Linguini Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

We eat a lot of pasta in our house. I mean, A LOT! Ever since we used to share dinners with a friend's family, who almost always served pasta, we have enjoyed the best pasta dishes ever! And, this one is just as good as any of the others. The chicken I grilled before I sliced it ... but, I think next time I'll slice it and then marinate and grill it. It was still pretty good as it was. I usually don't add chicken to my alfredo pasta .... but, it just seemed right. And, this is linguini ... one of my favs. I also LOVE penne, farfalle (the little bowties), and rotini. Choose your favorite ... my alfredo sauce is a little think, so you don't have to worry about choosing a pasta that will hold the sauce well. Marinara is different; penne is really good for that one because of the ridges.

So, start out by marinating your chicken (I used Lawry's Carribean Jerk marinade ... it was really, really good). Stick it in a bag in the fridge for 30 minutes before you serve the dish. After you take care of the chicken, start the water boiling for the pasta, and also start on the sauce.

ALFREDO PASTA SAUCE

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

2 cups whipping cream

(or half and half, or milk)

1 to 2 Tbsp. milk, or some of the

water from cooking the pasta

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Start by making a roux: melt the butter, then add the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper; cook while stirring for about one minute. Slowly pour in the cream, and whisk together until it starts to thicken. Now, add the milk according to the thickness you'd like (I prefer the pasta water, and I usually just eyeball it, pouring in water and stirring until it is the right conistency). Toss in the parm; stir until melted. Add basil. Serve over pasta. (Add more or less salt according to your tastebuds.)

Sometimes I throw in a small handfull of frozen peas and just serve that over the pasta. But, on this night, I grilled the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side, then sliced it up and served that atop the pasta. I think I added the peas to this as well ... but I didn't see any in the picture, so I didn't want to trick everyone!

Let me know what you think!

Cheesy Chicken & Stuffing

CHEESY CHICKEN & STUFFING CASSEROLE

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pkg. stuffing mix, chicken flavored
1 2/3 cups hot water
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup plain yogurt (if you don't have this, just use sour cream; but, trust me, the yogurt makes it so creamy!)
3 Tbsp. milk
5 slices provolone cheese

Place chicken in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Pour stuffing mix into medium-sized bowl and add water. Mix together until water is absorbed. Set aside. In separate medium-sized bowl combine soup, sour cream, yogurt, and milk. Place cheese slices atop chicken; pour soup mixture over chicken; and top with stuffing (fluffing with a fork before dropping it). Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly and stuffing is crispy. If stuffing gets too browned before the rest is bubbly, cover with foil for the remainder of baking time.

Eclairs

This week's Table Time Tuesday is dedicated to the treats that I make as an annual tradition for the Fourth of July. Each year we are invited to our friend's family lake house for Independence Day ... if we bring the éclairs. The first year we were told to bring whatever we wanted. At the time I was experimenting and thought it would be fun to take homemade éclairs. From that day on, I was told we could only come if we brought them. So, for the last four years my preparations for the Fourth have begun on the Third.

Don't get intimidated .... These are super easy! Just really time consuming, if you make as many as I do. I make a quadruple batch every year, which gives me around 120 éclairs. But, I grew up eating these. My mom used to make these all the time ... only, they were cream puffs. That's the super-duper easy way to make them. I'll explain the difference as we continue through the recipe.

And, now, here's the recipe:

HOMEMADE ECLAIRS

1 cup water
½ cup butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding,
made according to pie filling directions & chilled
Chocolate Frosting
1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1 tsp. butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp. milk

Heat oven to 400°. Heat water and butter to a rolling boil in a 2½-quart saucepan. Stir in flour; reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously over low heat about one minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating until smooth. Shape ¼ cupful of dough into finger that is 4½-inches long and 1½-inches wide, using a spatula onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Fill the éclairs with the premade pudding. Frost with Chocolate Frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
Melt 1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate and 1 tsp. butter in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar & milk. Beat until smooth and spreadable. Frost éclairs.

This is what the batter should look like when the eggs are all beaten in. It should kind of sticky. And, it gets harder and harder to stir together. When my Kitchen Aid mixer was working, I used to pour it all into the bowl and let my mixer do the work ... or I'd ask my strong husband to do the stirring when I'd do all four batches at once. This time I split it up into two, and I was still able to stir it okay.

Here's the shaping. Okay, here's where my inventive mind kicked in. The first time I made these, they kind of stuck to the pan. So, I always use parchment paper. There isn't any paper on this pan because I didn't have any ... and it was the only pan that I did this way. Right after I realized I didn't have any parchment paper, I went to the store to get some. That's how important that stuff is. Seriously, go get some, it's heavenly!

