What we eat

So here are my most cooked meals every month.  Some with links to the recipes.  I think I may try one major grocery shopping trip for the month to buy most of the ingredients and I may even start cooking some ahead of time and freezing them so things go smoothly after school gets going.  Having a meal in the freezer keeps me from running out to a restaurant.  If a recipe involves ground beef we usually use ground turkey and look for other substitutions in these recipes to save fat/calories/salt.

Potato Soup with Paninis
Waffles and Turkey Bacon (thanks to this magic machine and the waffle plates)
Beef Stew and homemade bread
Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Mashed potatoes and Veggies
Ham and Homemade Mac and Cheese
Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies
Grilled Salmon, Rice, Salad
Our Favorite Chicken, Rice, Veggies
Mostaccioli, Salad
Chili with Cornbread Muffins
Taco Salad
Stuffed Peppers with Veggies
Chicken and Dumplings and Salad
Tacos or Burritos with Rice and Beans
Spaghetti with Salad and Garlic Bread
Sloppy Joes with Sweet Potato Fries
Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup with Quesadillas
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches with Steak Fries and Veggies
Baked Flounder/Cod/etc with Rice and Steamed Broccoli
Stir Fry Chicken or Beef with Rice (frozen stir fry veggies with the meat with this and then I make fried rice)
Marinated Grilled Chicken with Rice and Veggies


I usually try 2-5 new recipes every month so those are somewhere in the rotation and we eat out occasionally.
Share your family favorites!

You know you want some mac and cheese

I make great macaroni and cheese.  It took years of experimenting but I believe I have perfected it.  I'm sharing this with the world so here it is...

First, boil and drain 2 cups macaroni noodles.
Then, make a roux.  You need a 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour.  Stir together for about a minute and then gradually add in 1 3/4 cups milk.  2 cups is too much.  1 1/2 is too thick.  1 and 3/4 cups is just right.

Next add the cheese.  I use about 1/4 lb Velveeta.  I have tried doing this the "right" way without American cheese but you just don't get the ooey gooey factor.  Then add 8 ozs of your favorite cheddar.  It should look like this

then stir and melt until it looks like this

Throw all the cooked and drained macaroni noodles in and stir to coat.  Pour in a casserole dish and top with whatever you like.  I like to take about 2 Tbs of melted butter and mix in some seasoned bread crumbs until it is crumbly and perfect and sprinkle that on top.  You can also use toasted bread, more cheese, or let your imagination run wild.

Here is how it looks when it comes out of a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes...YUM!!!