Macaroni and Cheese

I have made Kraft mac and cheese my entire life. I still do at times, although two of my four kids don't like it. This is still a great stand by, but if you want to serve your family a dinner that you spent time preparing just for them with a hint of thyme to make it more enticing this is a great one. I love the way that the flavors of this just explode in your mouth. It is becoming a dinner that I think about making just because it tastes so yummy.

1/2 tsp. Thyme
5 slices white bread (blended)
3 T butter
1 lb mac noodles (Large elbow)
2 cups chicken broth (4 bullion cubes 2 cups water)
5 T flour
2 cups milk
2 1/4 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
Fry bread crumbs and 2 T butter. Set aside. Cook pasta to Al Dente. Melt 1T butter, thyme, and salt. Whisk flour and milt together. add to pan. Then add Chicken broth. Bring to a boil. While stirring add the cheeses. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes. Put the noodles in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Poor sauce over the top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cook for 30 min at 350. Enjoy

Hawaiian Haystacks

This has been around for a long time so I just assumed everyone knew how to make it. Then my cousin posted on Facebook for people to tell her what they put on theirs. Well it turns out a lot of the comments that she got were "What is Hawaiian Haystacks". This is a family must. It is so easy and every mom should have it in her back up. The best part is you can make it for 2-99. It is such an easy recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. All the flavors just pop in your mouth. Mmmm goodness!

4-6 cups cooked rice
2 celery ribs
1 green pepper
2-3 green onions
1-2 tomatoes
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small can pineapple tidbits
2 cups grapes halved
1-2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup Chow mien noodles.  

Sauce

1-2 chicken breasts diced
2 TB olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of milk
1'2 cup sour cream
1 tsp  Santa Maria Seasoning (optional)

Heat olive oil on medium heat.  add the chicken.  Brown the chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Cook until no longer pink, and the skin is just browning.  Add soup, and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add the sour cream and seasoning. 

Layer the Haystacks
First rice,
cheese
sauce
then add the remaining ingredients to your hearts desire.  The best part is everything on the list can be optional.  Just put on it what you like.  I would never put almonds on mine but I love the grapes.  It is up to you.  Enjoy

Creamy Lasagna

My cousin Calee called me the other day and told me about this yummy recipe she just made. I gave it a shot and it is YUMMY! plus it freezes. I love meals that freeze. We made this for our kids to have while we were out of town. When we got home there was a little left in the fridge and my hubby couldn't get enough. I knew that this needed to become a regular in our home.

Spaghetti Sauce:
1 lb hamburger
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (optional)
1 small can mushrooms
Brown hamburger and cook onion together. Then add remaining ingredients. Stir. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 min.

Alfredo Sauce:
3T butter
1/2 pkg. cream cheese
3/4 C Evaporated milk or half & half. (Milk works also)
1 chicken bullion cube
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
garlic salt to taste
pinch of Parsley

Melt butter, cream cheese and milk on low heat. Stir together. Then add bullion. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic to taste. You can add more milk if it is too thick.

1/2 lbs. Mostaccioli Noodles
Cook in boiling water until Al Dente about 8-10 minutes,

1 lb Mozzarella cheese

Arrange in a 9 x 13 pan 1/2 of everything in this order: spaghetti sauce, noodles, Alfredo Sauce, mozzarella cheese, repeat. Cook for 45 minutes covered and 15 uncovered. Bake at 350. Enjoy.

Easy Cheesy Cheddar Sauce

I love me a good baked potato. I seem to always forget about this as a meal but when we have them I love them. I found this recipe and kind of tweaked it to have a little more kick.  My hubby was not to excited for potato bar but once he ate the sauce he was pretty hooked.  

3 T Butter
5 T flour
1 cup Chicken broth/Chicken bullion cube + water
1 cup milk or half and half
1/4 cup mayonnaise 
3 cups cheddar cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
In a medium sauce pan melt butter stir in flour. When it is well mixed add milk, mayo, and chicken broth a little at a time.  (I use a bullion cube and a cup of water.  I will put the whole cube in and add water as needed.) bring to a low boil. Add cheddar cheese until melted. Keep adding the water for the chicken broth until it is the consistence you desire.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Enjoy.

Toppings for Potato Bar:
Broccoli
Green Onion
Tomatoes
Bacon
Cheese sauce

Olive Garden Soup

I love this soup. My mom made it for me and I have loved it since. Since my hubby is not a fan of soup so I have claimed Halloween as soup day. I figure it should be a good day to have something warm to eat before you go out for a night of fun. This has become a tradition that stuck. In fact while my hubby had his 2nd bowl (hates soup, hmmm) he said it taste like Halloween to me. This made me smile on the inside:)

1 lb Hamburger
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
1 green pepper
1 stalk of celery
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can great northern white beans
1 can tomato soup

soup with water

Brown the hamburger with the onion and garlic. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil an then simmer for 1 hour. Enjoy.

French Dip Sandwiches

My hubby and I have set a tradition that Christmas Eve is for our little family only. We love this night. We spend time with just our kids before the rush of Christmas morning and all that we have to do. One thing we do is have a fun dinner. One year we tried French Dip Sandwiches and they were a HIT! Not only did they make the house smell yummy but it was so easy to do. And like my sister would say "They taste like Christmas." With a bit of Rosemary it taste just like Christmas. Mmmmm

3-4 lb round roast
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 beef bullion cube
1 bay leaf
3-4 Whole Peppercorn
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. garlic powder
Combine ingredients in a crock pot. Cover meat almost all the way with water. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

We like to do red onions cut in slices in the crock pot about 30 minutes before serving. We put them on Hoggies and layer it with pepper jack cheese, meat, purple onion. Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Spaghetti

My good friend Misty gave me this recipe years ago. We got together one afternoon and went through each others recipe boxes.  It was a lot of fun and I got a bunch of new recipes.  This recipe was one of those recipes.    I have looked at it a ton of times but for some reason I never used it.  Now I am wondering why in the world I would do that to myself.  It is so GOOD and refreshing.

