Mac and cheese

I have a three year old who could live off of Kraft Mac and Cheese.  A while back, I stumbled across a blog called 100 days of real food (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/).  It's main purpose: to challenge people to remove processed, unhealthy food from their diets.  While I didn't jump in 100%, we did take some pointers and make some changes.  One of them was my son's beloved mac and cheese.  And you know what?  We can't stand the boxed stuff any more!!!!  This recipe is just as fast, just as easy, but it's real food!!  No powdered cheese for us.  (I even get block cheese and grate it fresh each time we make it.)

Here's the recipe:

• 1 – 1 ½ cups of dried whole-wheat macaroni noodles, boiled according to package directions
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup grated cheese (you can use any type of cheese…we usually use sharp cheddar or a mix of different cheeses works well too)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional topping: grated parmesan cheese or whole-wheat breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for about 1 – 2 minutes until the roux (which is equal parts flour and butter or oil) starts to darken, but does not burn.
3. Turn the heat down to low and quickly whisk in the milk. Turn the heat back up to medium and keep whisking until the mixture starts to thicken and all lumps of flour are dissolved.
4. Stir in the grated cheese and once it melts mix in the cooked noodles. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

I make minor changes:  I normally do about 2 cups of noodles, we don't use whole wheat flour and I don't do the grated cheese or breadcrumbs on top.  (We aren't that fancy around here!!)  I've also found that the longer you head the flour/butter/milk mixture, the creamier it is.

We make this many times per week for lunch, and even threw it in for supper tonight, as it was a rush night with dance starting at 6.  It is definitely a family favorite, all 5 of us (6 with cousin Hannah eating tonight) cleaned our plates and a few went back for more.

Ranch chicken

I found this post on pinterest several weeks/months ago and saved it to my email, waiting for the perfect day to try it.  Last night as my hubby and I were making a grocery list/meal plan for the week, we decided to try it.  I'll post the recipe first, then give my input :)

RANCH CHICKEN

4 frozen chicken breasts (or however many will fit in your crock pot)
2 cans cream of whatever soup (cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, etc.)
1- 16 oz. container sour cream
1 package real bacon bits
1-2 packs dry ranch dressing mix
salt and pepper, to taste

Put the frozen chicken in the crock pot.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the chicken.
Adjust cooking time and temp depending on how fast your crock pot cooks and how long you're gonna be gone. Cook on high for 6-8 hours*. Serve over hot rice or egg noodles.

I followed the recipe pretty much to a "t"  I didn't have chicken breast but chicken tenders, same thing, just smaller.  I used 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, regular sour cream, hy-vee brand bacon bits, ONE ranch packet and sprinkled the chicken with salt/pepper once in the crock pot.  

Next time, I think I'd make the following modifications:
 ~ full sized breasts instead of tenders.  The tenders cooked really fast and were pretty dry by themselves.
 ~ I'd stick to one ranch packet.  It was very flavorful and a tad bit salty and a second packet would have made that even worse
 ~ Going on the saltiness, a low sodium cream of "whatever" may be used next time, too
 ~ I cooked mine on high for about 3 hours then to low for a couple and to keep warm for the last hour or so, because they were done by 4:30.  Oops.....

We served this over long grain, slow cook rice and served steamed green beans with it.  My 9 year old had a second serving, my super picky 7 yr old did eat all of hers, and my 3 yr old who doesn't have time to eat did finally clear his portion also.  They all raved about the food, how yummy it was and how they would definitely try this again. 

A winner, for sure!!!! 

Welcome back!!

Well, life got away from me again.....  This blog got started off pretty well.  There was lots of interest, but somehow we all forgot about it.  So today, I'm reviving it!!!  I've got a new meal in my crock pot tonight, Ranch Chicken.  And let me tell you, it smells AMAZING!!!  I'll post the recipe after we eat and I get the official reviews from my subjects family members.  Check back in!!!

Spaghetti Quiche

1/2 pound spaghetti
2 –  1/4” slices ham cut into cubes
3/4 c grated parmesan
Salt & pepper
3 eggs
1/2  cup heavy cream
Heat oven to 375. Grease muffin tins (I used papers). Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Cook ham, remove from pan.
Add ½ c cheese and 1 t pepper.
Swirl forkful of spaghetti into muffin cups (about 1/3 full)
Beat eggs, add cream and 1 t salt. Pour 1 T of egg mixture into each cup over spaghetti.
Top with ham, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly golden around edges.

I used pepperoni and added a spoonful of spaghetti sauce on top, and used some mozzarella on top to make them more like pizza or lasagna. You could use just about any meat and change the sauce and/or cheese to get the taste that you like best.

Spaghetti Corn

1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn
3/4 stick margarine
1 cup cubed velveeta cheese ( I always put more than this, you can never have too much cheese!)
1 cup broken spaghetti

Bake 350 degrees for 30-45 min.  Stir part of the way through to prevent noodles sticking out the top from getting hard.
This can also be made with 1 cup of elbow mac and microwaved for 20 minutes.

