What's For Dinner? 3/14/11

We were invited to a lovely lunch at some friends house, so I don't think anyone will be very hungry.  The boys will probably want something tonight after services, so I will make them a grilled cheese.  How about you?  Do you cook on Sunday nights? It is usually either leftovers or a $5.00 Little Caesars pizza around here.

Cooking Challenge #4

This week I am choosing The Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese.  I have made this one before and it is well received.

Macaroni and Cheese

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-½ cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Good luck!  Can't wait to see/hear your results!

Cooking Challenge #3 Results

Thanks again to everyone who participated this week!  I am loving this!!

Becky:

These are my new favorite pancakes.  Light and fluffy and so delicious.  They were a major hit here in this house! I may never go back to Bisquick again!

Lisa:

"Well, they are very thin, but we all thought they were tasty!  They reminded us of french toast, taste wise.  We gave them an 8!"

Cynthia:

"We liked the sour cream pancakes. They are very moist and have a different texture than the ones I usually make. I might try adding some fruit or cinnamon next time for a little more flavor."


Melissa:

"This is the first time EVER I have made pancakes & I have to say I am very proud of myself! The boys love when Brian makes pancakes (from a mix) for them, so I knew I had better do a good job!

Brian-8 (He likes them better than the Bisquick mix, but not as much as the Krusteaz mix.)

Me-8 (I'm just not a big pancake eater.)

Carson (4 yrs.)-"I really like them.I like the pancakes better than the eggs & bacon.They taste better than daddy's." (Shhh...don't tell!)

Landon (2 yrs.)-"Mmmm.They're delicious!""

Stayed tuned for the next recipe.......

What's For Dinner?

Inspired by another blog I read, I thought it would be fun and helpful for us to share what we are having for dinner each night.  Just leave your dinner menu in the comment section, with recipe if you like and maybe you will inspire and help someone else!

Saturday, March 13, 2011

Dinner: Taco Salad
Dessert: Lemon Squares

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Cooking Challenge #3

One thing I can never go wrong around here with is breakfast.  This family will eat for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.  With that being said, on to this week's challenge:

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes


Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablepsoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Maple or pancake syrup

Directions:

1. Place an iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.
2. Place the sour cream, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl and stir together generously (allow the mixture to have some texture).
3. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and add the vanilla; stir to combine.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the sour cream mixture.
5. Stir together (don't worry if it's not totally combined).
6. Melt butter in the skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet 1/4 cup at a time.
7. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then flip the pancakes over. Cook for another 45 seconds and remove to plate. Repeat with remaining batter.
8. Top with butter and maple syrup.

Good luck and I can't wait to see and hear about your experiences!

Cooking Challenge #2 Results

I got responses this week! You have no idea how happy it makes me!!

Me:

My husband and I both liked it, surprisingly, the kids did not.  They are a mystery sometimes.  The only thing I did different was to add some mushrooms in.  I made the mistake of making this on a night when I had to take my son to the doctor AND stop at the store for a few last minute things.  I did boil the whole chicken and if I do this again, I will probably just use chicken breasts or thighs.  Too much time to get the chicken all the way done and even then, I rushed it and it wasn't quite done.  I picked it off the bone and finished it in the fry pan.  We were all STARVING by the time I got this one on the table.  Even then, the boys picked around at it.  Weirdos :)

Lisa:

"Everyone loved the chicken spaghetti! I must admit I made a change, I added a can of Rotel..  The sauce seemed a bit bland so I doctored it a little.  We had about 30 people here."

Melissa:

"I cheated a little on the ingredients. Instead of fresh green pepper, I used a can of ro-tel & decreased the amount of chicken broth. Also, the price of cheese went way up (2.50 a bag & I would have needed 2 bags) so I used 1 pound of off brand velveeta (3.78 a loaf & I only used 1/2). I omitted the pimentos also. It was very tasty! Here are the ratings:

Brian: 9

Me: 8 (Very good, but spicier than I prefer)

Carson (4 yrs.): "Sooo good! The red things are too hot for my tongue." (The ro-tel tomatoes)

Landon (almost 2 yrs.): "Mmmm, I like it."

Cynthia:

"I just made this about 2 weeks ago! I wish I had taken pictures. I did leave out the pimentos. I did a search for Chicken Spaghetti, and this recipe came up on her cooking blog. I was cooking for several other people, so I made one pan of this and one pan of baked rotini with a tomato based meat sauce. The chicken spaghetti was excellent, and everyone seemed to really like it. This is definitely a keeper recipe for us! "

THANK YOU to all who participated this week!  Next recipe coming soon......