Homemade Mac and Cheese

Make sure you go to Blessed With Grace to see the other great recipes this week.


This is a family favorite I have been making a lot lately because of picnics and parties. This mac and cheese is my "assigned" dish for parties, everyone always looks forward to it. If I don't make it, I might as well not show up at the party because they won't let me in! Give it a try for your Memorial Day weekend BBQ.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

2 lbs of your choice of pasta (we like shells because the hold the cheese really well)
1 large(2 lb)loaf of Velveeta cheese
2 sticks of margarine
3 cups milk (can use more or less depending on how runny you like your cheese)

~prepare pasta
~combine cheese, margarine, and milk over low heat and stir constantly until all of the cheese is melted
~pour over pasta and mix together

If you are taking this somewhere (it will fit into a large crockpot) you will want to add more milk (make it nice and runny) because it will dry out even on the warm setting.

Flash In The Pan Launch Party

Join me on Twitter for the official launch of A Flash in the Pan on
Wednesday April 22nd.
The preparty starts at 7 pm EST full party begins at 8 pm EST.
Use hashtag #FIPan

CONTEST DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL Noon EST Wednesday!

What is A Flash in the Pan? (from www.aflashinthepan.com)

A Flash In The Pan is the answer to, "What’s for dinner?" Every Friday, we provide a week’s worth of customizable, chef-created dinner menus for the upcoming week. Select how many servings and what time you want to eat and we take care of the rest! You’ll get a shopping list and our patented Cooksheet™ to help you think and cook like a chef. All you have to do is prepare for the compliments!

Do you need specialized recipes for diabetes, gluten-free living, healthy kids, quick and healthyno red meat? We’ve got you covered. You’ll also save money by cooking more meals at home. For less than the cost of ordering a pizza, we can help you eat healthier and more deliciously than you ever thought possible, for the entire month!

All of our recipes are seasonal, so the ingredients will taste better and be healthier for you and the environment. We take our fish and seafood recommendations from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide. Wherever possible, we recommend eating sustainably, shopping organically and supporting your local food producers. We now offer a way for you to give while you’re getting! We donate 10% of our profits to medical research. When you sign up for an account, you can choose whether to direct your donation to autism, celiac or diabetes research!

To celebrate the launch of the site A Flash in the Pan is giving away 100 free 1 year memberships and an awesome Grand Prize!

25 memberships will be given away during the launch party.

25 bloggers are each giving away 3 free 1 year memberships. I was lucky to be chosen as one of these bloggers! To see the other bloggers go here. Follow my directions below to enter my contest.

Each of the 25 bloggers will choose an entry (chosen by random.org) from their contest and it will be entered in the drawing to win the GRAND PRIZE!

What is the GRAND PRIZE? Its TWO CHEFS!

Max and Nancy are two chefs from Napa Valley and founders of aflashinthepan.com. They both graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and have over 35 years of professional culinary experience between them. One lucky winner will win both of them for one evening and an incredible 6-course dinner for 6 people. Both chefs will come to the winner's house, prepare the feast AND clean up after! So, decide who your five best friends are and enter to win!

Rules:
1. Chefs will travel to anywhere in the United States only.
2. Chefs will pay for all travel and food expenses. If desired, any wine or alcohol will be provided by winner.
3. Menu to be determined by winner and chefs.
4. Date of dinner to be determined by winner and chefs.
5. Please enter even if you fear that your house is too dirty for company or that you will be judged-- we have children and understand!

To enter for your chance to win one of 3 one year memberships to A Flash in the Pan or an entry into the GRAND PRIZE drawing please do the following.

Main Entry
1.) Click here to go to A Flash in the Pan and view the sample recipe. Come back here and leave me a comment with the name of the recipe and what you think about it.
Bonus Entries (leave a separate comment for each)
1.) Post this contest on your blog and link back to this site.
2.) Copy and paste this tweet to help spread the word about the launch party. "Join the #FIPan launch party Wed 4/22 @ 7pm EST. Prizes, food and fun! Register to win here http://bit.ly/Tfvr3"
3.) Stumble or Digg this giveaway using bar under my signature.
4.) Subscribe to my blog (panda in upper right sidebar).

DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL NOON EST WEDNESDAY :)
PLEASE READ THIS
US entries only please. Please make sure to leave a valid email address or your Twitter ID in at least one of your comments. I will not hunt you down if you win. If you do not follow the entry requirements as stated above, your entry will be invalid, so please make sure you read the directions carefully :) This contest will end at 11:00 am EST, Tuesday, April 21st. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified via email or Twitter DM. The winner will also be posted on this blog. The winner has 24 hrs from the time of the posting to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Go to Blessed With Grace to see more yummy recipes this week

Meatball Sub Bake

2 lbs ground beef
12 oz spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups packaged dry stuffing cubes (I use Pepperidge Farm)
12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

~cook beef, drain fat
~stir in sauce, water, and seasoning
~put beef mixture in 9 X 13 baking pan
~add stuffing cubes and toss lightly
~sprinkle cheese on top
~bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Since it is The Ultimate Blog Party week, I decided to post an easy drink recipe for you to try at your next party! Make sure you go to Blessed With Grace to see the other great recipes this week.

Frozen Slush
9 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 packages of frozen fruit of your choice (I like raspberry)
12 oz can of frozen orange juice
1 package of unsweetened Kool-Aid (match flavor to chosen fruit)
2 cups vodka

~boil 1 cup of water, dissolve sugar in water
~combine orange juice, fruit, Kool-Aid; blend until smooth
~add sugar water, mix well
~add vodka and remaining water
~freeze in a large container
~mix with 50/50 or Sprite to serve

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday ~ Cranberry Granola

Check out more great recipes at Blessed With Grace

Cranberry Granola

1 cup oats
1/2 cup bran flakes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup margarine/butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

~preheat oven to 300 degrees; spray a cookie sheet (with edge) with non stick spray
~in large bowl combine all dry ingredients EXCEPT cranberries/raisins
~combine margarine, honey, vanilla, and brown sugar in small bot over medium heat; stir until well combined
~pour half of the mixture into dry ingredients and stir
~pat into greased cookie sheet
~drizzle remaining sugar mixture over the top
~bake 30 -35 minutes; cool
~put cooled granola in an air tight container and add mix in cranberries/raisins

Enjoy :)

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Visit Blessed With Grace for more of this weeks great recipes.

Blueberry Cake

1 yellow cake mix
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup blueberries
2 tsp. vanilla

~mix all ingredients together and put in a well greased bundt pan
~Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
~Slice and serve! Tastes great with whipped cream.

Enjoy :)

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Visit Blessed with Grace to see other great recipes!

Sticky Bun

20 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls

1 small package Jello cook and serve pudding

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups walnuts

2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter ~ melted

~spray the inside of a bundt ban with non stick cooking spray

~arrange walnuts in the bottom of the pan

~arrange frozen dinner rolls on top of walnuts

~mix together pudding, brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over rolls

~pour metled butter over everything

~cover pan with kitchen towel and place in cold oven overnight (about 8 hours) to allow rolls to defrost and raise

~in morning turn oven to 350 degrees and bake approx 30 minutes or until rolls are nice golden brown

~invert pan onto plate and serve

Enjoy :)

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Visit Blessed with Grace to see other great recipes!

"No Peeking" Roast

~Preheat oven to 370 degrees.

~Place a 3 - 5 lb standing rib roast or eye of round roast in a 9 x 13 baking dish (cannot be frozen).

~Season with salt, pepper then add chopped onion and several garlic cloves.

~Roast meat uncovered fo 45 minutes DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR (no peeking!)

~Reduce heat to 350 degrees and roast for 15 more minutes DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR (no peeking!)

~Turn off heat and allow roast to set in oven for 1 - 2 hours (as long as it is at least one hour, time here doesn't matter) DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR (no peeking!)

~1/2 hour before serving, roast another 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Oven my be opened during this time to check for desired doneness. (it's okay to peek here!)

Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy made from the roast juices.
Enjoy!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

I recently came across Blessed With Grace while chatting on twitter. The blog owner Lisa sponsors a blog carnival every Tuesday called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays" where bloggers share their favorite recipes every Tuesday and they are all linked from her site. I am so excited to participate in this carnival each week. I have been sharing recipes but now my readers will know to come each Tuesday for my new recipe. If you are interested in participating just go to Blessed With Grace and sign up!

