Not your average Mac & Cheese

OK…let’s be honest! This is one of those recipes that if you think about the calories involved you simply CANNOT enjoy it! So, today let’s play pretend and not think about the “c” word (calories)! You’ll thank me later! Or maybe you won’t?!

Years ago I tried a recipe for Mac & Cheese that had cottage cheese in it! *Some of you may want to exit this blog now. DON’T!! Trust me the cottage cheese makes it Heavenly!* For the life of me I have NO IDEA where I “filed” that recipe away!! I do remember loving it though! So a few months back I was on the search again! I finally ran across one that sort of kind of fit my memory of it but, it wasn’t exactly right! With a little tweaking here and a little tweaking there…By George I think I’ve Got it!!! I made it a month or so ago when all of our kiddos were here and it was a HIT! I made it again last night but I didn’t take a picture for you because (a) I used bow tie pasta instead of elbow macaroni and (b) I didn’t have any crackers so it was simply “naked” mac & cheese! It would be sort of like me going out in public without makeup and someone wanting to take a picture of me!  NOT HAPPENING!!!
Go give it a try!  Its great left-over too!!  Hey, I think I’ll go warm me up some!

Not your average Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 oz.) package elbow macaroni
1 (8 oz.) package sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (12 oz.) container small curd cottage cheese
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
*************************
1 sleeve Ritz crackers (crushed)
1/4 c. butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Preheat oven to 350°. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.
2.  Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam. Stir together macaroni, shredded cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt & pepper, and dry mustard. Pour into pan. In a small bowl, mix together crushed crackers and melted butter, stir. Sprinkle crackers over macaroni mixture.
3.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

Mexican (crockpot) Chowder

Since it's supposed to snow and since this is one of our favorite soups, I thought I'd share it with you too!  I just purchased all of the ingredients for this so I can make it (even though it's NOT a church day)!!  Just because I told you it was a good church day soup doesn't mean it HAS to be "ONLY on Sunday" soup!

As I typed out the recipe I couldn't help but think about my dear sweet friend Esther...surely she needs a new recipe!  I'm 100% certain her recipe book is overflowing but, it makes my heart happy to know someone out there in blog land truly does try out my recipes!
Happy Snow Day to EVERYONE!

Mexican (crock pot) Chowder

4 chicken breasts cut up bite size (raw)

1 can chicken broth or (2 bouillon cubes+ 2 c. water)

4 c. water

2 T. minced garlic

1 c. chopped celery

1 small onion, chopped

3-4 raw potatoes, diced

2 carrots peeled and sliced

1 can Rotel’ (we like original but you could use mild instead)

1 sm. can chopped green chilies

2 cans french style green beans, drained

2 T. butter

1 tsp. ea. of the following…(salt, pepper, seasoned salt)

2 tsp. cumin (DO NOT FORGET THIS!!  TRUST ME ON THIS!)

¼ c. cilantro (dried is all I usually have on hand)

Put all above ingredients in your crockpot and set on high for 4 hours {or refrigerate overnight}!

Right before serving (about 20-30 min. before) add:

2 packages Lipton’s noodle soup mix

½ c. cream

½ c. milk

2 inch hunk of velveeta cheese

NOTE:  This is a PERFECT after church recipe!  Just put all the ingredients in the crockpot the night before and pop it in the fridge!  Next morning about 8 turn it on high (4 hrs.) and it will be almost ready for you when you come home from church!  All you have to do is add the noodles, cream, milk, & cheese and let it all marry together while you’re changing out of your church clothes!!  ENJOY!

Extra goodness:  Crush up a handful of Frito’s and sprinkle on top of your delicious bowl of Mexican Chowder!!!  YUM!!

~Soup of the Day~

Amy’s  Beef Chowder

1 ½ - 2 lbs. lean ground beef

2 cloves of garlic

½ small onion, diced

Kosher salt & Black Pepper {heavy on the pepper}

In a large kettle brown the above ingredients.

Add:

1 tsp. dried basil

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 T. Worcestershire

2 c. beef stock

3-4 c. water

4-6 (small-med) potatoes diced to bite size

2 carrots peeled and diced

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

1 can rotel tomatoes

2 cans shoepeg corn, drained

2 cans French style green beans, drained

Cook on low until potatoes, carrots, and cabbage are done.

Turn off heat and add:

1 c. milk

1 c. whipping cream

2” hunk of velveeta

2 pkgs. of Lipton’s Chicken Noodle {dry} Soup

This makes a huge pot of soup and is even better the next day!!

*Remember if you're out of ground beef in the house then just substitute 4 large baked chicken breasts, shredded!  Equally as good!!

