Archives for November 2014

November 25, 2014 by Drafts & Crafts

After researching copious mac & cheese recipes, I decided to pick all of the ingredients out from other recipes that I thought would make one good, baked mac. In the end, I created my own crock pot recipe for baked mac & cheese. 

{Time} 20 mins prep; cook on low for 2-3 hours in a large crock pot
{Serving} 12
{Ingredients}

• 1 lb elbow pasta (1 box)
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded Italian cheese
• 8 oz. velveeta cheese (cubed from block)
• 1 stick butter

Spices to liking:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder

1. Boil water for the pasta. Cook the pasta, al Dente, and drain (about 4 minutes so the pasta is cooked but firm).

2. Melt butter in a bowl and whisk the 3 eggs in another bowl.

3. Place pasta in large crockpot. Add the whisked eggs, melted butter, sour cream, milk, and cheeses; and stir well. Stir occasionally while cooking on low for 2 to 3 hours in the slow cooker.
PHOTO: when all ingredients are first placed in crock pot.

Mac & Cheese is my absolute fav, no joke!! Sooo cheeesy, sooo easy, soooo delicious!! I even have a clutch that says, “You can not convince me that mac and cheese is not a vegetable!” Oh, how I wish it were!!

I looked at about 20 different baked mac and cheese recipe before deciding on these ingredients. I opted to use more whole milk instead of any condensed milk because I did not want it to have any sweet taste. Using 3 eggs it was makes it stick together some, I would highly recommend using eggs in baked mac and cheese. Last thing, this does make a very large portion, it would be great for a party or holiday gathering. This is one left over I can definitely do!!

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!! I am thankful for Mac & Cheese!!

Keep in touch,
Dani

November 13, 2014 by Drafts & Crafts

Even though the weather may feel like winter, it is still fall, which means this basic girl is still trying to get in all the pumpkin recipes she can! These pumpkin almond bars are perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert and go great with a hot cup of joe!

{Time} 20 mins prep; 40 mins bake
{Servings} 12
{Ingredients}

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups honey roasted almonds, coarsely chopped (any kind of almond will work)

{Steps}

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch square baking dish.

2. In a mixing a bowl, stir butter and sugar until there are no lumps. Stir in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin.

3. Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, pumpkin spice, salt, and nutmeg. Fold in half of the almonds and spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top.

4. Bake for 40 minutes. Let the dish cool before cutting the mixture into bars. Place pumpkin almond bars on parchment paper to cool.

I brought these pumpkin almond bars to some friend’s house for a dinner party! It was the first time I made them, but everyone seemed to enjoy them! They were described as fall in your mouth, sounds like a good Thanksgiving-time treat!! They are quite versatile, if you ask me, can be an on-the-go breakfast and snack, or the perfect little after dinner sweet. This recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine; I changed a few ingredients to better suit my taste.

Keep in touch,
Dani