The other thing I did differently is scoop the batter into a disposable pastry bag. Then, I twist the top and cut off the point about 1½-inches from the end of the point, then squeeze the batter out in the "finger" formation. Super easy this way, and saves you a ton of time.

**If you want to just make cream puffs, drop the batter onto the cookie sheet, like you would chocolate chip cookies. And, instead of piping in the filling, just slice them in half and plop some pudding on there. Then, put the top back on. They are super messy and yummy this way: exactly the way children like them! I like mixing up the flavors of the pudding too, so that I use chocolate pudding with whipped cream inside.**

After I bake them, I place them on a cooling rack to cool, unless I want to fill them and serve them warm.

Pull out that chilled pudding, and fill the éclairs with it. Again, I use a pastry bag with a medium-size star tip. I also poke the tip into the top of the éclair because it will get covered with the chocolate frosting. Okay, look how I'm holding the bag. That's exactly how you want to hold the bag. Squeeze your big digit of your thumb against the side of your hand to hold the twisted part of the bad securely. Then, when you squeeze the bag to get the filling out, you'll squeeze your entire fist. This ensures that your hand doesn't get as tired, and all the pudding stays in the bag going the right direction, instead of coming out the open end.

*Tip: Place the filled éclairs in the fridge overnight. That way they are easier to hold on to when you frost them. And, the pudding is thicker so it doesn't spill out.

When I make these I always add a little more milk so the frosting is a little thinner and then I can dip the top of the éclairs into the frosting to save time. If you do it this way, just be sure to hold on pretty tight. I think three of mine were sacrificed because I accidentally dropped them in the frosting. (But, my tongue had no complaints about that one!) Here's what they look like finished.

Now, here's another tip. Before you frost those things, scrape off any excess pudding that came out when you filled them the night before. Otherwise, they will look like these little babies; not very aesthetically pleasing.

And, here's a picture of one child being subjected into eating one of these great éclairs to show you how yummy they are. Isn't he cute?

Again, these things are very yummy and make everyone happy. At the lake, I'm known as the "éclair lady;" and everyone asks my friend's mom if I am coming. (Long story, it's coming later.)

Ah, there's a happy éclair-eating-face!

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

APPLESAUCE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour
1 pkg. chocolate chips

Mix together shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and applesauce. Add the rest of the ingredients except flour and chocolate chips. Make sure the batter is mixed well. Add the flour a little at a time. The mixture will get harder to mix as you add flour. Fold in the chocolate chips. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350° for 10-12 minutes.

BTW, my cookie jar looked like that on Sunday ... and now it's empty. That's how good these are!

Mexican Lasagna

MEXICAN LASAGNA
2 lbs. ground beef, browned
1 can refried beans
1 can green chilies
1 pkg. Taco seasoning (or ¼ cup, if you buy it in bulk)
2 Tbsp. hot salsa
4 cups Colby-jack, or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
12 oz. uncooked lasagna noodles
1 jar (16 oz.) mild salsa (I get my 2 Tbsp. hot salsa from this jar because my family doesn't like it too spicy)
2 cups water
2 cups sour cream
1 can sliced olives
3 green onions, chopped

Add beans, chilies, taco seasoning, and hot salsa to ground beef. (Again, I just dip my 1 Tbsp. into the jar of mild salsa and use that in place of the hot salsa.) Mix well. In greased 9x13 dish, layer 1/3 of noodles, meat mixture, and 1 cup of cheese. Again, here are the layers:

Noodles
Meat mixture
Cheese

Repeat the layers twice. Combine mild salsa and water; pour over top. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until heated through. Uncover, top with sour cream, olives, onions, and remaining cheese. Bake for five more minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

(P.S. I apologize for the picture ... it doesn't do this lasagna justice. And, it probably doesn't make it look really, really good ... but, believe me, you won't regret trying this.)

Barbecue Ham Sandwiches

BARBECUE HAM

2 Tbsp. butter
½ cup celery, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
¾ cup water
½ cup tomato soup
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire's sauce
¼ tsp. pepper
½ boneless ham, thinly sliced
Rolls, or buns

Sauté onion and celery in butter. Add remaining ingredients, except ham and rolls. Simmer for 15 minutes. Pour over ham. Simmer atop stove for 30-40 minutes; or, cook in crock-pot for 1 to 2 hours. Serve in rolls.

