Sunday, September 20, 2009

Grandma Bea's Baked Mac & Cheese

As I type I'm baking this in the oven right now, ha! That's what actually made me think to come and post it on here right now. This is Sam's (my husband's) all-time fav dish that I make, and we can thank good ol' Grandma Bea for it!! Even though it's the same recipe, there's something about Grandma Bea's that is always so much yummier. I can never seem to match hers. Needless to say, she is such a good cook! Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 375.

Ingredients:
2 cups elbow macoroni noodles
1 and 1/3 cups cheddar cheese cubed
4 tbsp. butter
2 cups milk
salt & pepper
*optional: 1 piece of bread

Directions:
Boil and drain macaroni.
Pour into casserole dish.
Add butter and stir until melted.
Salt & Pepper to your taste.
Add cubed cheese and stir.
Pour in milk.
*optional: crumble a piece of bread ontop if you'd like a crispy touch on top. It's good!
Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 mins.

Tada!! Enjoy. We make it all the time. Not too many ingredients and not a huge timetaker...except for the waiting 45 mins. to eat it once it's in the oven, haha.


Contributed By: Elizabeth Joy

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Spaghetti Pie

This is one that I had for the first time in OK while visiting Evan's family. One of our friends, Shawnee, made it and now its a meal we eat often.

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients:

6oz (or half a box) of spaghetti noodles cooked
1 egg
3 TBS butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese


Directions:
1. Cook ground beef or ground turkey and combine with sauce.
2. Cook spaghetti and drain
3. Coat cooked spaghetti in melted butter.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 egg and Parmesan cheese.
5. Combine spaghetti and egg mixture.
6. In a greased pie pan, place spaghetti mixture on the bottom and press down.
7. Place ground beef and sauce on top.
8. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top to liking.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

(Evan and I like to make this a "Meat lovers" pie by adding cooked turkey peperoni to the top right before baking... YUM!!)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Buttermilk Pancakes and Maple Syrup

Buttermilk Pancakes:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine buttermilk and egg. Add all ingredients, adding the melted butter last. Cook on griddle.

Homemade syrup - this is what I had growing up. There is nothing better than this syrup hot on your pancakes! YUM!
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Bring to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp maple flavoring and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Color-vision Cake:
1 cake mix prepared according to box instructions
1 small box lime jello (you can use any flavor)

Mix 3 tbsp of dry lime jello into cake batter. Bake the cake according to box instructions.

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cold water
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla

In the top of a double boiler combine sugar, cold water, egg whites, and cream of tartar. Add remaining dry lime jello. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Place over boiling water (upper pan should not touch water). Cook, beating constantly with the electric mixer on high speed, about 7 minutes or till frosting forms stiff peaks. Remove from the heat; add vanilla. Beat 2 to 3 minutes more or till it reaches spreading consistency. This frosts the tops and sides of two 8 or 9 inch cake layers or one 10 inch tube cake.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp:
1 cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter

Pat into greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

2 16oz sliced peaches
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch

Drain peaches; reserve juice in saucepan-add sugar & cornstarch. Bring to a boil stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in peaches, pour into crust.

Mix 1 ½ cups quick oats, ½ cups brown sugar, ¼ cup flour, cut into 5 tbsp butter. Mix & sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Crockpot Mac-n-cheese

Slow-cooked Mac-n-cheese:
16 oz elbow macaroni or rotelle or shells or bowtie, etc.
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 can (12 oz) evap milk
1 can (10 ¾ oz) condensed Chedder cheese soup
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded cheese, divided
1/8 tsp paprika

Cook macaroni according to pkg directions, drain. Place in 5 qt crockpot; add butter. In a bowl, combine eggs, evap milk, soup, milk, & 3 cups cheese. Blend together. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to combine. Cover & cook on low for 1-2 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with paprika.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Spiced Oatmeal Mix

This is a nice alternative to cereal in the morning - homemade oatmeal mix! You can play around with the ingredients to your liking. Enjoy!

Spiced Oatmeal Mix:
8 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/2 cups chopped mixed dry fruit
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to a month. Contents of mix may settle during storage. When preparing recipe, spoon mix into measuring cup. In a deep microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup oatmeal mix and 1 cup water. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-2 minutes or until bubbly, stirring every 30 seconds. Let stand for 1-2 minutes before serving. Yield: 18 servings.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

The Best Chocolate Chip/Oatmeal Cookies:

Mix together 2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups white sugar, 2 cups real butter, softened, 4 eggs, 4 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp vanilla, 5 cups oats, & 1 cup mini chocolate chips.

Mix together adding oats & chocolate chips last. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Can divide recipe in half. SO tasty!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pie:

This recipe is perfect in the fall and you can mix up everything beforehand except the angel biscuit recipe so you can put it in the fridge the night before and when you get home you can mix up the biscuit recipe and put it on top and bake it. This is a family favorite in my house!

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pie:
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
6 - 8 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 can corn, drained
dash of salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 2/3 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 recipe angel biscuit dough*

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in baking dish; cover with sliced eggs and drained corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix broth and soup; pour over chicken.

Angel Biscuits*:
2 ½ cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
½ cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 tbsp yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add shortening and cut in until mixture is crumbly. In separate bowl whisk together milk & yeast. Pour over dry ingredients. Roll dough into ball and knead on floured surface 20-25 times. Pat into ½ inch thickness. Cut Angel Biscuit Dough into rounds with a biscuit cutter; arrange over chicken. Bake for 30 minutes; serve hot. Yield: 6-10 minutes.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Zucchini Bread

It's that time of year - harvesting your zucchini! Here is a fabulous recipe that I recently found. Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 loaves
3 eggs
2 C sugar
1C oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C raw shredded zucchini
Beat well together. Add the following ingredients.
3 C flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon

Optional: add ½ C nuts, ½ C raisins, or ½ C chocolate chips.

Pour into greased pans. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.