~Lorene's Dressing~

This time of year things get all C-R-A-Z-Y!  I have to tell myself it’s time to take a deep breath and remember that I’m Thankful for SO SO many things!!!  I could bore you with a super long numbered blog post about all of my thankfulness or I could keep it short!  Today I've picked "keep it short"!

I’m so Thankful for the family heritage I have of being in the kitchen baking!  Yes, I do love me some kitchen time!!!  {Matter of fact it’s where I should be right now instead of typing a blog post}

Family recipes trickle down from many generations!  Through the years I’ve acquired many new recipes from tons of different sources!  One of my favorite sources is my Mother in Law Lorene!  I had a simple little question just the other day about one of her recipes and was wishing I had a direct line to Heaven to ask her about it!  I love to be able to cook/bake the things my family loves and requests every year!  In my husband’s eyes, I’ve mastered some of his Mom’s recipes and it makes my heart happy to be able to bake that special dish and bring the memories rushing back to him!

I had a friend ask me today if I made dressing.  I said with a big smile…YES I do!  She asked me in front of my husband and I don’t think she had a clue that THIS is one of those recipes that I’ve worked really hard to get just right!  When my Mother in Law gave me her “recipe” for her dressing, she only gave me the ingredients!  NO MEASUREMENTS!!  She just said a little of this and a little of that!!  It’s one of Mike’s favorites!

Keeping the post short as promised, here’s that Dressing Recipe:

Lorene’s (Cornbread) Dressing

{measurements tweaked by me}

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large skillet melt butter {about 8 tablespoons} then sauté:

2 c. celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

Only until onions are slightly transparent!  Pour over the following…

7-8 slices of homemade bread “chickled” up and dried out overnight {chickled is an old family word…just go with it!} it really means cubed or torn apart in pieces! {or you could use dried bread cubes from the store}

8x8 pan of cornbread {recipe following}

1 box Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix {optional, I’ve done it both ways and it’s equally good}  If I have it I use it!

6-7 c. chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp. sage

1 T. poultry seasoning

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed then add:

3 eggs, beaten

{the eggs are my addition!  Lorene didn’t add eggs but I feel like it makes it hold together!}

Mix well!  You can even get your hands in there to get it mixed up even better!  Kind of fun too!!

Pour dressing into a greased pan and bake until done!  Approximately 45 min.

Cornbread

Preheat oven to 400°

½ c. corn meal

¾ c. all purpose flour

½ c. sugar

¾ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

3 T. vegetable oil

1 egg

½ c. milk

Mix all together and pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  Bake for approximately 20 min.  Pulling out of the oven when top is browned.  Let cool then “chickle” it up!  This cornbread is my recipe.  I’m not sure what Lorene used but this works for us!  I suppose you could use a Jiffy Cornbread mix if you wanted to cut corners!

Alrighty now go mix you up some Dressing!  You’ll have the best dressing at Thanksgiving!  I’ll make mine first thing in the morning!!!  You'll need to prep a little the day before!  My bread is made and drying and as soon as I post this I’m going to go make the cornbread for it!  Good Luck and let me know if it was a winner at your FEAST!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Recipe Randomness!

Yesterday I had a day off!  Well, I would call it a day off, some of you may call it more "work" than "work".  I got to spend my afternoon in the kitchen...one of my favorite things to do!
A friend had a baby so I prepared a meal to take to them and a meal for us while I was at it!  Taking food to another family always worries me!  "what do they like and not like" "what should I fix" "will it be done in time"??  So I went with good old fashioned Roast, Potatoes, and Carrots!  I tried a new recipe that I found here!  It's really close to one that I've been making for years.  I usually use Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup, Lipton's Onion Soup, Seasonings, and a little water!  Mike said that this one was the best roast I had ever made!  Hmmm...maybe he was extra hungry!?!

Fall-Apart Roast

3 1/2 – 5 pound beef roast {I used Rump Roast}
2 small jars or one large jar of beef gravy
1 can sliced mushrooms {any size you like}
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 c. pre-made Italian dressing

Mix everything up, pour it over the roast, and cook (covered) at 300° for 4-5 hours depending on the size of the roast. {I cooked mine on 350° for the full 5 hrs.}
Delicious, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
*Add some potatoes and carrots the last couple hours to bake alongside the roast.

{NO picture needed...everyone

knows what a roast looks like, besides,

we ate it before I thought about it!}

I also made Arkansas Green Beans!  The best side dish EVER!!  A great dish to take to a pot luck supper!!

