Mac N Cheese

Usually the recipes I find online for Macaroni and Cheese have egg in them. I do not like the egg and cheese custard together, I think it is nasty. This recipe didn't call for egg and it turned out beautifully! Mmmmm so good!

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated extra-sharp cheddar 
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Monterey Jack 
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan or Gruyere 
2 1/2 cups milk 
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon ground mustard 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (optional) 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
Dash of cayenne 
3/4  pound (8 ounces) elbow macaroni 
Hot sauce (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 375.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Set a baking rack in the top-third of the oven.
• Combine the cheddar, monterey jack and Parmesan cheeses in a medium bowl. Transfer 1 cup of cheese to a small bowl; reserve for topping.
• Start your macaroni cooking, fill a large saucepan with water cook macaroni as directed on package instructions.
• In a medium saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat or I did it in the micro wave in small bursts and mixing in between.
• In a Dutch oven or saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Add flour immediately; whisk to combine for about 1 minute. Raise the temperature to medium, and slowly whisk in the milk. Bring it to a boil to thicken, whisking the entire time. (You might need to raise the temperature slightly to get things going.)
• Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the mustard (I didn't use mustard), salt, garlic, pepper, cayenne and the 2 cups of mixed cheeses (from the larger bowl). Set the cheese sauce aside.
•  Drain pasta well, and add pasta to the cheese sauce. Stir to combine. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and add hot sauce, if you wish.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with reserved cheese, and bake in the top-third of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbly, but the inside is still creamy.

Best Ranch Yet

1 tsp Hidden Valley Ranch (Buttermilk version)
1 C Mayo
1/2 -3/4 C Buttermilk
1/4 Fresh Ground Pepper
1/8 Paprika
1/8 Garlic Powder (I don't put very much of this if any in, because it is hard on my stomach)

Place all ingredients in a magic bullet or just mix them together. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before eating. Such a great recipe!

Kashin'a Favorite: Country Club Chicken

1 pound spaghetti
4 chicken breasts
1/2 onion (diced)
7 oz mushrooms (Sliced)
1 apple (diced)
2 cans (10.5 oz.) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 or 5 slices bacon
1/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup sharp cheddar

butter or oil
salt & pepper




Mince the onion.
Clean and slice the mushrooms.

Mince the apple

Season the chicken breasts with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Cook the bacon and don’t clean out the pan. (if you can help it)

Drain the bacon on a paper napkin.

Add a bit of butter and quickly brown the chicken breasts on both sides. 2-3 minutes each side. Transfer them to a casserole.

Cook the onion for a minute or three.

Add the mushrooms, cook for an other couple of minutes.

Add the minced apple and cook it all for another 3 to 4 minutes

Crumble the bacon and place in mixture. 

Pour in the chicken broth.

Add the soup.

Sharp Cheddar. You just can’t go wrong with cheese. Never.

And pour it all over the chicken breasts.
Put the casserole in a preheated oven at 350F (175C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Until the chicken is super tender and the sauce is all hot and bubbly.

This gives you 25 minutes to cook the spaghetti according to the directions on your package.

Place spaghetti on plate, then chicken, then drizzle with sauce.

Bon Appetit!

Zucchini Brownies

3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a tooth pick comes out clean.
4.  To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Kashina's Mac N Cheese

3 C Pasta Noodles
butter
1-2 C of favorite cheese(s) (Cheddar, Sharp, Colby, Parmesan, etc)
1/2 -1 C Cream or Half and Half

Cook noodles to Al Dente, drain. On low heat melt butter, add cream noodles and cheeses. Mix until well blended, try and keep away from Corbyn!

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

1 envelope Taco Seasoning or 1 1/2 TBsp Taco Seasoning
4-6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa

1-2 C of BBQ Sauce (optional)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (less time with less chicken). 
Shred chicken, serve on soft or hard tortillas.  

Laundry Soap

3 Tablespoons Borax
3 Tablespoons Washing Soda
2 Tablespoons Blue Dawn Dish Detergent 
1 Gallon Container 
Water

Mix first three ingredients (until dissolved) in the Gallon Container with 4 or 5 cups of hot water, then fill the rest of the container to full. 

As far as I can tell it works just as well as the cooked laundry detergent I have tried before.