Now, I alter mine because my children wouldn't even dream of coming near this fabulous ham if they saw any little pieces of celery or onion. So, I omit those, and I don't taste too much of a difference. Of course, it's much better with them though. I also usually just mix everything together in a bowl, then without letting it simmer I pour it over the ham that I've placed in the crock-pot, and I let it cook in there for 4 hours. And, I usually leave out the water because it seems a little bit too runny for us when I put it in there. But, it's all personal preference. Seriously, this is good stuff; especially if you do let it cook longer because then it is more tender and yummy.

Marinated Grilled Chicken

MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN

8-9 chicken breasts, thawed (I always get the frozen, boneless, skinless at Costco)
3 parts Sprite
1 part Worcestershire sauce
2 pkgs. fajita seasoning mix (I only used one mix of each and my husband said that there could have been more seasoning, so I suggest using 1½ - 2pkgs)
2 pkgs. Italian dressing mix

Shake, or stir, everything together except chicken. Pour over chicken, and either place in large Ziploc bag, or in a COVERED dish. Then place the chicken in the fridge for at least 1 hour to marinade. The longer, the better.


This is very important: always, always, ALWAYS cover and place your marinated meat in the fridge. It prevents bacteria from growing on the meat. I've been to someone's house in which they had the meat marinating uncovered, ON THE COUNTER! Needless to say, I didn't eat any of it, and neither did anyone in my family. It's just not sanitary, or safe!

Anyway, I'm off my soap box now.

Now, I skewered some of my chicken and some of it I didn't. It's your preference. But, if you're going to cut the chicken and skewer it, do that before placing it in the marinade. It's just not as messy.

Preheat the grill to medium high, then place the chicken on the grill. Grill them for about 4-5 minutes each side, for breasts, and just watch the skewers, turning them as needed until they are browned to your liking (I prefer mine almost black, but that's me!).

We also grilled corn on the cob. So easy! Shuck the husks off the corn, then wrap them in foil. Place them on the preheated grill for 15-20 minutes. I would suggest drawing a line, or a little smiley face or a picture of some sort on the foil so you know how far you've turned them to make sure all the corn is cooked. We had some that on one side the corn wasn't cooked. But, they were so yummy!

Checkerboard Cake

CHECKERBOARD CAKE

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar, divided
1/3 cup water
3 cups cake flour (or measure one cup of all-purpose flour, minus 2 tablespoons for each cup of cake flour)
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ cup butter, softened
2 egg whites
1 large egg
1½ cups plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour three 9-inch round baking pans. Whisk cocoa, ½ cup sugar and water; set aside. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat remaining sugar and butter until fluffy; add egg whites and egg. Beat in yogurt and flour mixture. Divide batter in half. Fold cocoa mixture into half of the batter. Spoon chocolate batter into a heavy plastic bag; cut hole at bottom corner. Pipe some chocolate batter in a ring around edges of two of the prepared pans. Fill another plastic bag with white batter. Pipe batter next to chocolate; finish with chocolate in the center; like so:

Pipe white batter around edge of remaining pan. Alternate piping the chocolate batter with the white until reaching center of pan; like so:

Bake about 25 minutes (I think I baked mine too long). Transfer pans to wire racks and cool slightly. Turn cakes onto racks; cool completely.

*Here's where I change it. I did what I do every time I bake a cake. I let the cakes stand in their pans and cool slightly on the rack, then when I turn it out I turn it out onto some prepared plastic wrap and wrap up the cakes. Then, they go directly in the freezer to freeze. This makes for nicely moistened cakes, and very few crumbs when frosting.*

Place a chocolate-edge layer on a serving plate; spread with vanilla frosting. Top with the white-edged cake layer. Spread with vanilla frosting; top with third cake layer. Spread top and sides of cake with vanilla frosting.

Saucy Au'Gratin Potatoes

SAUCY AU'GRATIN POTATOES

5-7 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
3-4 hot dogs, sliced; or
1 pkg. cubed ham
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
12 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
½ - 1 tsp. seasoned salt (like Lawry's)
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups sour cream

Combine potatoes and hot dogs in a large bowl. In a saucepan, make a roux: melt butter; stir in flour, bouillon, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk and bring to a boil; cook and stir until bubble and thickened. Reduce heat; add cheese and sour cream. Stir until cheese is melted. Pour over potatoes, then pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour (add more time if you use more potatoes).

Sour Cream Spice Cake

SOUR CREAM SPICE CAKE

2 cups flour
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup shortening
½ cup water
2 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground nutmeg

Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Pour into lightly greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes (round pans for 30-35 minutes), or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely (or immediate freeze to retain moisture). Frost with cream cheese frosting (below).