Arkansas Green Beans

• 5 (15-ounce) cans green beans, drained
• 12 slices bacon {or the whole pkg. like I did}
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 7 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the drained green beans in a 9×13″ baking pan.
Cook bacon in a frying pan on your stove top until bacon strips are cooked enough to chop into large pieces (they should be done, but not real crispy) {I cut mine into smaller pieces BEFORE frying}. Sprinkle the bacon pieces on top of the green beans.
Combine the brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the green beans and bacon. Bake uncovered at 350° for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Then for dessert, I made one of my family's favorite {and most requested by my youngest Sister}...

Peach Pie {delivered to the friend}

Rita's Pie Crust {makes one crust}:
1 c. all purpose flour {not level! Dip measuring cup in flour and shake off excess}
1/2 c. crisco shortening
1/2 tsp. salt

Cut the crisco into the flour and salt until thoroughly mixed in. Then add 1/4 c. COLD water and mix with a fork until all water is incorporated.  Smooth dough into a ball, flatten and place on a floured surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on top of dough and roll out to desired size.
Note: Rita is my Grandma's sweet neighbor lady and when my Grandpa passed away she brought over a couple of pies!  I couldn't get over how flaky and wonderful her crusts were! She so graciously shared her recipe!  I will forever use this crust recipe!!

Filling:
4 c. peaches
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp. almond extract
3 T. corn starch

Mix together and pour into unbaked pie crust. Top with a few pats of butter and then sprinkle cinnamon over all {to your liking}.  Sometimes I use the cinnamon and sometimes I don't, depending on my mood!  I have to add that I worked REALLY hard on perfecting this filling!  Many flopped pies before getting it absolutely right for our family!

Crumb Topping:
1 c. flour
pinch of salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter {cold}

Work together with pastry blender then "crumble" on top of pie with hands.

Cherry Pie {kept here at home...Mike's favorite {YES, he's spoiled...peach is my all time favorite and I gave it up} I WILL BE MAKING ANOTHER PEACH!

Crust:
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. crisco
1/2 c. COLD water
Cut the crisco into the flour and salt until thoroughly mixed in. Then add the COLD water and mix with a fork until all water is incorporated.  Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten one at a time and place on a floured surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on top of dough and roll out to desired size. Repeat for top crust after filling is added.

Filling:
3 cans tart cherries in water 
4 T. cornstarch {not heaping but not leveled off either}
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. red food coloring
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Mix up filling ingredients and let sit for 20-30 min. while you are making your pie crusts.  After placing your bottom crust in your pie pan, then pour in filling. {be careful not to let the RED cherry juice splatter on you}!  Put a few slits {or designs like I do and sometimes with small cookie cutters} in your top crust then place it over the filling.  In a small cup put about 1/4 c. sugar in it and add a little bit of milk stir until you have a smooth workable consistency! NOT too much milk or it will be too runny {it should still be grainy}!  Using a spoon, spoon it over your top crust covering it all then use the back of the spoon to smooth it around.  This will give you a sweet crunchy top crust!
*Bake for 20 minutes at 425° then lower the oven temperature to 375° {you may want to loosely lay a piece of foil over the top to protect the crust from burning} Bake for another hour or so, start checking on it after 45 minutes, until the crust looks nicely browned and the juices bubble up thickly.  Let pie cool for 3-4 hrs. before cutting it!

 I was going to squeeze in my HOMEMADE ROLLS too but...I ran out of time!  Oh well, there's always another "day off" for baking!

Old Fashioned Fried Chicken~Mmm, Mmm, GOOD!

Now I know most everyone knows how to make Fried Chicken.  I thought I did too until my husband came home with a new “recipe” from one of his sweet little weekly hair ladies.

He said, “You don’t know how to cut up a whole chicken do you!?” I said, “Of course I do, I used to cut them up all the time!!”  He was amazed!  I guess it’s been too long ago and he just doesn’t remember.  Besides, who doesn’t want to buy one already cut up to cook!!

He told me to grab a piece of paper and write down what he was about to tell me.  I looked at him and said, “Are you kidding?  Do you really think I need a “recipe” for fried chicken?”  {Remember, he’s the one that can’t boil water so for him to give me a recipe seemed quite odd!} So I went along with his little funny and wrote down word for word what he told me!  And then he said, “Don’t forget...you HAVE to use a cast iron skillet for it to turn out crispy!”

Well, I had to prove to him that I knew how.  If you know me...you know I LOVE a challenge!

We have a local bulk food store and they have FRESH {as in NEVER been frozen} whole chickens that come in on Thursday’s every week.  On Thursday I grabbed me a couple of chickens and the preparation began!

