten’s “grown-up” mac and cheese features bacon, basil, and plenty of cheese.

To make Garten’s “grown-up” mac and cheese for four, you’ll need:

• 4 cups of elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 4 slices of white sandwich bread
• 8 ounces of Gruyère cheese, grated
• 6 ounces of extra-sharp cheddar, grated
• 4 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled (Garten recommends Roquefort)
• 8 ounces of thick-sliced bacon
• 3 cups of milk
• 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons of freshly chopped basil leaves
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg

First, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepped the bacon.

I arranged my bacon on a sheet pan in one layer. Garten recommends placing a baking rack over the sheet pan, but I didn’t have one, so I just lined mine with aluminum foil to avoid making a greasy mess.

I cooked my bacon for 15 minutes, until the strips turned crisp, then transferred them to a plate lined with a paper towel.

While the bacon was in the oven, I prepped my breadcrumbs and started cooking the pasta.

I sliced the crusts off my sandwich bread, cut each slice into smaller pieces, and roughly chopped my basil.

Then, I threw my pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water, letting it cook for around six minutes. I opted for cavatappi over elbow macaroni because I believe it’s better at carrying the ooey-gooey sauce of a great mac and cheese.

Once my noodles were al dente, I drained them and set them aside.

And I grated a lot of cheese.

If you’re making this for Thanksgiving, just recruit some family members to help!

I threw my chopped bread and basil into a food processor to make the breadcrumbs.

After a few pulses, my breadcrumbs were ready!

Once the bacon had cooled a bit, I gave it a rough chop.

Garten kept her bacon pieces pretty chunky while demonstrating this recipe on an episode of “Barefoot Contessa,” so I did the same.

Then, I began warming up some milk for the roux.

I heated the milk in a small saucepan, making sure not to boil it.

While the milk was heating, I began melting my butter.

I added the butter to a pot set over medium-low heat.

Then, I added flour to the pot with the melting butter.

I stirred the butter and flour together over low heat for two minutes.

“This cooked butter and flour is going to act as a thickener for the sauce,” Garten explained during the episode.

As I whisked the flour and butter together, I added the hot milk.

Garten says you should cook the sauce for about one or two more minutes, until it’s thickened and looks smooth.

“It’s not incredibly thick, but what it does is it just coats the spoon,” she added.

I took the pot off the heat and added all my cheeses, plus seasoning.

Garten recommends adding one teaspoon of salt, some freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg.

“It’s a really classic spice that’s used in gratins,” Garten says in the episode. “You won’t know it’s there, but it’ll make everything taste better.”

I added the cooked cavatappi to the pot, as well as the chopped bacon.

I gave everything a good stir as a delicious cheesy scent filled my kitchen.

Then, I poured my mac and cheese into a casserole dish.

Garten used individual gratin dishes while making this on “Barefoot Contessa” since she was only making it for herself and her husband, Jeffrey.

Since I doubled the recipe to make dinner for my family, I used a 12-inch casserole dish, which was the perfect size.

I sprinkled my breadcrumbs over the mac and cheese and threw the dish into the oven.

I didn’t use all of the breadcrumbs because I had already fully covered the top, but my family later said they wished there had been more — so I recommend using every last crumb!

If you’re planning to make Garten’s “grown-up” mac and cheese the day before, just throw your dish into the fridge overnight and bake it right before you want to serve it.

Garten says to bake the mac and cheese for 35 to 40 minutes, but my pasta didn’t need that long.

While reading reviews of Garten’s recipe on the Food Network’s website, I saw that many people said their mac and cheese had turned dry after baking it for the recommended amount of time. They suggested baking the pasta for 25 minutes or less.

I checked my mac and cheese at the 20-minute mark and saw the breadcrumbs were already starting to brown. At the 25-minute mark, they were beautifully golden, so I took my dish out of the oven.

Not all ovens are made equal, so check your mac and cheese as you go.

My pasta was still bubbling as I started to serve dinner, and it looked like a creamy, cheesy dream.

The sound of the bubbling sauce was so satisfying that I couldn’t resist taking a few videos of it.

My family watched with excitement as I dug my spoon through the breadcrumbs and pulled up a scoop of ooey-gooey noodles. Dinner couldn’t come soon enough!

Garten’s “grown-up” mac and cheese is easy, delicious, and a great Thanksgiving side dish.

My parents and sister were huge fans of Garten’s mac and cheese.

