The Mac and Cheese

Once upon a time, there was a girl who just wanted creamy, cheesy mac and cheese.  Not full of spices or fancy things, just plain ol’ gooey mac and cheese that she could make herself.  So I developed this recipe and now I share it with you, friends.  Because you all deserve this bit of comforting yum in your life.  You are so welcome.

This one is the one I make to go along with Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders or Hammy Sammies or Beef Roast Sandwiches.  How about Loaded Roast Beef and Bleu Sliders?  You should probably check them out!  Heck, this would make a PBJ look great.  You could also easily add chunks of ham and make it a full meal.  Add some bacon or crab if it floats your boat!  Pulled pork?  Oh good heavens! The possibilities are endless.

Our favorite combinations are a Havarti (2 cups) Cheddar (4 cups) blend with bacon, or smoked Gouda/Cheddar with ham.  Also, we’ve grown quite fond of next-day-leftovers* pressed flat and fried in refined (no coconut flavor) coconut oil. Crispy on the outside and hot and gooey on the inside.  How can you resist?
image

Leftover Mac fried in coconut oil

This one has become my frenemy.   It is why I exercise.  I both love and despise it.

And it’s EASY.  The only bummer is the tired hand you’ll have from grating all of that cheese. You can, however, use your food processor to grate partially frozen cheese!

Boil your choice of pasta (I love cavatappi ’cause it’s just so fun) in water salted with a teaspoon or so of salt until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, melt 1/2 c. (1 stick) of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Sprinkle in 1/2 c. flour, and whisk together for 2-3 minutes to let it cook.

Add in up to 1 T. salt and up to 1 T. pepper.  Yes, that’s Tablespoon, and yes, it’s a lot of spice, but that’s how we like it around here!  As always, adjust seasonings to your taste.   I use Kosher  or my new favorite Real Salt.  Slowly pour in 4 cups of whole milk (don’t skimp here–in fact you can even use some cream) whisking as you go until smooth.  Keep whisking until the sauce comes just to a very low boil.  This is where it will thicken considerably.  If you stop heating it too soon, it will not thicken correctly so whisk and heat until  thickened just like in the picture below.  Remove from heat.

Grease a 9×13″ dish with butter and add the cooked pasta to the dish.

Over the top of the pasta sprinkle 6 cups freshly shredded Cheddar (I use white or sharp), or any mix of cheese you prefer. Some favorites with Cheddar are Havarti and Gouda.

Pour the beautiful cream sauce over the top of the cheese and pasta and let it sit a couple minutes to begin to melt the cheese.

Then, stir the whole beautiful cheesy goodness together and make the topping.

In a small skillet, melt 2 T. butter over medium heat.  Add in 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs.  Stir constantly until golden brown.  Sprinkle over the pasta and cheese.

Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.

Hot, cheesy perfection.

Serves approx. 6-8 as a main dish or 10-12 as a side.

   

The Mac and Cheese Recipe


Prep time : 20 mins
Cook time : 15 mins
Total time :35 mins
Recipe type: Meals
Cuisine: American
Serves: 10-12 servings


Ingredients :

•     1 lb. cavatappi pasta (or pasta of your choice)
•     ½ c. butter
•     ½ c. flour
•     4 c. milk
•     6 c. freshly shredded sharp or white Cheddar
•     1 T. salt
•     up to 1 T. pepper
•     2 T. butter
•     ½ c. panko bread crumbs

Read More : The Mac and Cheese

One-Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies

One-Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies – boneless, skinless chicken thighs with sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, cherry tomatoes in a delicious basil pesto sauce. Healthy, gluten free, Mediterranean style recipe, packed with fiber (vegetables) and protein (chicken). Easy, 30 minute recipe.

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This is a perfect meal for the hot days of the Summer – light, packed with veggies, full of bright colors, and so delicious!

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Look at all the colorful veggies that go into this dinner

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First, cook boneless, skinless chicken thighs (sliced into thinner strips) with sun-dried tomatoes until the chicken is completely cooked, and coat the chicken with basil pesto:

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Add cherry tomatoes to the chicken in the skillet
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Cook the asparagus and combine all the ingredients together:
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One-Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies

One-Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients:

•     2 tablespoons olive oil
•     1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, sliced into strips
•     1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil, chopped
•     1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in half, if large
•     1/4 cup basil pesto
•     1 cup cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, halved

Read More : One-Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Ground beef stroganoff is one of those comforting meals that is quick and easy to make, plus it can feed your whole family with a short list of ingredients! How about a hearty meal of beef stroganoff in less than 25 minutes? Count me in, this is perfect for a busy weeknight!