I don't know about you but if I have garden tomatoes I always have way more then I can eat.  We have tomatoes sandwiches, fresh salsa, and BLT's but having a recipe that uses 10 at one time makes me feel like I am getting a better use out of my tomatoes.  Really though this is delicious.  I sure hope you don't make the mistake that I made and not use this recipe for years. 

2 T. Olive Oil
1 large yellow onion chopped
1 med clove garlic, minced
3 small carrots, chopped fine
3 celery stalks, chopped fine
1 T. dry parsley
1 T. dry basil
1 T. chicken bullion
1/4 cup water
10 med. tomatoes

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan with lid.  Add onion and garlic.  saute.  Add carrots and celery.  Stir well.  Add parsley and basil.  dd bullion and water.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes or until veggies are tender.   Cool to room temp.  Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds.  Remove peel, and chop.  Add to sauce serve over noodles or rice.  ( I think you could add meatballs if you wanted.) Enjoy.

Grandma Dorothy's Spectacular Sloppy Joe's

All growing up I had these Sloppy Joe's for dinner. They are the best I have ever had. I use to wonder why people didn't really like Sloppy Joe's until I tried what most people use, from a can. YUCK! They are awful. First off this recipe is so easy so if you ever make Sloppy Joe's from a can again then shame on you. Haha Second, it will change your view on the Joe. They are actually really yummy. My hubby will forever be a changed man thanks to my Grandma and her yummy Sloppy Joe. I am weird and like to put my potato chips inside of it. My oldest does the same thing.
2 pounds ground beef
1 chopped yellow onion
2 T. flour
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 T. dry mustard
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. vinegar
4 T. ketchup
3 t. Worcestershire sauce
salt and paprika

Brown the hamburger and onion. Add remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve on a bun. Add chips for fun;) Enjoy!

Moms Chinese Chichen Salad

This is one of my favorite dinners that my mom makes. I love the way all of it just taste so perfect together. She always makes everything she makes look so easy. I think we take for granted all the time that our moms took just to make us a meal. It starts from coming up with the idea to putting it on the table. There are so many steps involved. This is part of the love of a mother. Each day you plan a meal, prepare a meal, and serve that meal without so much as a thank you. Usually it is followed by whining about why they don't like the meal. But we do it because we love them and really for no other reason. So here is to you mom. Thank you for all those times you made me dinner. I love you too.

I didn't know until I started making it how much preparation it took. First off this is definitely a meal you won't just have the ingredients in your pantry. So you will have to head to the grocery store. I think the hardest things for me to find were the wontons(in my store it is in the produce department by the bagged salads) and the Maifun rice sticks(down the Asia isle). The rest is all stuff you already know. Once you have that part done the rest is easy. And really if you haven't ever deep fried Maifun rice sticks you must try that part. It was a lot of fun. I hope you will try this one. It really is delicious.

Marinate for at least 4 hours
2 chicken breasts cubed
1/3 cup soy sauce
3T. sugar
Pour all this in a fry pan sprayed with Pam and cook together on medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. Personally I like to cook until it starts to caramelize.
Let cool.

1 head of lettuce ( like to use half a green leaf lettuce and half iceberg lettuce.)
3-4 stocks chopped green onion
2 T sesame seeds (optional)
2 ounces of Won TOns cut into strips and deep fried
2 ounces of Maifun rice sticks deep fried
1 can Mandarin oranges (optional)

Dressing:
2 T Sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
3 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup salad oil

Mix dressing and top salad just before serving. Enjoy!

Pizza Dough

I was at the pool today and my darling neighbor told me that I need to make a new post. I agree with her. It really has been a slow summer. I will try to be better.

I have been making this for about 4 years now. My friend Joy gave me this recipe and it quickly became a family favorite. I love it. My kids love it. I mean really who doesn't love pizza. We were eating it a lot and I had to lay off the breads for awhile so I kind of forgot about it. I love making if for Friday night dinner. The kids always think they are getting a fantastic treat. Plus it is fairly easy. I don't think I say that enough on this blog. It is getting old. Maybe I should come up with more words for easy. It is fairly simple. There that is better. So this pizza is so yummy that I can't even get a picture before my hubby breaks off a piece of crust. I told all the kids to back off and didn't remember to tell him. Who can blame him. It was literally calling his name.
2 cups warm water
1 T. yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
About 6 cups of flour
Corn meal for sprinkling pan

Mix water, sugar, and yeast. Allow the yeast to bubble. Then add remaining ingredients. Add one cup of flour at a time. Mix. Add another cup of flour until dough is soft. Allow to rise until doule in size. Roll dough out into a rectangle. Oil the baking sheet and sprinkle corn meal over the oil. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings. Bake until cheese is melted.
This recipe makes 1 baking sheet and 1 9x13 pan/large round pie plate. Enjoy!

Combination Toppings:
sauce in a jar
Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan and/or cheddar
pepperoni
mushrooms
sausage
onions
green peppers

Chicken Alfredo Pizza Toppings
Alfrado sauce see recipe
garlic cooked chicken
mozzarella and Parmesan
bacon
tomatoes
green onions
mushrooms