The texture is velvety rather than cloying, and I loved the balance of flavor between the Gruyère, cheddar, and blue cheeses. The Roquefort adds a bit of tang, so if you’re making this for someone who really dislikes blue cheese, maybe only use half so you’re still getting the depth that it adds. Personally, I’m not a huge blue cheese fan, but I didn’t find it overpowering.

I also loved how the smoky bacon cut through the cheesiness — I’d even recommend throwing in an extra slice or two. The crunchy breadcrumbs on top were also a huge hit, adding a lovely contrast to the creamy noodles underneath (definitely don’t skimp on them).

I think the flavors of Garten’s mac and cheese are perfect for a holiday side and would pair well with turkey. We even enjoyed eating it as a main course for dinner.

If you’re looking for a great traditional Thanksgiving dish with a twist, Garten’s “grown-up” mac and cheese is a great pick.

• The Thanksgiving travel season could break records this year.
• There are some surprising things you can’t bring on a plane via airport security.
• Foam swords are not allowed in carry-on bags, but lightsabers are permitted.

Thanksgiving travel season can mean long lines at the airport, so it’s always helpful to know what items you can — and can’t — put in your carry-on bag.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this week’s Thanksgiving travel period could be the busiest in 15 years.

Before you hop on a flight, you may want to check that you don’t have any items that could slow you down at TSA.

The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, maintains a lengthy, searchable online database of items you can review before packing your bags, and you might be surprised to learn that everything from large quantities of soup to Magic 8 Balls are prohibited in carry-on luggage on flights.

Here are 12 carry-on items you’d be surprised aren’t allowed through airport security.

Snow globes

Leave the snow globes at home. They often contain more than the permitted amount of liquid for carrying on a plane.

According to the TSA, snow globes are allowed through if they are about tennis-ball size or less, and appear to contain less than 3.4 ounces of liquid. However, if you’re bringing back a travel memento from a trip, it’s usually a safe idea to pack it in your checked bag. 

Magic 8 Balls

When it comes to Magic 8 Balls, the future is clear: Leave them at home, or put them in your checked bag. Toys like the Magic 8 Ball that contain liquid are not allowed in carry-on bags.

“For carry-on bags: We asked the Magic 8 Ball and it told us… Outlook not so good,” TSA wrote on its official website. “For checked bags: We asked the Magic 8 Ball and it told us… It is certain!”

Christmas crackers

If you’re traveling to or from the UK around the holidays, you might want to avoid packing this traditional British Christmas item. TSA guidelines state that “English Christmas crackers” are not allowed in carry-on or checked bags. 

Made from a cardboard tube wrapped in brightly colored paper, crackers contain small gifts that come out when pulled on either end. When both ends of the cracker are pulled, there is a bang.

That’s because, inside, there are two strips of card attached to each end of the cracker. The two pieces of card have a slight overlap that is treated with gunpowder. When each end of the cracker is pulled, friction is generated where the card overlaps, creating a small explosion on the part containing gunpowder.

A US Transportation Security Administration spokesman told Airport Parking and Hotels that these items are prohibited from flying in checked or carry-on bags.

“They are flammable and should not be brought on airplanes. They fall in the same category as sparklers and fireworks,” they said.

Large quantities of soup

You can bring snacks on a plane, but a large quantity of soup is prohibited in carry-on luggage.

The TSA reported that soup is allowed on flights if you are carrying less than or equal to 3.4 fluid ounces, but any amount larger than that is prohibited in carry-on bags.

Cast-iron cookware

If you plan on cooking at your destination, cast-iron cookware should be packed in your checked luggage.

Cast-iron cookware, such as skillets and pans, is not allowed in carry-on luggage. While the TSA website does not explain why these items are prohibited, heavy cast-iron items could cause serious injuries or damage if used as weapons.

Other types of pots and pans are allowed in carry-on and checked bags.

Alcoholic beverages containing more than 70% alcohol

Alcoholic beverages with more than 70% alcohol, or over 140 proof, are prohibited from both carry-on and checked bags.

Some high-percentage alcohols that would be affected by this ban include Hapsburg Absinthe XC, Sunset Very Strong Rum, Devil’s Springs Vodka 160, and Golden Grain 190, which contains 95% alcohol by volume.

Alcoholic beverages that contain more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol are limited in checked bags to no more than 5 liters and no more than 3.4 liquid ounces in carry-on bags.

Foam toy swords

They might not be lethal, but foam toy swords can’t come in your carry-on. Instead, they can be packed in checked bags.