This easy Ground beef stroganoff recipe is made from scratch with fresh ingredients (and without cream of mushroom soup). I love dishes that come together so quickly (like Cabbage and Noodles or 20 Minute Fajitas) and even more so when everyone at the table wants seconds!

This recipe can be slightly tweaked based on the ingredients you have on hand. I find ground beef gives the best flavor but you can certainly substitute another type of ground meat such as ground turkey or pork.  If using something other than beef, you’ll likely want to add some extra beef bouillon for a richer flavor! I highly suggest using the condensed beef broth in a can (instead of the box) for the best flavor!

Of course fresh mushrooms are best and while this recipe calls for white mushrooms, I’ve used a combination of white, cremini or portobello all with great results. In a pinch, you can use canned mushrooms as well.

Keep in mind that sour cream may curdle if it boils so the sauce is thickened and removed from the heat before it is added. If you don’t have sour cream on hand, Greek yogurt is a good substitute (or if you just prefer it).

We typically serve this over egg noodles but it’s great over rice, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or even spooned into a roll sloppy joe style!  Add a side salad and a loaf of crusty bread (to sop up any sauce left on your plate) for a great meal in under 30 minutes!



Ground Beef Stroganoff  Recipe


This easy Ground Beef Stroganoff features lean hamburger and tender mushrooms cooked in a rich silky sauce.  It’s quick and delicious, making it the perfect weeknight meal!



Ingredients:

•     1 lb lean ground beef
•     1 small onion , diced
•     1 clove garlic , minced
•     3/4 lb fresh mushrooms , sliced
•     3 tablespoons flour
•     2 cups beef broth
•     salt & pepper to taste
•     2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
•     3/4 cup sour cream
•     2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Read More : Ground Beef Stroganoff

Country Style Baked Pork Chops

How to make baked pork chops – country style!

This baked pork chops recipe was a favorite of grandma’s friend Louise. Louise was known for two things… never driving above 29mph in her car, and for making the best damn baked pork chops. She’d come over and they’d spend time bickering about things that old people bicker about, all the while the house would begin to smell wonderful as she made this delicious recipe.

There’s just a few simple ingredients you’ll need for this recipe and chances are most they’re already in the pantry. Salt, pepper, brown sugar and ketchup. The only things you’ll need to buy are some of your favorite pork chops and an onion. The onion was actually my favorite part. They’d get nice and soft on top of the pork chops with that delicious brown sugar cooked right in. My goodness this combination of flvors brings me back to my childhood every time I make it.

You can use any pork chops you like but we always used the bone-in chops that were about an inch thick. The bone-in pork chops always seem to have a bit more flavor, but boneless chops work well too. For some extra flavour you could pierce the chops with a fork and let the sauce marinade a bit before cooking (thanks Anne Doerksen for the tip!).

We should also mention that the sauce becomes thin and watery. This makes the pork chops come out very tender and juicy as they cook in the liquid. When you take them out of the tray to serve just allow them to drip off any excess liquid. See the video below for a demonstration



Country Style Baked Pork Chops


Ingredients

•     4 bone-in pork chops
•     ½ cup ketchup
•     ¼ cup brown sugar
•     ½ teaspoon salt
•     ½ teaspoon pepper
•     4 large onion slices
•     1 tablespoon cold water

Read More : Country Style Baked Pork Chops

Roasted Herbed Red Potatoes

If you follow me on Snapchat, you know that I post a lot of sneak peaks, teasers, and behind the scenes stuff (and if you don’t follow me, what are you doing?! frshaprilflours!). You’re likely to see recipes that I’m working on, my messy kitchen, and the occasional session of photo editing. I’ll usually get a couple Snaps back from some of you who are excited for what’s coming or eager to hear more about what ingredients I’m working with, but I don’t know that I’ve ever had so many people Snap me back about a recipe than I did when a video of these roasted herbed potatoes showed up on my story.

Friends, I had no idea you were such potato people. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of potatoes, especially ones that taste really good and are crispy and flavorful and coated in all kinds of tasty things, but honestly… I’ve put this and these and this and THESE on my story before, and these potatoes have STILL generated the most excitement.

