Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

Rachel Ray recipe! This is a good one for kids too.

2 tbsp EVOO
1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound macaroni elbows or corkscrew shaped pasta twirls
2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in the produce dept.
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 cups WHOLE milk (it's important it's whole milk or the sauce won't set up right)
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups yellow sharp cheddar
1 tbsp prepared Dijon mustard

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.

Heat a medium pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add EVOO and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5-7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add past and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 more minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

White pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne pepper and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and broth and raise heat to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to the pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a large serving platter (if you want to) and serve.

YUM-O! lol

Taco Soup

This is a Paula Deen recipe... and OH. MY. GOSH... this stuff is SO good. It makes a lot, so be prepared to feed some people or freeze it!

2 lbs ground beef
2 cups diced onion (it makes it SO good)
2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2 ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6 ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced - optional (I did add these)
1/2 cup green olives sliced - optional (I did NOT add these)
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (I like the Taco Bell one)
1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish (not so much.. lol)

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet - drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stock pot. (I used my slow cooker) Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove.

To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

OOOOOOOH you are gonna LOVE this soup!!!!!!!

Green Bean Casserole

Classic Campbell's recipe.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp soy sauce
dash of ground pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans (or 3 cans green beans)
1 1/3 cups French's Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix soup, milk, soy, black pepper and 2/3 cups onions in a 1 1/2 or 2 quart casserole dish.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until hot.
Stir and add remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes more.

Suggestions from Campbell's Kitchen website:

You can use 4 cups of cooked broccoli flowerets instead of green beans.

You can add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese with the soup. Add 1/4 cup cheese when adding onions on top.

White chocolate fondue

I found this online somewhere, this is GOOD stuff.

3/4 cup heavy cream
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped (look for the baking white chocolate bars)
1 tsp vanilla

Put it in a saucepan or fondue pot and melt it. GOOD stuff. I had this with cubed pound cake and strawberries. MMMMM.

Parmesan Fondue

I got this from allrecipes.com. This stuff is SOOO GOOD! Make sure you have a lot of people to eat it, cause it makes A LOT. Don't worry if you have leftovers though - I found several different ways to use it in recipes. :)

1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, cubed.
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 loaf french bread, cubed

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. (I recommend putting the cream cheese in first and letting it melt a good bit before adding the milk. If you put both in at the same time and they're cold, it takes a LONG TIME for it melt)
Stir in parmesan cheese and garlic salt, cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker to keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.

Be warned - this stuff is RICH. You won't be able to finish it in one sitting. lol

Early AM French Toast Casserole

Got it from mama, I think she got it from a recipe book. LOVE this recipe - it's always one that people request the recipe for after I make it.

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 (one stick) butter
2 tbsp corn syrup (I like the light corn syrup)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla (it really only calls for 1 tsp, but I like more vanilla... lol)
1 loaf of french bread- either presliced or sliced thick

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix and melt brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Spray a baking dish (9x13) and fill with butter mixture.

Mix eggs, milk and vanilla. Arrange bread slices in baking dish. Pour egg mixture over bread, making sure to cover every piece. Any extra will be soaked up overnight, so make sure you use all of it.

Cover dish and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

I like using maple syrup once it's on the plate, but that's not necessary if you don't like it too sweet. :)

Sour Cream Chicken

I think I found this recipe online - allrecipes.com ... We really like this recipe, and since it marinates for 6-8 hours, the flavors are sooooooooooooo good.

2/3 cup sour cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
3/4 tsp celery salt
3/4 tsp paprika
pinch of salt
pepper
garlic
*I use 4 chicken breasts for this recipe*

Marinate in fridge for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 or 375 degrees (depending on how fast you want it to cook)
When I cook this, it usually takes at least 45 minutes on 350.