Tamron Hall says she makes 'ridiculous' mac and cheese: 'I go all out'

Because food connects us all, Yahoo Life is serving up a heaping plateful of table talk with people who are passionate about what's on their menu in Deglazed, a series about food.

The first time Tamron Hall truly felt the magnitude of her father's 2008 death was the first Thanksgiving her family spent without him. The Emmy Award-winning talk show host says it was spending the food-focused holiday without her dad that made the loss truly hit home.

"I missed my dad the minute he passed away, but I missed him even more that first Thanksgiving — not having his food and his pies," Hall tells Yahoo Life. "He would always prepare five or six turkeys ... and hams. He was a unique person in that he could cook and bake."

Hall says she shared her feelings of grief with a friend, who then gave her a gift certificate for a cooking class. It was during the class that Hall says she began to connect with cooking, so she pledged to take over the Thanksgiving meal duties in her dad's honor.

"I kept practicing and practicing and practicing," says Hall. "And I was very proud to say that I did cook Thanksgiving dinner for my entire family and that just kind of started this passion for cooking that was tied to the loss of my father."

"I feel so connected to him when I cook," she adds.

It's one of the reasons cooking segments are part of her nationally-syndicated talk show, Tamron Hall, which began its fourth season on Sept. 6. Hall says having her own show allows her to expand the quick cooking segments she was used to doing during her morning show days.

With more time in each episode, Hall is able to have chefs teach viewers to make challenging recipes or spend time delving into the reason behind the recipes. "We take on a lot of cooking segments that are inspired by one's culture," she says. "I enjoy hearing why someone loved the pierogies their momma made for them."

"I love the cultural connection of cooking, and we infuse that into our show, which is all about life's journey," Hall continues. "So much of that life journey is someone who prepared a meal for us."

The show kicks off its newest season with Wildest Dream Month, which will include everything from making some viewers' wildest dreams come true to Hall revealing some things she says she never thought in her wildest dreams she'd reveal. Last month Hall earned her second Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host. The talk show covers a variety of topics from parenting issues to current events ... and of course, food.

"I love cooking, my son cooks," Hall says, referring to her 3-year-old son, Moses. "It's therapy for me."

She's hoping to pass along the love of cooking she learned from her father to her own son, which is another reason why spearheading the Thanksgiving meal is important.

So what's the best thing on Hall's holiday menu?

"I'm not going to brag, but I've been told my macaroni and cheese is ridiculous," Hall says, adding she doesn't follow a certain recipe. "I just wing it. I do a couple of different cheeses. I do a little dash of nutmeg, I go all out with cheese, I slowly make the cheese sauce with milk and butter and then I layer and layer it on."

Will viewers ever see Hall share her "ridiculous" mac and cheese recipe on the air? The 51-year-old says they'll have to wait and see.

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