Here is today's recipe ~ great for the really cold days we have coming up this week!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

8 strips of bacon ~ fried and crumbled
1 medium onion ~ chopped
2/3 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups potatoes ~ cook and mash just enough to break them up, leave lumpy (canned potatoes work well)
2 cups half & half
1 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

~Brown onion in a few tablespoons of the bacon grease until lightly brown
~Stir in flour~Add broth and whisk well while adding to flour mixture
~Add bacon (you may want to save some for topping), potatoes, spices and half & half.
~Let thicken while stirring
~Add cheese (you may want to save some for topping.

Serve topped with additional cheese and bacon if you like.

Enjoy!

Great New Year's Eve Party Recipes!

We just got back from a trip to visit family in Erie and my Aunt made 2 new things this year that I just had to share!

Here are the links to 2 great, quick recipes that would be fantastic for your next get together.

Cinnamon Toast Pecans from the one and only Paula Dean!

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps again from Paula Dean

From my kitchen, a dip I make all of the time and is always a favorite. It is a Pampered Chef recipe I got when I was a consultant.

Hot Artichoke Crab Dip
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
1 pkg. (oz.) imitation crabmeat, chopped
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Just mix everything , put in a shallow casserole dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until dip is bubbly.
Makes 4 cups.
Tastes great with sea salt garlic chips!

Quick Spicy Chili

I'm not much of a chili eater, I don't like the beans, but last weekend I stopped at my brother's house and my SIL had made some and it smelled good so I tried some.

Wow it was really good and I have been craving it all week so I asked her for the recipe and made some today. I'm gonna share the recipe with all of you it will definitely help warm you up on these cold winter days!

1 lb cooked ground meat
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 jar salsa - your choice of mildness
1 pkg chili seasoning
1 can chili beans (I made mine without)

Mix it all together and cook until heated through. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and crushed nacho chips.

That's it! Even if you don't cook I think you could manage this, very easy and YUMMY!

Oh yeah, you might want to take some Tums with it :)

Enjoy!

Quick Yummy Candy Treat

Looking for something quick to make for a last minute gift? These are so easy to make and the kids can help too!

Here's what you need

~Snyders "Snap" pretzels - they are square and look like graph paper

~Rolo candies

Here's what you do

~Heat oven to 250 degrees

~Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

~Arrange pretzels on cookie sheet

~Place 1 unwrapped Rolo on top of each pretzel

~Bake just enough for the Rolos to soften, but not melt

~Remove from oven and place another pretzel on top of each Rolo and smash down to make a sandwich

~Cool

Fill up a jar with candies, wrap the lid in a pretty piece of fabric and ribbon, attach a gift tag, and you are ready to go! Wanna give a little more than candy? Attach an instant lottery ticket to the jar too!

I give these out every year and everyone loves them!

Chocolate Raspberry Dream Cookies

I was really excited when I read about Mommay's Mayhem's Virtual Cookie Exchange, but the weekend got away from me and I missed the deadline! I'm going to share my cookie recipe anyway.

I found this recipe about 3 years ago at the grocery store and tried it because I love anything raspberry! Now every year I get requests from friends and family to bake these cookies. Enjoy!

Swirled Chocolate Raspberry Dream Cookies by Nestle

2 cups flour

¾ cup Nestle Baking Cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

½ cup slivered almonds

10 oz package Nestle Swirled Chocolate/Raspberry morsels

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup morsels and nuts. Drop well rounded teaspoons of dough onto baking sheet. Top each drop with 4-5 additional morsels.

Bake for 11 -13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes then transfer to cooling racks.

Makes about 4 ½ dozen cookies

Homemade Jam

I love to make homemade jam for the holidays, and everyone enjoys receiving it. I did not make it last year and everyone was waiting for it! OOPS! If you have never made jam before, trust me it is not as complicated as it sounds, it is actually pretty easy to do but it is time consuming and can get expensive.

Here we go!

Step 1 – Get your supplies ready

Some things you need before you start:

• Jars – I like to use pint jars and give everyone a variety of different flavors instead of large jars of just one flavor. Jars can be reused year after year.
  
• Rings and seals - The rings can be reused each year, but you must purchase new seals every time.
  
• Large pot – This will be used to boil the jars, rings and seals prior to filling the jars.
  
• Pot holders – Don't want to get burnt!
  
• Ladle –The smaller the better so you don't spill when filling the jars.
  
• Tongs - You need ones that grip well so you can get the jars out of the boiling water.
  

Step 2 – Prepare your jars

Wash all jars, rings, and seals in hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly. Put everything in a large pot full of water and place on medium heat. Once the water begins to boil, turn the heat down but not off. You need to keep the supplies very hot for them to seal easily.

Step 3 – Choose and prepare your fruit

When making my jams, I use a combination of fresh and frozen fruit.

Fresh Fruit

When using fresh fruit, it is important to choose a mix of under ripe fruit (not green) as well as just ripe fruit. Peel any fruit that has a thick outer skin, such as apples or peaches. Remove any seeds or stems. Then cut the fruit into chunks and puree in a food processor or blender.

Frozen Fruit

I like to use frozen fruit because it allows for more variety in the off season, plus it is generally cheaper. ALDI has good mixed fruit and mixed berry varieties. Choose frozen fruit that does not have added sugar. Place fruit in a glass bowl to defrost. Once it is defrosted, place the fruit along with the juice in the food processor or blender and puree.

Step 4 – Choose your recipe

For each recipe you will need fruit pectin. This can usually be found in the store where the canning supplies are located.

Here are a few of our favorite jams:

Strawberry Nectarine Jam

3 cups prepared nectarines

1 ½ cups prepared strawberries

6 cups sugar

1 box fruit pectin

Strawberry Banana Jam

2 cups prepared bananas

2 ¾ cups prepared strawberries

6 ¾ cups sugar

1 box fruit pectin

Banana Bread Jam

3 cups prepared bananas

4 cups sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 box fruit pectin

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Fruit Fresh powder

1 ¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Triple Berry Jam

6 cups prepared frozen mixed berries (Aldi)

OR

2 cups prepared strawberries

2 cups prepared raspberries

2 cups prepared blueberries

4 ½ cups sugar

1 box of less or no sugar needed fruit pectin

Blueberry Jam

6 cups prepared blueberries

4 ½ cups sugar

1 box of less or no sugar needed fruit pectin

Pineapple Strawberry Jam

3 cups prepared strawberries

8 oz crushed pineapple in juice

5 ½ cups sugar

1 box fruit pectin

Peach Jam

4 ½ cups prepared peaches

3 cups sugar

1 box less or no sugar needed pectin

2 tbsp lemon juice

Carmel Apple Jam

6 cups prepared apples

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

1 box fruit pectin

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Step 5 – Prepare your recipe

Use the following steps to make each recipe

1. Place prepared fruit in large non stick pot
   
2. Stir in pectin; any lemon juice or spices
   
3. Add ½ tsp. butter to reduce foaming
   
4. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (won't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat stirring constantly.
   
5. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute stirring constantly.
   
6. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.
   

Step 6 – Jar and seal your jam

1. Remove a jar, a ring, and a seal from boiling water. Shake off excess water.
   
2. Don't forget to use your potholder when holding the jars!
   
3. Ladle hot mixture into hot jar leaving 1/8 in headspace.
   
4. Wipe jar rims and threads with a paper towel soaked in hot water.
   
5. Place seal on jar and tighten ring.
   
6. Place jar UPSIDEDOWN on a cooling rack and leave inverted for 8 – 10 hours. During this process you may hear the lids "pop" when they seal.
   
7. After allotted time turn jars over and check the seal. Press the middle of the lid; if it springs back the lid is not sealed. If it is not sealed place it in the fridge for several more hours. If this still doesn't work reheat the jam and the jar and try again using a new seal.
   

Tips

Mix only one batch of jam at a time.

Most recipes yield about 8 cups of jam.

Use Microsoft Word to make personal labels using address labels.

Make up baskets that contain a few jars of jam ,some crackers and fancy spreaders. Make great gifts.

Tell family and friends you would love to refill their jars next holiday season if they give them back when their jam is gone!

Don't forget to have fun!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me!