That being said, lightsabers are allowed to be brought on board, per TSA guidelines. 

Nerf guns

Carry-on bags cannot contain squirt guns, Nerf guns, or other items that resemble realistic firearms or weapons.

The TSA recommends that you pack these items in your checked bags, instead. The agency also notes that “replicas of explosives, such as hand grenades, are prohibited in checked and carry-on baggage.”

Water guns packed in a carry-on should be emptied of all liquid, or contain less than the 3.4 ounces allowed through security. 

TSA officers also have the option to prohibit or confiscate any item that goes through the security screening checkpoint “if they believe it poses a security threat,” TSA guidelines state.

Full-size scissors

Nail scissors are allowed in carry-on luggage, but regular scissors need to be checked in a bag — anything that could be used as a weapon is usually banned from carry-on bags, and full-sized scissors are no exception.

TSA’s website states that scissors are allowed in your carry-on, but must be less than 4 inches in length from the pivot point and wrapped or sheathed securely “to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors.”

Fertilizer

TSA guidelines explain that fertilizer is not allowed in carry-on or checked bags. The Street reported that this is because fertilizer is deemed a hazardous material, as it can be flammable and could be a risk for explosion. 

Gel-filled heating pads

Gel-filled heating pads are also not allowed in carry-on luggage, since the gel in heating pads is liquid, but they can be checked.

Electric heating pads that do not contain gel or liquid are not restricted in any way.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7

After a series of dangerous incidents in which the phones overheated, Samsung recalled the devices on September 15, 2016, and again on October 13, 2016. The Department of Transportation issued a 2016 statement banning both recalled Galaxy Note 7 phones and refurbished versions.

“We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,” then-Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in 2016. “We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident in-flight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk.”

“The fire hazard with the original Note 7 and with the replacement Note 7 is simply too great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall,” said US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) chairman Elliot F. Kaye. “I would like to remind consumers once again to take advantage of the remedies offered, including a full refund. It’s the right thing to do and the safest thing to do.”

In a December 2016 statement, Samsung said 93% of recalled Galaxy Note 7 phones had been returned, but that the company was rolling out a software update that month that would render the phones unusable.

“Consumer safety remains our highest priority,” it said in the statement.

• Kourtnee Turner used Maryland homebuying incentives to purchase her first house in Baltimore.
• She previously joined the Tulsa Remote Program, which paid her $10,000 to live in Oklahoma.
• Turner found Baltimore’s culture and cost of living ideal for her lifestyle.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Kourtnee Turner, 34, a mortgage professional who purchased her first home in Baltimore after utilizing various homebuying incentives. She moved to Baltimore from Tulsa, Oklahoma, after taking advantage of the Tulsa Remote Program, which grants movers $10,000 to live there. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved from Newport News, Virginia, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2022 because of the Tulsa Remote program.

It was around Christmastime of 2021, and I was looking for a new opportunity. I had just moved to Newport News from Virginia Beach just for that year. I really needed a change of pace, and I got introduced to MakeYourMove.com.

I saw that a bunch of different cities had incentives for remote workers at the time, and I thought Tulsa’s program had the most moving parts to it.

There was one in West Virginia, there was one for Chattanooga, and there were some for Michigan. I didn’t think I would like it in any of those places. I chose Tulsa.

When I got to Tulsa, there were about 2,000 people who had made the move already, so I knew a lot of people had gone through the program. They called me, I interviewed, and they accepted me in February of 2022, but I did not move until October of 2022.

I probably thought about buying a home in Tulsa when I initially moved there, but after I lived there for a year, I decided it probably wasn’t for me.

I just went out there to experience it. But being 1,000 miles away from all my family members was a little bit crazy because I’m from Virginia.

I was in Tulsa for 13 months. You only have to stay for 12, but I was there for 13 really just because I was waiting to close on my house in Baltimore.

I enjoyed my time in Oklahoma. I made some great connections, and I’m always grateful for the opportunities that I was afforded by participating in the program.

But as a single woman of color, I felt like Baltimore was more in alignment with what I have planned for myself.

I stacked multiple incentives to buy a home in Maryland

I know a lot of people in my age range who own homes.

I was privileged enough to be around people in my personal life who owned homes, so I could negate all the social media chatter saying, “We’re never going to afford to buy a house.”

I didn’t want to rent again. I wanted to ground myself, because by the time I moved to Baltimore, I had moved to three cities in three years.