~Old Fashioned Fried Chicken~

1.    Cut up your FRESH whole chicken! {I haven't looked but I’m sure youtube has a video for this}

2.    Soak chicken pieces it in salt water overnight.

3.    The next day, put shortening in a cast iron skillet and turn the fire up {not blasting up, just up}!

4.    Lay the chicken pieces out on a plate or platter and season them with salt & pepper on both sides {I threw in a little garlic salt too}.

5.    Dip the chicken pieces in flour ONLY {this is where I almost rebelled against his “recipe”!  NO milk and egg or buttermilk???  How was this going to work?}

6.    Crisp/brown both sides then turn the fire down a bit, put a lid on allowing a little steam to escape, and cook slowly!

My Dad used to make the best fried chicken and my Aunt Ann requested it for her and my uncle last time they came to visit. She told me I did it right??!!!  Aunt Ann...I have to tell you this one topped it!!  Mike said it was the best fried chicken he’s ever eaten!  AND my 7 yr. old grandson Keegen said {while eating warmed up left overs}...”MiMi, what did you do to this chicken, this is the best chicken in the world!”

Go for it!  Get out of your fried chicken box and give Mike’s “recipe” a try!  I promise you won’t be sorry you did!  Remember, the cast iron skillet is a MUST!

Cinnamon~Vanilla Coffee Creamer

My Husband LOVES to add a little coffee to this...

Since we live 40 miles away from the nearest Wal-Mart…it’s not always easy to just stop and pick some up!  AND half the time when I brave going into that huge, overwhelming, cart-filling place, they don’t even have the creamer in stock!  All the other flavors are there and they ALWAYS have the generic brand of the Cinnamon Vanilla creamer {I’ve tried to pull that one off-NO WAY doesn’t work}!

Well, he ran out AGAIN!  So, as I was lying in bed last night trying my hardest to fall asleep, I remembered seeing a recipe for French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, I thought why not, I’ll give it a try and just add in cinnamon!!  At midnight I popped out of bed {I would have NEVER been able to fall asleep if I hadn’t} and ran to the kitchen to see if I had everything and sure enough, I did!  You see, he would be getting up WAY earlier than me and I wanted it to be ready for him.  Kind of a little surprise...

He found it and tried it!  I got a phone call this morning WITH APPROVAL!  He said, “you know that was pretty good…the more I drank it the more I really really liked it”!  If you know him at all you’ll know, he’s NOT a creature of change!  Same toothpaste, deodorant, soap, razor, clothing {brand}, alarm clock, etc… for as long as I’ve known him!  Me on the other hand, I’m a sucker for every new thing on the market!  Probably one of the main reasons I DON’T like to watch TV…those darn commercials suck me in every single time and I want to go NOW to purchase the “new” item!

I would love to share the recipe with you so here it is:

 

Cinnamon~Vanilla Coffee Creamer

• 14oz sweetened condensed milk
• 14oz half & half (you could use milk)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
  Instructions:
  
  Pour all of the ingredients into your container. Tighten and shake vigorously for a few minutes until well combined.

The original recipe came from here!

~Fish Tacos~

I asked my husband what he wanted for supper tonight and he surprised me by saying..."how about fish tacos!"  Huh, I've never fixed fish tacos before so I'm not sure where he came up with that!  I do like a challenge though!  So off to the computer I went to start searching for the perfect fish taco recipe.  I found several and combined them by what sounded good to me.  It was a hit!!  The recipe looks like a lot of work but trust me...it's worth it!!

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1 c. beer {this is a must! It's what makes the batter fluffy!}

To make Batter:

*In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture {don't worry about a few lumps}.

• oil for frying {I used about 1/2-3/4 in. in bottom of skillet}
• 1 pound flounder fillets, cut into pieces/strips that will fit in a tortilla
• 1 (12 oz.) package corn tortillas
• 1 pkg. shredded cabbage

*Place your corn tortillas in foil and put them in the oven {while your frying the fish} on 200° to warm them.

*Heat oil in deep-fryer {or skillet} to 375° F

*Dust fish pieces lightly with extra flour. Dip into batter, place on a cookie rack to allow excess batter to drain, then fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

White Sauce

• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 tsp. minced capers
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

*In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Blend in a food processor the jalapeno and capers then add to the sour cream mixture. Add in oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.  Stir together!  Mix this up first and let this set for a couple hours or overnight.

 

Fresh Salsa

Ingredients:

4-6 roma tomatoes

1/2 medium red onion

2 green onions

1 jalapeno pepper

fresh cilantro leaves {I used a good handful}

3 garlic cloves

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Kosher salt {taste and add more if needed}

 Instructions: 

*Combine all salsa ingredients in a food processor and blend well {you can leave it as chunky as you like} 

*Let it set for an hour or so to allow the flavors to mix

To serve:  place fried fish in a warm tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, white sauce, and salsa!