Homemade Mac & Cheese

It almost pains me to release this recipe to the public. It has been a cherished recipe in my family for years. It has always been a huge hit but I think it is time to share and just in time for Thanksgiving! Let me just preface this recipe with a warning. This is a recipe for an experienced cook, not beginners. You also have to be VERY attentive. Make sure all kids, dogs, cats, husbands etc are tied up and locked out of your kitchen for the next half hour :D

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
4 cups of small elbow noodles
1 pound of deli American cheese
12 Kraft singles
Kellogg’s corn flake crumbs

Boil noodles to al dente, drain and place noodles in 9x13 glass baking dish. Set aside. In a large pot melt butter and add flour to create a roux. Increase heat to and stir until well mixed, may brown but do not burn or you will need to start over. SLOWLY start to add in 3 cups of milk while stirring the whole time. If your roux is clumping you are pouring in the milk too fast. Gradually increase the heat to a medium high as you add milk. Once all the milk is added stir until the mix is thick and you can see small bubbles. You will know it when you see it. YOU MUST STIR AND SCRAPE THE BOTTOM THE WHOLE TIME!! If you do not stir it will burn and you will need to start over. Do not leave unattended. Once ready, start adding the cheese one slice at a time. If you see your pot is too hot add a few more slices to cool it down. Add in all of the cheese and turn off heat. Take cheese sauce and pour over noodles. Mix the cheese and noodles to make sure they are well coated. Once coated sprinkle on the corn flake crumbs. You may fry the corn flake crumbs in a little bit of butter for golden deliciousness before sprinkling on top but not 100% necessary. You can interchange the topping with cooked bacon (added the last 15 minutes of bake) or Panko crumbs with parmesan cheese etc.

Place baking dish in oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Cheese should bubble but don’t let it brown on the bottom. Eat and enjoy!

Potty Training and Automatic Flushers!

There is plenty of advice out there for potty training parents but no one ever warned me about the automatic flusher you find everywhere now. If you have a small child or curious one that likes to watch as they go... they can easily set off the automatic flusher sending your child screaming. Happened to me!! Any you don't want to disrupt the balance of a new potty trained child. From then on my daughter insisted I hold my hand over the sensor so it wouldn't accidentally go off. Well that is all fine and dandy until you find a stall made for a stick person and you must test your flexibility. Here is a super simple fix that even your child can do.

See scary auto flusher

 Hide scary auto flusher with a piece of toilet paper

 When you are done just remove the toilet paper and run!!!!!!!! :)

Crunchy Homemade Chips!

Homemade chips with a real crunch!!!


Ingredients
Potatoes!!! Good ol' Russet is best
2 quarts water
1/4 cup salt
Frying oil like peanut oil
Any toppings you like.  Always opt for adventure with a spicy aioli or chopped garlic drizzle or even some white truffle oil!

A slicer will always be easy but if you do not have one chop your potatoes as thin as you like em. The thicker they are the more like french fries they will be. Once you are done slicing your potatoes (here is the crunch secret!!) place them in a large bowl with about 2 quarts of water and 1/4 cup of salt. Let them sit for about 20 minutes and let some of that starch out. After that dry your potatoes to reduce splatter as you fry. Drop them into your pot of hot oil or your deep fryer. I prefer a darker crisp :) Pull them out with a strainer and quickly add any salt or pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Ribs Made Right

I have found the best way to make ribs and it has been heartbreaking! Now every time I go out to eat and order the ribs I can only think about how they just don't measure up to mine :)

I buy a vacuum pack of pork spare ribs whenever they go on sale. They freeze well and defrost fast. These directions are for one rack of ribs. The more you have the longer they may need to bake.

Directions
I take the rack and cut it into two rib bone sections.

Place the sections in a large pot and fill the pot with water until all ribs are covered. (No, I don't use a dry rub or season them.)

Bring the pot of water to a boil and you will start to see all of the fat and foam rise to the top. Leave it boil for a few minutes and then turn off the heat. Your not cooking the ribs at this point. You are simply reducing some of the fat content so you don't get those super greasy, slimy ribs. If you over boil them it will only make them tough. If you are using local, farm raised pigs they may be too lean for this process.

Next take the rib sections out and place in a glass baking dish. You can use a 9x9 or even a large pie dish. If you made 2 racks use a 9x13. You will need something with deeper sides, not a broil pan or cookie sheet. The purpose of this specific dish is so that the ribs can marinate and boil in their own juices to become very tender. I like to make sure the meaty side of the ribs is down in the sauce.