I purchased my house for $200,000. My mortgage payment was around $1,700, but then I experienced a layoff in 2024, so I got a loan modification, and now I’m paying $1,432.

My house is a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath with a basement. It was built in 1920, and has 1,160 square feet — and that’s just the finished square footage, not including the basement.

I was paying $1,085 for rent in Tulsa for a two-bedroom — but it was in a really nice area.

The incentive in Maryland I initially found out about was the Maryland SmartBuy Program. They’ll pay off your student loans if you purchase a house in Maryland. I came across that on Instagram — thank goodness for social media.

I saw it and I was like, “I have student loans, I want to buy a house. Let me inquire more.” Then I thought, if I’m going to move to Maryland, where can I afford to buy?

Rates were pretty high at that time, so I thought about how far my money could go. So I decided to look into Baltimore.

Since I’m familiar with a lot of cities having programs with incentives for homebuying, I found Live Baltimore. That organization offers incentives and teaches people about moving to Baltimore. So I learned about the $10,000 first-time homebuyer grant, as well as the Trolley Tour Lottery, which is a $5,000 grant — both of which I got and went toward the purchase of my home.

Owning a home was a personal goal. I have been in the mortgage industry for a decade now, and I think I have a little bit more insight and firsthand view of owning a home. I think it was the best investment I could have ever made — it’s protection.

For me, it saved me when I didn’t have a job. You can call the bank and say, “Hey, I got laid off,” and there’s protection that you don’t have in renting.

I don’t think people realize how much of a safety net it is to be a homeowner, and how you build wealth and equity by owning a home.

Baltimore offered a lifestyle closer to what I was looking for

Moving to Maryland was about the incentives, but moving to Baltimore specifically was about the cost of living and the quality of life.

Baltimore is a little bit more cultured overall, and it’s more fast-paced than Tulsa — and I’m a young person, so it just made more sense. There are a lot of families in Tulsa.

For young people, Baltimore is bustling. You can be out every night because there’s so much to do.

We have a Major League Baseball team here, we have an NFL team here, we have so much access to so many things on the East Coast. I love the harbor, I enjoy the many parks, and the National Aquarium is here. We have all kinds of events that you can access.

Every day, Baltimore gets better. Honestly, I enjoy living in Baltimore so much.

There’s a lot more here than people think. It’s really a vibrant place. It’s a little weathered sometimes, but overall, everybody is really kind.

• Palmer Luckey teased his new take on the Nintendo 64, which he said will include new and never-before-seen video game titles.
• The ModRetro M64 faced tariffs and manufacturing concerns, Luckey wrote on X, but the price will remain $199.
• Luckey is an avid video game collector and previously released a ModRetro handheld device that can play Game Boy games.

Palmer Luckey is a gamer at heart — and he’s been cooking up something new.

The Oculus cofounder first made his mark on gaming by changing the VR landscape. Then he began releasing new gaming designs and modern versions of retro consoles.

Luckey is back with another design soon to hit the market: a take on the Nintendo 64.

The ModRetro M64 will be fully revealed on Black Friday, Luckey wrote in an X post with a teaser video.

“Much has changed since we launched early bird pricing at $199 earlier this year, things like inflation, component shortages, tariffs, and more,” he wrote.

These changes haven’t changed the price, Luckey wrote in a piece of “great news.”

“ModRetro can keep the price at $199 not just for early signups, but for Black Friday and beyond,” he wrote. “Get ready to see what a couple Benjamins can still buy you.”

The ModRetro M64 will feature some of the Nintendo 64’s classic graphics, 4K graphics powered by AMD, and additional gaming titles coming soon, according to the teaser video.

Luckey’s “ModRetro” device collection also includes the Chromatic, a portable console that runs Game Boy cartridges. The device quickly sold out after its release in 2024.

Luckey frames his ModRetro devices as being compatible with Game Boy or Nintendo 64 games, but not exact replicas. Though it looks similar to the original console in appearance, the Chromatic doesn’t feature Nintendo or “Game Boy” branding on the device itself. Responding to a 2024 Fast Company story that included an analyst questioning the legality of the Game Boy cartridge-playing device, Luckey wrote on X at the time that the “entire point of our patent system is to trade eventual free use for time-limited exclusivity,” and that “1989 was a long time ago.”

The Anduril cofounder is an avid video game collector. When the world’s largest video game collection went on auction in 2014, Luckey put in an early bid, before bowing out.

In an interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, Luckey described a secret location for his video game collection.

“I put that in one of my missile bases, 200 feet underground,” he said.

