This summer we visited some family in Georgia. It was my first trip to the south, unless you count a layover in the Atlanta airport. As we were planning what we would do on our trip, I said the the only things I cared about was visiting a plantation and eating southern food. Luckily, we got to experience both of these and much more. It was such a great trip. The southern food may have been my favorite. Our family took us to a nice buffet style dinner at the Blue Wilow Inn. They had fried okra, fried green tomatoes, chicken and dumplings, pecan pie. Pretty much everything you need for a southern style dinner. One of my favorites was the macaroni and cheese. It was so good. The best part is that they have a few of their recipes online including their macaroni and cheese recipe, so even though we can't fly out to Georgia every month, we can eat like we're there.  I have altered this recipe slightly, but it still tastes authentic.

Side note: I posted another baked macaroni and cheese recipe on here a few months ago. I still love that recipe, and it is different and worth trying. I think we will probably go back and forth between these two recipes. Also, please don't think that we just eat a ton of mac and cheese. I know it isn't exactly healthy, but sometimes it just tastes so good.

Here is what you need:
8 oz Macaroni Noodles
1 t Vegetable Shortening
1 C Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/2 C Cheese Whiz
3/4 C Milk
2 Eggs, beaten
1 T Mayo
1/2 t Mustard

Topping:
2 T Butter
1 C Bread Crumbs

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, adding shortening to the water.

2. After draining the water off the noodles, combine them with all other ingredients. Place in a greased 8x8 pan. Save 1/4 cup of the cheese to sprinkle on top.

3. In a pan, melt butter and add bread crumbs. Coat bread crumbs in the butter and cook until bread crumbs are lightly browned. Spread on top.
Let me explain this picture.I wanted to put bread crumbs on top, but Husband wanted to stick with the original recipe, so we compromised by just putting bread crumbs on half. But after tasting some from both sides, I won Husband over and now we bread crumb the entire thing!

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, and enjoy.

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There are some nights when I am really excited about making dinner and I want to spend extra time making something nice. And then there are most of the other nights when I just want to make something fast. This recipe is one of those quick recipes for busy nights. Luckily it is also delicious.  It has a little bit of spice to it, but not too much. It's one we make a lot because we usually have all the ingredients on hand.


Here is what you need:

8 oz.Spaghetti Noodles
2 C Broccoli Florets
1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks or strips
3/4 C Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 T Soy Sauce
1/4 t each: Ground Ginger, Garlic Powder, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, cook chicken on medium high heat. when it is cooked through, add dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta and broccoli, place in a large bowl or back in the empty pot. Add the chicken mixture, and toss together with noodles.

So yummy. So easy.

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I love pasta and this is one of the best pastas I have ever made. It is full of cheesy deliciousness. It's always a special night when we have this for dinner. I found this Baked Ziti recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I halved her recipe and it still makes enough to serve 4-6 people, so we get to enjoy the leftovers for a day or two!

The list of ingredients is long, but don't let it intimidate you. This recipe really isn't that tough, and it is well worth any effort!

Here is what you need:

1/2 lb Cottage Cheese
1 Egg
1 C Parmesan
1/5 lb Ziti or Penne Pasta
1 T Olive Oil
3 t Garlic, minced
1 Can Tomatoe Sauce (8 oz.)
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (14.5 oz.)
1/2 t Dried Oregano
1/2 t Dried Basil
1/2 t Sugar
1/2 C Whole Milk
1 t Cornstarch
4 oz Mozzarella, shredded

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. After draining the pasta save empty pot to use for step 3. Mix together cottage cheese, egg and 3/4 C Parmesan in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and heat about 2 minutes. Add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil and sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. In the same pot you used to cook the pasta, stir milk and cornstarch together. Simmer until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the cottage cheese mixture and 1/2 C of the tomato sauce. Stir in 3 ounces of the mozzarella cheese.Add the pasta and stir until it is completely coated.

4. Pour pasta and sauce into a 2 quart baking dish. Spread the rest of the tomato sauce on top and top with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes.

Time to enjoy some delicious pasta!

