MAC N CHEESE AND CHICKEN NUGGETS

Grandma Becky's Homemade Mac-n-cheese

In sauce pan, melt 3 tbsp. butter, then add 3 Tbsp flour and a little salt/pepper.  Slowly pour in 2 1/4 cups milk -if you want it creamier, you can add a little half/half in place of some of the milk. (You can make this recipe as big as you want...for every 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tbsp. flour...you add 3/4 c milk..., etc.)   Stir until mixture thickens and comes to a boil for 1 min. 

butter and flour combined

stir until thickened and boils for 1 minute.

add cheese!!!  Sharp is best!

Pour creamy mixture over cooked noodles

You can mix up this recipe and add a few different cheese, you can add dry mustard powder if you like more flavor.  My kids and husband just like extra cheese on top and bacon!!

Then bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.



Homemade Bisquick Chicken nuggets

Right off the box of bisquick.... 



dice chicken up so its ready...

Mix in ziplock bag 2/3 cup  Bisquick, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp paprika.

set aside a bowl with 3 tbsp. melted butter

and a bowl with 1 egg beaten...

Roll chicken in egg then drop into bag (maybe 10 pieces at a time), zip it closed and shake, shake, shake!!  Then place onto pan to bake, repeat until all done, then take the bowl of butter and drizzle over all the chicken.

Bake at 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes... (the box said 15 minutes but the chicken was still very light in color and we like it baked crisp)

Meatloaf and Garlic Mashed potatoes

Meatloaf and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 

Every time I make this my husband and kids start to groan thinking 'yuck meatloaf"...  then they each eat 2 platefuls and love it!!  I don't know if it's the extra rice I add?  So it's not all meat...but a lot of rice and garlic flavor.  Add the garlic mashed potatoes and garden green beans....so good!

1 1/2 pounds meatloaf
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup cooked rice (or 1/3 cup minute rice)  I like a lot of rice!!
1 piece bread broken up
1/2 to 1 cup ketchup (I use about a cup ketchup or you can use BBQ sauce)
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
salt, pepper, and garlic...  I love garlic (either use 1/2 tsp garlic powder or even better to use1+ tsp fresh chopped garlic)
Mix all together and put into pan, bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Garlic Mashed potatoes

Boil 5 large potatoes until soft, then mash...  Add about 3-4 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter,  little milk, salt/pepper, and about a tsp garlic powder.  Mash all together!! 

 

Crockpot Ham Chowder

Put ham in crockpot and cover with water...cook on med-high for 5 or so hours...then I filled the whole pot with potatoes cut into cubes and 3-4 garlic cloves chopped.  (Fresh chopped up garlic adds soooo much flavor, so much better than just seasoning!)

I added a little broccoli to cook with the potatoes, then put them in the blender with half the potatoes out of the crockpot so they would be completely blended... (and my kids might not notice them!!)

 

Blend up half your potatoes in the blender so your chowder is creamy, but good to still have half the potatoes not blended so your soup has big potatoes chunks!  Then pour all that back into crockpot....

Then I took out the ham and diced it up and put it back into the crockpot. 

Added chicken boullion (I use wild trees organic product for any seasonings I need to add)  Also added 1 cup parmesan cheese, and about 4 oz of cream cheese.

 

Ham

3-4 garlic cloves

chicken boullion

5-6 potatoes, diced

cream cheese

parmesan cheese

salt/pepper to taste

Add vegtables...broccoli or corn if you want

 

My kids loved this...the ham just fell apart and was so good.  My husband even ate it again the next day which says a lot for how picky he is!!  :)

 

Grandma Becky's graham crackers with fudge frosting

one of my favorite desserts!

Also amazing spread over white cake....it makes a hard, fudge frosting 

2 squares chocolate (I used one of each semi-sweet and unsweetened.
1 cube butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
Boil above ingredients until it forms a soft ball in cold water..pictures below show how.  It took 12 minutes of boiling to form the soft ball stage...

after about 4 minutes of boiling

after it can form a soft ball when fudge is dropped into the cold water, then remove pan from stove and add 1 tsp vanilla.

Then stir until thickened...took about 3-4minutes of stirring.

have your crackers ready!

3 minutes of stirring still too thin

4 minutes of stirring

cools very fast and thickens!

happy kid!