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
2 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
Meringue powder, optional

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add remaining ingredients until smooth and spreadable. (Add meringue powder to give it a stiffer consistency for decorating.)

Lasagna

LASAGNA

1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. garlic salt
½ small onion, or
1 tsp. onion powder
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
1 can tomato soup
1 to 1 ¾ cans water
½ tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushroom (optional)
½ tsp. ground oregano
1 pkg. lasagna noodles
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 (12 oz.) container cottage cheese

Brown ground beef and onion. If you want spicier lasagna, try using ground Italian sausage. Sprinkle garlic salt (and onion powder if omitting the onion) on meat. Add tomato paste, tomato soup, water, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add oregano and mushrooms (add a little more water if sauce is too thick). Simmer for 10 more minutes. Combine cottage cheese and eggs in small bowl, set aside. Make two layers as follows:

1/3 meat sauce
Lasagna noodles
½ cottage cheese mixture
½ mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

End with last 1/3 of meat sauce on top. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until set, before serving

Snickerdoodles

SNICKERDOODLES

1 ½ cups sugar
2 sticks butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cream of tarter
3 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together sugar and butter in large bowl. In medium bowl stir together baking soda, salt, cream of tarter, and flour. Add eggs and vanilla to sugar-butter mixture. Mix flour mixture into sugar mixture. Roll into 2-inch balls. In same bowl used for flour mixture combine ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon; roll balls in cinnamon-sugar and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 9 to 11 minutes.

Hamburger Pie

HAMBURGER PIE

1 lb. ground beef
Chili powder
Salt and pepper
1 can condensed tomato soup, or
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can green beans
Ketchup, to taste
Mashed potatoes
Cheddar cheese, grated

Brown ground beef; add chili powder, salt & pepper. Stir together. Add tomato soup, green beans and ketchup. Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes atop meat mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Cauliflower Casserole

CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE
1 head cauliflower, cut up; or,
1 pkg frozen cauliflower
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1½ cups cheese
1/3 - ½ cup sour cream
1 pkg. diced ham; or,
1½ cups cubed ham

Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. (Or, do what I do: just cut up the pieces enough to stick into a steamer.) Steam cauliflower until mostly tender. Spray a baking dish. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and salt and stir together until bubbly. Pour in milk. Stir until mixture starts to thicken. Add cheese and sour cream, cook until cheese is melted. Place cooked cauliflower and ham in large mixing bowl. Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower and stir until it is all coated. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes.

**If you are freezing it to eat later, use frozen cauliflower and do not cook it before coating it with the cheese sauce. Let it cool, then pour it into a gallon freezer zipper back. Freeze for up to four weeks. When you cook it, put it in the greased casserole dish, and bake at 350º for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Beef & Cheese Bake

BEEF & CHEESE BAKE

1 ½ lbs. ground beef
1 (8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. basil, divided
3 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
12 oz. cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
8 to 16 oz. pasta (we like rotini; amount depends on how many you're feeding)
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. Cook pasta until slightly tender. Brown ground beef. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, 1 tsp. basil, 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper; stir to mix seasonings well with beef. Pour in tomato sauces and Worcestershire sauce. Let simmer. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, remaining 1 tsp. basil, and remaining 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Spray 9x13 pan. Spread half of pasta on the bottom of pan. Spoon half of the beef mixture over pasta. Cover with cheese mixture. Finish layering with remaining pasta and beef mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (and, I sprinkle a little bit of Italian seasoning atop the parm). Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until bubbly hot. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Rivka's Cinnamon Rolls

RIVKA'S CINNAMON ROLLS
2 cups milk
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
2 eggs
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. yeast
½ cup butter, softened
½ - 3/4 cup brown sugar (the darker the better)
2 - 3 tsp. cinnamon

Combine milk, 1/2 cup butter, and sugar; warm in microwave until butter is softened and parly melted. If it gets too hot it can kill the yeast when you add it, so you may have to let it cool a bit. Add salt, eggs, flour, and yeast. Mix together until ingredients are well combined. Do NOT knead this dough for any length of time. The dough will be sticky. Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a warm area and let rise for one hour, or until it doubles in size. Meanwhile, prepare cinnamon filling: Mix together softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. When dough is double, punch down the dough and place it onto a well-floured surface. Flour the top of the dough and roll into a rectangle about ¼ to ½-inch thick. Spread with cinnamon filling. Get it all the way out to the edges. Starting at one long side, roll the dough into a log shape. Cut into fifteen rolls. Place rolls cut side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish (three across, five down). Let the rolls rise in the pan for another hour (or skip this step as Rivka does, which is what I did). Bake at 325º for 20-25 minutes, until the tops or the middle rolls are beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before glazing (or frosting in my case; recipes below).