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This pasta salad has become one of our favorite summer dishes. It is always nice to be able to make a meal without having to turn on the oven in the summer. I also love to throw in fresh tomatoes from the garden, sadly these are store bought because our cherry tomato plants are dead. :( This pasta salad is light and loaded with flavor. The chicken really makes it substantial enough to serve as the main dish for dinner. I got this recipe in a Kraft Foods magazine. When we first got married I didn't really know how to cook much, and Kraft was my go to site for dinner ideas. I have since branched out and taken on more challenging recipes, but we still have a few favorites from Kraft.

Here is what you need:

2 C Bow Tie pasta uncooked
2 C Broccoli florets- Because you cook it you can use either fresh or frozen
1-2 Chicken Breasts Cooked and cut into bite size pieces
1 C halved cherry tomatoes 
1/2 C Italian Dressing (I don't usually measure my dressing, I just pour it in until it looks like enough)
1/2 C Feta Cheese crumbles
1/4 C Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Add the broccoli in for the last 3 minutes, then drain.

2. Toss chicken, tomatoes, dressing, and cheese crumbles in a large bowl. Add pasta mixture and mix lightly.

3. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate several hours until chilled.

Makes 4 Servings 

I like to serve this warm when we eat it for dinner and then leave it cold when I eat the leftovers the next day. So yummy on a busy summer night.

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I have developed a great love of lasagna. It is so delicious and so versatile. For regular quick weeknight meals I make a very simple lasagna for my family, but when we have company I like to fancy it up a bit. I got this delicious recipe from Husband's brother and his wife, the same ones who gave us the secrets of cake mix peach cobbler.  Although I call this my fancy lasagna, it is still pretty easy to throw together.

Here is what you need:
9 lasagna noodles
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce- You can use homemade if you are feeling extra fancy.
4 oz. Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
2 Eggs
1 lb. Cottage Cheese
3/4 C Parmesan Cheese
2 T Dried Parsley
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Black Pepper
16 oz. Mozzarella Cheese

1. Cook Noodles according to package directions.

2. Brown meat with onions and garlic until the meat is fully cooked. Drain off fat.

3. Add sauce and mushrooms. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occassionally.

 

4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

 

5. Layer the ingredients in a 9x13 inch pan. Spread a little sauce on the bottom of the pan to prevent noodles from sticking. Then layer noodles, cheese mixture, meat/sauce mixture, mozzarella cheese and repeat.

 

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Serve with some garlic bread and something green and healthy. Enjoy!

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This has become one of my favorite week night dinners. It is super yummy and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. I inherited this recipe from my sister, an amazing cook, but it originates from Alton Brown on the Food Network. I have to admit Alton is not my favorite Food Network guy, but this mac and cheese is delicious, so I have to give him credit. I've made a few changes to make it more my taste.

Please keep in mind that this recipe is not exactly a healthy meal. Definitely make sure you have some fruit and vegetables to go with it. Then you can feel okay about eating this delicious cheesiness.

Ingredients:
10 oz. Elbow Macaroni
3 T Butter
3 T Flour
1 T Mustard
3 C Milk
1/2 C Diced Onion
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 t Paprika
1 Egg
8 oz. Cheddar Cheese
1 t Kosher Salt

Topping:
2 T Butter
1 C Bread Crumbs

Directions:
1.Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking you've got a lot to do.
2. In a medium sized pot melt the butter. Whisk in flour and mustard . Stir and keep it moving for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the milk, bay leaf, onions, and paprika. Let it simmer about 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Remove the bay leaf. Temper in the egg. (This is to prevent the egg from cooking when it hits all of the hot liquid in your pot. Mix the egg up in a small bowl and add a little bit of the milk mixture at a time to help bring it up to temperature. Then you can add the egg mixture into the pot.)
5. Stir in the cheese and stir until it's melted and gooey.
6. Fold in the macaroni noodles, and pour everything into a 2 quart pan.
7. Time to make the bread crumbs. Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add in the bread crumbs and coat them with the butter. Stir them around until they start to brown slightly.
8. Pour the bread crumbs on top of the macaroni.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. This makes about 6-8 servings.

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