rich 'n cheesy macaroni

This is a great recipe for a more gourmet twist on Mac 'n Cheese. My boys love it and so do most adults... I usually serve it with my recipe of Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce and I do it on a day when I'm not too concerned with the future health/weight of my family...

Rich 'n Cheesy Macaroni

2 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
6 Tbsp. butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups milk
8 oz. Velveeta cheese
1 1/3 cups cottage cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

Cook and drain macaroni. Place in a greased 2 1/2 qt. baking dish. In saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp. butter. Stir in flour, salt and sugar until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat, stir in Velveeta until melted. Stir in cottage cheese and sour cream. Pour over macaroni. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and toss with bread crumbs; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes ore until golden brown. 6-8 servings.

Warning: excessive amounts of dairy and fat - please exercise caution... or maybe just plain exercise after eating!!

chicken fingers with dipping sauce

This is a great hit with the boys and dh too... Good with homemade Mac 'n Cheese!

Chicken Fingers

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
2 pkgs. Ritz crackers
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Crush crackers. Add butter and dressing mix. Cut chicken into strips and coat with mayonnaise. Roll in crackers crumb mixture. Bake 20 minutes at 400F or until done.


Honey Mustard Sauce for Chicken Fingers

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/3 cup mustard
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1-2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, optional

Mix well and serve with hot chicken fingers.

gourmet chicken pizza

Tonight was one of those nights (ever get one?) when menu inspiration will not come... It seems like all we've eaten lately is pizza or Mexican & I'm pretty sick of both. But I had a pizza crust thawed and cooked chicken at the ready so I used trusty Allrecipes and found this incredible recipe for Gourmet Chicken Pizza. It was different enough from the regular tomato-sauce-based pizzas and yet not too out there as far as flavor goes... so yeah, big hit with the guys!

Gourmet Chicken Pizza

1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a pizza pan or medium baking sheet. Place chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until no longer pink, and juices run clear. Cool, then either shred or chop into small pieces. Unroll dough, and press into the prepared pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake crust for 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven. Spread ranch dressing over partially baked crust. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Place tomatoes, green onion, and chicken on top of mozzarella cheese, then top with Cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

pork chops and rice

Tonight we used the grill again... I marinated pork chops for 24 hours in Diana Teriyaki Marinade and dh grilled them to tender perfection! But to me, the crowning glory of the meal was the side of Primavera Rice & Cheese. I've gotten into the habit of keeping these on hand, and if you'll notice they have the recipe right on their website for the side dish that had me licking my plate clean. I'll include the recipe here as well:

Primavera Rice & Cheese

170 g Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice w/ Mushrooms
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese

Prepare rice according to package directions. Just before rice is almost done, saute vegetables in oil. Stir into cooked rice along with Mozzarella. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes to melt cheese before serving.

shrimp and rice

Wild Rice Shrimp Bake

1 6-oz package long grain & wild rice mix
1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4-0z. can mushroom pieces, drained
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 10-oz can cream of mushroom soup

Prepare rice according to package directions. Saute shrimp, green pepper, onion and mushrooms in butter until shrimp turn pink. Add soup to rice; stir into shrimp mixture. Bake in 2 quart baking dish at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

grilling vegetables

I put a roast in the slow cooker for supper, just dumped a little water and a package of onion soup mix on top, then turned it on High for 4 hours. Then we experimented a bit with the rest of the meal...

Rosemary Baby Potatoes

Boil 5 minutes, then coat with a mixture of:
Olive oil
Rosemary
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder (I would use fresh cloves but dh doesn't really dig the strong *authentic* garlic smell/flavor...)

Grill for 20 minutes over medium heat

Grilled Asparagus

Coat with melted butter, salt & pepper
Grill over medium heat about 10 minutes

Both turned out excellent! We will be doing this a lot more, and the best part is, dh loves to run the grill, so I have a lot less to do!

ham and cheddar chowder

We've had rain for weeks it feels like and yesterday I was just in the mood for a good old-fashioned comfort meal of soup. I used my favorite Ham & Cheddar Chowder recipe which is easy and a big hit with both Tech Guy and the little guys. The cookbook literally falls open to that page!

Ham & Cheddar Chowder

2 cups water
2 cups potatoes, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup cubed party ham
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese

Combine water, vegetables and seasonings in a large kettle. Bring to boil and boil for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile in sauce pan (or microwave) make white sauce. Melt butter and add flour. Stir until smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly add milk; cook until thickened. Add cheese to white sauce; stir until melted. Add white sauce and cubed ham to vegetables that have NOT been drained. Heat through, but do not boil.

Yield: 5 servings