Recipes

So, I had a request for recipes, and I'll be honest, I don't really use them, everything's in my head, so this takes some work.

Most the things I cook I don't think should really need a recipe, but on occasion when there are specific marinades or ingredients in a casserole would you like to know the details? I can start doing that if people want, I just actually have to think before I type then, which would probably be good for me :) .

So, from this week's menu, basically my only recipe type food was the Macaroni and Cheese, everything else is pretty basic. The recipe is an altered version of my mother-in-law's recipe, my mom did mac&cheese from a box in our house growing up.

Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients-
12 oz elbow noodles (roughly 3/4 of a standard box)
8 oz shredded mild cheddar cheese (white or yellow, sometimes I mix)
1 tablespoon light mayo (don't use Miracle Whip, it changes the flavor)
2 tablespoons milk
1 stick butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1) Preheat Oven to 325. Grease a standard oval casserole dish (square 9 inch glass cake pan will also work) set aside.
2) Cook Macaroni til tender, drain, pour into casserole dish
3) While macaroni is still warm, add cheese, mayo and milk, mix together until cheese is melty and evenly coating macaroni. It's won't look like the boxed mac&cheese, it will be stringy melted strands of cheese evenly wrapped around pasta, not completely coating it.
4) In 2 cup pyrex measuring cup, or tall mug, melt butter in the microwave, crush crackers into melted butter.
5) Spread cracker/butter mixture over top of macaroni
6) Bake in oven 35-45 minutes until crackers start to brown.

Serves 4-6.

We tend to eat it as a main course one night with a ton of fruits and veggies, and then use it as our "carb" side with some grilled chicken a second night. Then, there's usually about two lunch servings left. It's really quick and cheap to make. Alot of times I make it up ahead of time and put it in the fridge for the hubby to throw in the oven a half hour before I get home from lessons. It costs about $4 to make, and is easily two full meals.

If you double everything it does a 9x13 pyrex pan that's great for church potlucks and family parties. It only takes about 5 minutes in a 350 oven, or the microwave to reheat the whole thing.

You can make a light version using part-skim cheese and skim milk and skipping the topping. Just don't cook it the full time or the top layer of macaroni will get plasticy. I'm pretty sure it only needed about 20 minutes when I did the light version.

Hope that helps someone.