Hey… Whatevs. Let’s breakfast/brunch/side dish together, shall we?

First of all, these herbed potatoes are e-a-s-y peasy. The list of ingredients might look intimidating, but it’s really not bad at all. It’s just a lot of spices that blend together to make the perfect complement of flavors to that crispy Parmesan coating (<– ohhh, mama!). Trust me when I say you need all of them. You (and your tastebuds!) will thank me later!

The most labor intensive part of this recipe is cutting up the potatoes. And I think that you, dear reader, are completely competent in completing this task. After they’re cut, it’s just a matter of tossing them in my glorious herb blend (with a little olive oil, to make it stick, of course).

Spread everything on a large baking sheet, and get to baking!

The potatoes will need about 50 minutes to achieve maximum crispness, and you’ll need to push them around every 15 minutes to ensure even browning. These potatoes are kind of like granola, where a little more hands on time while it bakes yields the best end result for your mouth.

You can certainly bake these longer than 50ish minutes if you feel they’re not as brown as you’d like them. You know better than anyone else how you enjoy your oven roasted potatoes. You do you, friend.

fter they’re perfectly browned, these tasty taters go wonderfully with breakfast. Also brunch. Also as a snack. And of course, with dinner. Needless to say, after I roasted these potatoes, ate a small plate with some eggs, took a large portion to brunch with my girlfriends, and brought home enough for Matt and me both to have some alongside our chicken that night, I found myself with zero potatoes left, NO RAGRETS, and one happy belly.

I’m telling you what… I might realize now why you all got so excited about potatoes.

These roasted herbed red potatoes will become a staple in your kitchen after you try them, I’m sure of it. Perfect for feeding a crowd while entertaining, great to bring to a pot luck (reheating directions included in the recipe!), and a quick and easy way to add a side dish to dinner.

I sure do love me some versatile recipes, and this is one that can help you out for any meal you’re planning. And just for the record, these potatoes were totally kid approved, so go ahead and feed the fam!


Roasted Herbed Red Potatoes

A quick and easy recipe for crisp and flavorful potatoes that go well with with any meal of the day.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time :15 minutes
Cook time : 55 minutes
Total time : 1 hour 10 minutes


Ingredients

•     3 pounds red potatoes, washed and halved (quartered if potatoes are on the medium/large side)
•     3 Tablespoons olive oil
•     6 cloves of garlic, minced
•     1 teaspoon salt
•     1 teaspoon dried thyme
•     ½ teaspoon black pepper
•     ½ teaspoon dried oregano
•     ½ teaspoon dried basil
•     ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
•     3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Read More : Roasted Herbed Red Potatoes

California Roll Sushi Bowl

A couple months ago I could not get enough of these California Roll Sushi Bowls! Do you ever just get obsessed with a recipe and end up eating it daily for weeks? Yeah, that is what I did. California Roll Sushi Bowls day in and day out until I couldn’t even look at a sushi bowl.

But, it has been a couple months and this is looking pretty tasty to me again. I may have to go on my sushi bowl binge again!

These sushi bowls are not complete unless you have black sesame seeds. They add that mild, nutty flavor. For some strange reason I cannot find black sesame seeds anywhere in my area. Luckily one of the perks of being a Rodelle brand ambassador is getting to try out their awesome products. While Rodelle is know for their high quality vanilla, they also have spices, baking essentials and many other ingredients.



California Roll Sushi Bowl

Servings: 2

Ingredients
Sauce

•     1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
•     2 Tablespoons Sugar
•     1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar

Sushi Bowls

•     2 Cups Cooked White Rice* - cooled
•     1/2 Cup Chopped Imitation Crab
•     1/2 Cucumber - peeled seeded and chopped
•     1/4 Small Lemon - sliced extra thin then finely chopped peel included
•     1 Tablespoon Pickled Sushi Ginger - chopped
•     1/2 Avocado - sliced or cut into chunks
•     1 Sheet Dried Seaweed - crumbled
•     Black and Tasted Sesame Seeds - to taste

Read More : California Roll Sushi Bowl

Apple Pie Bars Recipe

Apple Pie Bars with a sweet vanilla drizzle… SO yummy and perfect for fall! Hello, Friends! It’s Cathy from Lemon Tree Dwelling, back to share some fall yumminess with you!!

When I think about fall, the first two flavors that come to mind are apple and pumpkin….and in honor of school starting here this week, I thought I’d start with apple!