On Joe Rogan’s podcast in October, Luckey showcased his personal ModRetro Chromatic, which he described as “even nicer than the ones we normally sell.” He said the device was an Anduril special edition, made from the same alloys the company uses in its attack drones.

On the X teaser, one commenter asked why they would buy Luckey’s M64 product and not a rival game console from Analogue. Luckey responded by citing lower latency, open-source hardware, better compatibility with modern TVs, and the device’s relative affordability.

“It is better by every objective measure,” he wrote. “And that is without even getting into how much better our controller is, or our library of new, re-released, and never-released N64 titles we are about to launch.”

• Nvidia tried to tamp down fears of Google coming for its chip business.
• A report of Google talking with Meta about chips for its data center sent Nvidia shares falling.
• “NVIDIA is a generation ahead of the industry,” the company said in a statement.

Nvidia brushed off concerns that Google is coming for its crown.

“NVIDIA is a generation ahead of the industry — it’s the only platform that runs every AI model and does it everywhere computing is done,” the company said in a statement posted on X.

The chipmaker’s comments followed a report that Meta is discussing plans with Google to potentially spend billions on the tech giant’s chips to power Meta’s data centers. Shares of Nvidia went tumbling after The Information report. As of early Tuesday afternoon, Nvidia was trading down over 3% on the day.

“We’re delighted by Google’s success — they’ve made great advances in AI and we continue to supply to Google,” Nvidia said in the statement.

In response, Google said it was committed to supporting both chips.

“We are experiencing accelerating demand for both our custom TPUs and Nvidia GPUs; we are committed to supporting both, as we have for years,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

Google continues to make strides in the AI race. The recent launch of Gemini 3 drew some positive reviews. Unlike many of its rivals, Google has a “full-stack” advantage, which enables it to control the entire process, from AI research to its cloud, which hosts its models.

In contrast, Nvidia has experienced a rocky couple of weeks. The world’s largest company by market cap reported blockbuster earnings for the third quarter, which initially calmed market-wide fears of an AI bubble, only for those lingering doubts to creep back in.

• Shoppers have upped their holiday shopping budgets since this summer, according to a PwC survey.
• Baby boomers and Gen Z are leading the increase.
• The results constitute a rosier outlook than many retailers had going into the fall.

Maybe this holiday season won’t be so lean after all.

Despite early predictions that shoppers would cut spending as they bought gifts this year, a PwC report released Tuesday shows that consumers have upped their spending plans by 7% since June.

PwC’s Holiday Sentiment survey, conducted by the Big Four firm in October, shows that shoppers plan to spend an average of $770 on gifts this year. In PwC’s June Holiday Outlook survey, that amount was $721.

The increase contrasts with predictions earlier this year from some analysts and retailers that shoppers would hold back on spending, potentially making this one of the slowest holiday shopping seasons in years.

“This is the tension defining the 2025 holiday season: consumers said they were holding back — but their actual spend since we
conducted our Holiday Outlook survey suggests otherwise,” the report reads.

“In other words, we’re seeing a classic ‘say-do gap,'” it says.

The oldest and youngest shoppers appear to be powering the increase. Baby boomer respondents said that they plan to spend an average of $858 this holiday season, up from $671 in June, while Gen Z shoppers upped their planned spending to $622 from $586.

Millennials plan to spend less — $843 versus $921 in June — while Gen X respondents had averaged $679 in the latest survey, down from $705.

Going into the holiday shopping season, the National Retail Federation said that this holiday season would be the first holiday season with $1 trillion in spending. At the same time, the trade group said it expects sales growth to be below last year’s 4.3% rate. EMARKETER, meanwhile, expects holiday retail sales to grow 3.6% this year. (EMARKETER is a sister company to Business Insider.)

As the holidays approach, chains from McDonald’s to Home Depot have warned that middle-income consumers are cutting back on spending.

Yet other retailers have expressed optimism about holiday spending at their stores.

Walmart executives have pointed to strong results from smaller shopping events, such as the back-to-school season and Halloween, as evidence that shoppers are still willing to spend on special occasions — as long as they can get decent value for their money.

And Dollar General has said that it is focusing on low-priced items, including many that cost $1, going into the holidays.

If shoppers do indeed spend more this holiday season, the report said it could come at the expense of their spending in the first quarter of the new year, which is historically a slow time for retail sales.

“When it comes to the holidays, people are willing to stretch their budgets, even if it means cutting back in January,” the report reads.