Hot Taco Dip

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 10-12 oz can refried beans
1 package taco seasoning
1 small bottle taco sauce
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown beef, drain.  Add taco seasoning and beans, mix well.  Spread into an 9x11 pan.  Mix sour cream and taco sauce and spread over the top.  Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and bubbly

Banana Bread

2-4 over-ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 cup melted butter

Beat sugar and eggs.  Add bananas, butter and milk.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Spray a loaf pan and pour in batter.  Cook 45-60 mins.  This also works very well in muffin tins, just lessen cook time.  We have also added fresh blueberries to it and liked it very much!

Chicken Pot Pie

Pastry for 9" pie crust
2 C chicken, cooked and cubed
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C non-dairy liquid creamer
2 T butter
1 onion, chopped (have used minced onion)
2 T flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme (has a strong flavor - this is optional)
10 oz frozen peas and carrots
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line pie pan with pastry and refrigerate until ready.
Melt butter, and saute onions until golden.
Blend in flour, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Cook over low heat for 1 minute.
Stir in chicken broth and non-dairy creamer.  Heat to boiling and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in chicken and vegetables.  Allow to cool 10 minutes.
Pour into pastry lined pan.  Cover with pastry top, seal edges, and cut to allow venting.
Bake 35 - 40 minutes or until golden brown.
I have also added small chunks of potatoes.  Made a double batch and only added enough thyme for one batch and I liked it better.  So maybe don't use the thyme or not as much.

Taco-Filled Pasta Shells

1 lb ground beef cooked
1 pkg taco seasoning
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
24 Jumbo pasta shells cooked
salsa
taco sauce
1 cup shredded cheese
doritos, crushed

Brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning and cream cheese to cooked beef in skillet. Cover and simmer for 5-10 min until the cream cheese is melted. Transfer it to a bowl.  Chill 15-20 min (it makes it easier to scoop into the shells. ) Cook the pasta shells about 7 min and drain.  Fill each shell with about 3T meat mixture.
You now have 2 options:
1) Freeze option:  freeze the filled pasta shells on a cookie sheet until firm, but not frozen to the pan :)
 then place the shells in a freezer bag, label and save for a later date. When you want to eat, thaw completly in the fridge and proceed to next option
2) to eat, Grease 9 X 13 pan. pour salsa in the bottom of the pan. Place pasta shells on top of the salsa.  Pour taco sauce on top of the shells. cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 min.  Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and chips. Bake for 15 min longer.
This recipe is a great one to multiply then freeze for future meals.

Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken

CrockPot Brown Sugar Chicken

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chiken breasts.
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sprite
2/3 cup vinegar
3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
Put the chicken in the crockpot. Cover with brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar and sprite. Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. The longer it cooks the more tender it will be.
We served with brown rice.

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

 4 med. potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 T margarine softened
2 slices bacon crisp cooked and crumbled or 2 T bacon bits
In 3 qt sauce pan cover potatoes with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 min or till potatoes are tender. Drain the water off the potatoes. Return the potatoes to the pan. Add remaining ingredients and mash it all together. We all LOVE this.

Poppy seed Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
16 oz sour cream
26 oz cream of chicken
2 TBS poppy seeds
2 sticks butter, melted
2 tubes Townhouse crackers, crushed

• Mix first 3 ingredients. Spread in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle poppy seed across mixture. (I don't measure. I just sprinkle some on.)
• Mix melted butter with crackers. Spread crackers over all.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

No Bake Cookies

• In a medium sauce pan, combine: 2 cups sug, 3T cocoa, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup milk
• Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes.
  Add 1/2 Cup peanut butter and 3 cups oatmeal. Mix well, drop on wax paper.  Let cool and enjoy!

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 lb italian sausage
1 lb ground beef
2 - 16 oz spaghetti sauces
1 tub ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package no boil lasagna noodles

Brown the sausage and beef. Drain. In crock pot, pour one can of sauce in bottom. Add meats and drop in ricotta cheese by the spoonfuls. Break lasagna noodles into bits and drop in. Sprinkle 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Stir to mix. Add last can of sauce. Cover and cook on high 3 hours, stirring a couple times as it melts and the noodles soften. 5 mins before serving, sprinkle remaining cheese on top and let melt.

Enchilada Casserole

1 lb ground beef – brown the meet
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 c enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas
12oz mont. Jack cheese
1 c sour cream


Pour ½ c enchilada sauce, arrange ½ tortillas, ½ c enchilada sauce, beef, sour cream,
½ the cheese, tortillas, sauce, remainder of cheese. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes
@375. Bake an additional 10 minutes with no foil.

I hate layering casseroles, I always screw it up.  So - I put the 1/2c of sauce in the bottom of the pan, then mix the remainder of the sauce with the meat and sour cream.  Layer one of shells, the sauce mixture, cheese, then repeat.  I usually do 3 layers of shells.  Oh - and I don't cover it with foil.  I never remember to LOL

Welcome!!

Welcome to Successfully Cooked!!  Our goal is to publish delicious, tried and true recipes that you can be confident in using.  If you have a recipe to share, please email me and I will get it posted.  Looking for a special recipe that you can't find?  Let me know and I'll post a request looking for it.  It will take a while to get a good base of recipes, so please be patient as we grow!