To be fair, apples are one of those fruits you can eat year round…..and here at our Lemon Tree Dwelling, we tend to do just that! But there’s something about fall that makes all things apple taste even more delicious than usual….and these Apple Pie Bars are no exception!

They come together in no time at all and are the perfect dessert to serve at fall gatherings, school parties, or family dinners. Best of all, they can be made with either canned or homemade apple pie filling….and either way, they’re just as delicious! The BEST way to welcome in fall!


Apple Pie Bars Recipe


Prep time : 10 mins
Cook time : 40 mins
Total time : 50 mins


Ingredients:

•     ½ c. salted butter, at room temperature
•     ¾ c. sugar
•     2 eggs
•     1 tsp. vanilla
•     1½ c. flour
•     ¾ tsp. baking powder
•     1 tsp. apple pie spice
•     2 c. apple pie filling (homemade or one 20 oz.can)

Drizzle

•     1 c. powdered sugar
•     1 Tbsp. milk
•     ½ tsp. vanilla

Read More : Apple Pie Bars

Super Milk Boosting Lactation Cookies

When my son was born, I made a commitment to myself to try my best to breastfeed him for a year. In the beginning, it was easy (well, relatively speaking). We had a few latching issues, along with super sore nipples, but I persevered through until we found our stride … even if it did involve a few a lot of tears.

Fast-forward five months. I was still exclusively breastfeeding my son and back at work full time. I had settled into a comfortable routine of pumping during the day and feeding my son at the breast while home. Baby was happy. Life was good. My supply was plentiful.

Then I hit a snag. A snag in the form of a “monthly visitor.”

All of a sudden, my supply plummeted and I wondered if it was the end of our nursing relationship. I frantically searched the Internet for ways to increase breastmilk production and ran across the all-so-mighty lactation cookie. Why had I never heard of this little lifesaver before?

I have to admit, at first glance it looked a little daunting. Brewer’s yeast? Flaxseed meal? Making cookies from scratch and not a box? I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. But I was desperate and willing to give it a try. I printed off the recipe and headed to Whole Foods to collect all the not-so-common ingredients. I rushed home, put the baby to bed, pulled out my mixing bowl and cookie sheets, and was ready to go!

The recipe was surprisingly easy … the clean-up, not so much. But as I watched the cookies rise from the heat in the oven, so did my expectations of what they could do.

And you know what? They did not disappoint!

I went from pumping 2 oz per breast to 5 oz per breast in LESS THAN 48 HOURS. It was amazing, my fears were calmed, and this little recipe became a regular part of my kitchen routine every 3-4 weeks.

Seriously. This happened. Over several days of pumping.

And the great thing is, they are actually REALLY GOOD. As in, I couldn’t wait to eat them, had a hard time limiting myself to a reasonable amount, and even my husband thought they were delicious (when he unexpectedly thought I was just “baking cookies” and not a concoction to increase breastmilk supply … although rest assured, they are safe for people who are not lactating. No worries about engorged breasts or sudden leaking boobs from anyone partaking. But you do want to make it clear to anyone in your household their purpose. And trust me, once you mention the words “increase breastmilk production, supply, etc.,” no one will want to get within 10 feet of them in fear of what they could possibly do to them!).



Ultimate Lactation Cookie Recipe


Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (preferably with olive oil or flaxseed oil), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup organic brown sugar
• 4 tbsp of water
• 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
• 2 large, omega 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups of thick cut oats
• 1 cup of raisins
• 4 tbsp of brewer’s yeast (this is the main ingredient for milk production)
• 9 fenugreek capsules (empty capsules and discard)

Read More : Super Milk Boosting Lactation Cookies

Best Crock Pot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe Ever

How good do these Stuffed Cabbage Rolls look and you can make them in your Crockpot or Slow Cooker in next to no time.

The more you reheat these Crock Pot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls the tastier they will get as more flavors are absorbed.

You can also freeze the cabbage leaves then thaw if you want to save time on boiling them. The sauce is a combination of Tomato Soup, Paprika, Worcestershire and Tomato Sauce. You can use the recommended quantities, or increase if you prefer more sauce. Scroll our post to get all the details and be sure to Pin all your favorites!



Crock Pot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 12

Ingredients : 

• 12 cabbage leaves + leftover
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup water, broth or tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• For the sauce (If you like lots of sauce, double this)
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 can tomato soup

Read More : Crock Pot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls