Twisted Mac and Cheese

Seeing as November is coming around and the weather is slowly changing, I was looking for comfort foods! Yummy! I love mac and cheese but I get tired of the normal one. So I found this recipe and I played with it a   little and it came out oh so good! And bonus, it's easy and fast.

Ingredients

Macaroni
Mushrooms (I used about two 8 oz container, but use as much or as little as you want)
2 tbsp butter
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
12 oz feta cheese
spices (I used rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper)
2 big cloves of garlic crushed (or as much as you want)
1 cup of 35% cream (I used my 1% milk and I added corn starch to thicken it)

Heat oven to 500.
While your noodles are cooking, melt the butter, I use my big Wok, and cook the mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the spices and the garlic, cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the cream, bring a to simmer. (At this point if you have used milk you would add your corn starch, I usually mix mine with a little bit of water to make it more liquid and therefore it is distributed evenly in my dish). Add half the feta cheese and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.

In an oven proof dish, mix the sauce and the noodles together, top with remaining feta cheese. If you want to add more you could add some parmesan, It would be very good!  Put in the oven for 5 minutes, let is set for a minute or two and serve!

This picture is from my lunch the next day and it was just as tasty!

Enjoy!

Slow cooked steak sandwiches

I absolutely love my crockpot! And I love finding new recipes and trying them out. Recently I saw a recipe for Pizza steak sandwiches (http://eatathomecooks.com/2011/11/pizza-steak-sandwiches-in-the-slow-cooker.html) and I was inspired! Here is my version of slow cooked steak sandwiches!

Ingredients

Steak (whatever you cut you like)

a can (28 oz) of tomatoes (I took whole tomatoes with italian spices)

Mushrooms (you can put whatever veggies you like or have on hand, like peppers or whatever)

Salt 

Pepper

Oregano

Cheese

Buns of your choice (I used fresh cheese buns, that my husband had just picked up)

Put steak in slow cooker. 

Add tomatoes, I had to cut mine up in smaller pieces, or you could just use crushed ones, I just prefer that kind. 

Add mushrooms and spices of your choosing.

Cook. Since I knew I was going to be gone pretty long, and my slow cooker allows me to change the setting on my slow cooker, I put mine on for 5 hours on low and then warm the rest of the time until I got home! 

When you are ready to eat, cut up your bun in half if it is not precut, add a piece of cheese (whatever kind you like, cheddar, mozzarella and provolone would be good) and pull the steak apart (sort of like pulled pork) and put on top of cheese, close it up and enjoy!

My husband really enjoyed it and it will definitely be done again in our house. Don't be afraid to play it and add things that you like. 

Taco meatloaf with bacon and cheese potatoes

A few years back I was looking for meatloaf recipes and I came across this taco meatloaf one. Over the years I have modified it some, here is how I make mine! There is also a recipe for probably the best potatoes I have made in a while.

Ingredients
Ground beef (I use 1lb for my husband and I, two if I have people over)
One envelope of Taco seasoning (I get the PC brand, it's cheaper and very tasty. I also do not double this weather I use 1 or 2 lbs of beef)
One egg
A dozen crackers (I cumble them all, I have used cheese crackers, soda crackers, and bread crumbs too)
Salsa
Cheese (I have used processed cheese, mozarrella and cheddar before)

There are two ways to make these, I have done both, but I find that the first one holds together better (but I will put both)

Mix first 4 ingredients together and place in your meatloaf pan.
Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes.
Take out, pour a little bit of salsa and cheese on top and cook for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

*This is the second one, I find it breaks easily
Mix first 4 ingredients, place half of the mixture in your meatloaf pan put cheese slices, and palce remaining mixture.
Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes.
Take out, pour a little bit of salsa and cheese on top and cook for another 10 minutes.

*based on this recipe http://www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/9180



Bacon and cheese potatoes

Ingredients
Potatoes (I used about three medium size each)
Bacon crumble
Cheese (I used mozzarella)
*green onions (optional) (I didn't have any so I didn't use them, but they would be good)

Slices potatoes thinly, melt butter and spread over the potatoes on both sides (I used a brush).

I cooked them at the same time as my meat loaf, and they were just perfectly crispy.

Top with bacon and cheese as soon as they come out of the oven.

Enjoy these two recipes together or separately

Chicken and Strawberry Spinach salad

I wanted to have something a little bit lighter and reminding me of the summer before we see some snow! I had left over fresh spinach from my skillet lasagna (I will tell you about this one in the next few days, I don't have enough time today) but anyway I didn't want it to go to waste.

You will need :
Fresh Spinach (I use baby spinach, or you could use anything else, like Romaine, whatever you like)
Strawberries (I suppose you could use raspberries or blueberries or whatever kind of berries)
Pecans (or any kind of nut, that just happened to be what I had from my left over for pecan pie, which I will also blog about another time)
Chicken
Berry Poppyseed dressing (I was looking for the raspberry but I couldn't find it, so I used the field berry one)
Cheese (goat cheese is really good or whatever you want)

Mix it all together and you have a very tasting salad that can be used as a side or as a main dish with chicken (like I did).

Enjoy!

Bacon and cheese impossible pie

Well it's been a little while and I promise I will try and update this blog every couple of days. I have a few recipes now that I have done in the past couple of weeks and haven't shared!
Who doesn't love quiche! Typically french, typically complicated, well here come the quick and easy impossible pie! Let me dwell on the name for a little while...why impossible, it is so easy that it should be called the I'm Possible Pie!(Okay I suck at jokes).

I love these 'cause you can make them be whatever you like, and it is so easy!

Anyway here is my recipe for my bacon and cheese impossible pie! Enjoy!

I use one of my pie bakeware  for this I find that it works perfectly and it cooks faster than a pie glass dish

Ingredients *this will make one impossible pie
4 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of bisquick (you can make your own, but the one recipe I had found made a ton of it and you have to use it fairly quickly)
Bacon (I used pre-cooked crumble bacon that I got at a good price, but you could cook your own)
Cheese *or whatever else you want to put in these
*Spices of your choice



First heat up your oven at 375 F.
I then put a tiny little bit of butter or oil in my plate just to make it a little greasy and to avoid any sticking!
Mix well the eggs, the milk and the bisquick (you can put it in the blender if you don't want to stir)
In  the pie plate put the remaining ingredients and spices (as much as you like, I usually go for about two cups of whatever I am putting in, obviously only a pinch of spices)
Pour the egg mixture on top of your ingredients and do not mix!
Cook for about 35 minutes