Rivka's Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar¼ - ½ c. milk½ tsp. vanilla (or almond/lemon/maple extract)

Or, my preference:

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (3 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1½ cups powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
dash of salt

Beat together all ingredients. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Chunky Red Pasta Sauce

RED PASTA

1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
20 baby carrots, or two carrots sliced
2 cans tomatoes, petite diced (my friend used whole tomatoes I think, but I like the smaller chunks in petite diced)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste*
water, to consistency
3 cubes chicken bouillon (my friend used vegetable bouillon, I just don't have that here)
basil, to taste (I use about 1 Tbsp. or so, just smell the sauce to determine if there's enough: you don't want it to taste like peppers and tomatoes, and you don't want it to burn your nose with basil)
salt and pepper, to taste
pasta, cooked (I prefer penne or linguini, which is what we had)

In a large pot, combine butter and olive oil until butter is melted. Add pork cubes and stir to brown. When pork is lightly golden brown on one or two sides, add garlic and onion. Sauté for about one minute. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta. (*Only add about 2/3 of the can of tomato paste. Less if you want chunkier sauce, more if you want creamier sauce.) Let simmer for at least 2 hours, the longer it simmers the better is tastes (especially the carrots). (This smells heavenly!) Serve over pasta; sprinkle with parmesan.

Three-Cheese & Macaroni

When I brought this over from my old blog I couldn't find the picture on my computer for it. I guess I'll have to make it again and take another picture! In the mean time, just imagine what it looks like!

THREE-CHEESE & MACARONI

1-1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
2 hot dogs, sliced; optional (see above comments)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt (like, Lawry's)
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 pkg. Ritz crackers, crushed
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Cook macaroni as directed on package. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in saucepan; add flour, seasoning salt, chicken bouillon granules, garlic powder, and pepper. Whisk together until bubbly. Pour in milk; whisk until combined and beginning to thicken. Add cheese. Stir until cheese in melted, then add hot dogs. Simmer for about one to two minutes. Add macaroni to saucepan and stir until evenly coated. Pour into 9x13 pan. Add cracker crumbs to melted butter, stir until crackers are moist. Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar cheese atop macaroni; sprinkle cracker crumbs atop cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. (I was in a time crunch and baked it for 15 minutes at 375 degrees and it still was super yummy.)

Foil Dinners

FOIL DINNERS

1 lb. ground beef, divided
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 carrots, peeled and sliced julienne
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, sliced with rings separated
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. Ranch dressing mix
salt and pepper
foil, cut into about 15-18" long by the width of the foil tube; you need one section of foil for each dinner you're making

Roll each portion of ground beef into a ball and place onto foil. (Be sure to divide the ground beef into the number of dinners you need. For, example, I need six dinners [one for each member of my family], so I divided my pound of ground beef into six portions. Use more than one pound if you like more meat.) Flatten out the meat, but not too thin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper according to your liking. Layer onions and garlic atop the ground beef.
Place potatoes and carrots in a gallon size ziploc bag. Pour oil and ranch dressing mix into the bag and give it a good shake; make sure the veggies are coated. Place a good amount of potatoes and carrots on top and around the ground beef.

Now's the fun part: folding the foil. Bring the two long sides together in the middle, matching the two edges with the inside part of the foil touching. Roll it down (like you would a brown paper sack) until you lightly touch the insides of the foil pack. Now do the ends. Roll them up. Don't roll them up too tightly because you'll need a little venitlation.

Place a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; transfer foil dinners to the cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour (adjust the cooking time if needed; the smaller the foil dinner the fewer minutes you'll need cooking; check the inside of the meat before serving to be sure it is done, as well as the tenderness of the veggies). Enjoy!

Butterscotch Brownies

BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/3 cups flaked or shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup tiny marshmallows
caramel-flavored ice cream topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a small saucepan melt 1/3 cup butter; stir in 2/3 cup brown sugar, the coconut, and 3/4 cup pecans. Pat evenly in prepared pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup brown sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add flour and beat until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans and marshmallows. Spoon small mounds of mixture over coconut mixture in pan. Carefully spread to cover. Bake about 20 minutes* (mixture should be evenly browned; center may jiggle slightly when shaken). Cool in pan on a wire rack. To serve, cut into bars and drizzle with caramel topping.

*I baked mine for around 23 minutes or so and the middle still didn't seem done. So, next time I think I'll let it bake for 30 minutes.