Josh Rising

Building the Future of Local AI, One Local Model at a Time.

Practical deep-dives into AI engineering, local LLMs, and custom software infrastructure optimized for consumer hardware.

Learn from my experiments.
local_inference.py 
import llama_cpp

llm = llama_cpp.Llama(
    model_path="gemma-4-12b-it-qat.gguf",
    n_ctx=131072,
    n_gpu_layers=-1
)

print("Initializing local session...")

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Written by

zero4281

in

Prep Time Cook Time Yield
0-5 mins (longer if you grate the cheese) 5-10 mins sauce, 7-10 mins pasta (overlapping) 6-8 servings

Equipment

  • Small/medium nonstick pot
  • 5 qt nonstick pot
  • Bamboo spoon
  • Slotted bamboo spoon
  • Colander

Ingredients

Cheese sauce

  • 2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream
  • 16 oz (1 lb) Crystal Farms sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Pasta

  • 1 lb elbow macaroni
  • 4-5 quarts water
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt, or more

Instructions

1. Start the sauce

  1. Warm the cream: Pour the cream into the small/medium pot and set the burner to low. Stay at the stove. Cream goes from quiet to boiled over fast, which is why it starts on low.
  2. Watch for bubbles: When you see tiny bubbles in the cream, start adding the cheese.
  3. Add the cheese by the handful: Stir in one handful with the bamboo spoon and wait for it to melt before adding the next. Dumping it all in at once is how you get clumps; the patience is what makes the sauce smooth.
  4. Start the water: Once the first handful of cheese is in, put the water on for the pasta (see section 2). Keep stirring the sauce until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
  5. Check the sauce: It’s done when it leaves a clean streak on the back of a spoon. Drag a finger across the spoon, and if the line holds, you’re there.

2. Cook the pasta

  1. Set up the water: Put 4 quarts of water in the 5 qt pot (up to 5 only if the pot has room; the pasta pushes the level up and it will boil over). Add the olive oil and the salt. The oil keeps the pasta from sticking together. Two tablespoons of salt is the floor, so go up from there by feel.
  2. Add the pasta: Wait until the sauce has started to come together, then add the macaroni to the boiling water. Stir with the slotted bamboo spoon.
  3. Cook to al dente: Boil 7-10 minutes. Start tasting at 7.

3. Combine

  1. Drain: Pour the pasta into the colander.
  2. Sauce it: Put the macaroni back in the 5 qt pot with the burner off. Pour in the cheese sauce and stir with the bamboo spoon until every piece is coated. The residual heat is enough, and there’s nothing left to scorch.

Notes

  • Serving: Serve with a Sheboygan hot dog for that authentic Minnesota feel.
  • Cheese: Grating the cheese yourself takes longer, and it’s better.

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