Pour your favorite BBQ sauce smothering the ribs. You should have enough to cover the ribs plus see some accumulate at the bottom of the pan. 1 rack = about 2 cups of BBQ sauce. I have a yummy recipe posted on here or my go to in the store is KC Masterpeice. I prefer a sweet dark sauce rather than a vinegar sauce.

Cover your ribs with foil and place in the oven at 315 degrees. Cook for 1 hour.

Once an hour has passed pull the dish out and uncover. Flip, turn and rotate the ribs. Check to see if you can fork the meat away from the bone. The meat should be tender. If not they may need more time, sometimes as much as 30 minutes. If you see that the meat is giving, place back in the oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes. This allows the BBQ sauce to dry up a bit and give them a nice coating. If you want more of that coating you can broil them or throw them on a grill.

Once they have the desired look pull them out and serve. Warning! Do not serve with a fork! The meat will fall off the bone! Use tongs :)

Enjoy!

HOMEMADE BABY FORMULA!!!

Yes, that's right!!! Someone turned me onto these pages and I just HAD to share!!! Pinterest is hating the links directly so I am posting here to help it out. I thought this was just amazing! Something to consider with all the recalls all the time. That's for sure.

Enjoy!!

Milk Based Baby Formula
 http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-homemade-milk-based-baby-formula/

Hypoallergenic Baby Formula
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-hypoallergenic-baby-formula/

Special thanks to...

Keep ______ in the pantry!!

So I have found over time that there are lots of my recipes that call for token items. Items that I always need but sometimes don't have... Frustrating!! So I started loading my pantry with some of these items. I also have a few things I like to keep on hand that are perishable. (Just fair warning you may not want to buy in bulk but definitely have on hand.) I will try to keep updating as I think about them :)

Non-perishable must haves

Tomato paste
Diced tomatoes
Minced Clams
Cream of chicken soup
Onion soup
Italian dressing packets
Rice
Noodles of every shape and size
Taco seasoning
Condensed milk
Bottled pasta sauces
Pinto beans 
Lawry's Season Salt

Perishable but freezable
Meatballs
Ham Steak
Whole Chickens
Pork roast
Sticks of butter
Frozen veggies
Loafs of sandwich bread
Bacon
Breakfast sausage
Kielbasa or bologna sausage

Perishable but keep handy
Sour cream
Cream cheese
Shredded cheese (which ever large bag is on sale)
Eggs


Looking over this list I can come up with dozens of dinner combinations. Plus I even see a ton of fillers I can add to my meals to make them cheaper or add some extra nutrition. For instance in my spaghetti sauce I always like to add a can of diced tomatoes for an extra serving of veggies. Or when making Mexican rice throw a can of pinto beans or frozen corn for a meal that satisfies. I should also note that I do have a deep freezer. So when I say have a whole chicken or 2 make sure you have room :)

Linguini and Clam Sauce + Hobo Garlic Bread

Linguini and Clam Sauce

and a side of Hobo Garlic Bread

 

Here is another great, quick meal perfect for the Lenten Season! This is another recipe you can have on hand at any time and is a common "Go to" when I need a quick yummy dinner. I even cook it in 1 pot which I love. Plus my Hobo Garlic Bread can be made from anything! Let's start with the main course.

1 can of minced (or whole) clams- do not drain!

1 stick of butter

2 Tblsp. Oregano

1 Tblsp. Garlic powder

2 Tblsp. Parmesan cheese

Linguini noodles (I use a little more then half a box)

In a medium or large pan boil your water and make your noodles. Drain your noodles and return to pot. Add 1 stick of butter immediately or your noodles will start to stick together. Next the clams, you can find them at your local grocer by the canned tuna. Add the can of clams juice and all. Then add all of your spices and feel free to adjust the amounts to taste. Depending on how fast your butter is melting you can turn the heat on low and help it along. Once all is mixed you are done! Wasn't that easy???

Now for my Hobo Garlic Bread! This little invention was made by a college girl living in her little apartment and having no need for a huge loaf of garlic bread. You can take any kind of bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns (pictured), English muffins or regular sliced bread. I go back and forth on if I add mozzarella cheese or not. It just depends on if I have it in the fridge or not. I take my bread, put it in the toaster and cook it as I would a piece for breakfast. I then butter it, sprinkle garlic powder, a tad of salt, and Parmesan cheese. If I want to add the mozzarella I skip the Parm and add the mozzarella and then pop it into the toaster oven or big oven on broil until the cheese is melted. Be sure you watch it!! Then serve with your meal :)