HOLY Macaroni!! (Homemade of Course!)

I don't know if there is a better comfort food than macaroni & cheese. The cheesiness is enough to appease any cheese fanatic! Those boxed meals are so easy and convenient and I'm sure all of us have had times where this a fast fix for your hungry toddler and your teenage son needed an afternoon snack.   I found this recipe that I'm sure will detour the habit of those boxed meals! This recipe is made stovetop and takes only the amount of time you need to cook the noodles and whala!!  A creamy, irresistible homemade mac & cheese that the kids will sure love! Forget the kids, that the adults will for sure love!! I like to add my own spicy kick by sprinkling in some creole seasoning! MMMMM! 

Here's two mac & cheese recipes, the first is this simple stovetop recipe and the second is a baked casserole mac & cheese.

Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese

Serves: 4, prep 5, total 15
8 oz elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheeses, shredded

Directions:
1. Cook macaroni as directed on package
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a separate saucepan. Add flour, salt, pepper. Gradually add in milk and bring to a light boil
3. Add in cheese & stir until melted
4. Pour over cooked noodles & enjoy.


Baked Macaroni & Cheese

16 ounces elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 lb cheese (can use cheddar or velveeta)

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees
2. In a pan melt butter, add salt pepper flour & stir until smooth
3. Add milk and bring to a light boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute
4. Remove from and and add cheese, stir until melted
5. Pour sauce over noodles and mix together. Place mixture in a casserole dish, sprinkle top with breadcrumbs and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enoy and remember... homemade just tastes better.

Homemade doesn't have to be edible!

One of my biggest pet peeves is having to put a $20 tub of laundry detergent into my shopping cart, having to lug it home and having to pour out all of it into my laundry. I don't know why but that just bugs me and make me feel like I'm wasting my money. Money which could be used many many blocks of cheeses! ( just kidding, I've actually cut down my cheese fetish substantially!)  But seriously, money that could go towards a nice juicy steak or a pound of crab legs. I would much rather spend it on that instead. So my solution! Homemade laundry detergent! As with my first response, I'm sure all of you have a lot of questions or may be VERY leery about it.  Let me try to answer all the questions that have come up since I've been telling people that I use homemade laundry detergent.

Does it work?? YES! I tested a very stained old coat, amongst other things and it works great. If I have tough stains such as grease or chocolate,  (this actually happens quite a bit in my household)  I pour in a cap full of oxiclean (my stain buster of choice) and it gets the job done. We all do that anyways with regular detergent.

Does it smell good? YES! One of the best things about this type of detergent is that you get the choose your smell. Hobby Lobby and Wal Mart both have a great set of concentrated fragrance bottles to add to your detergent, which make your laundry and your laundry room smell magnificent!

Is it worth it? YES! I am maybe spending $4/month now on detergent. I don't even think it's that much because I haven't taken the time to do the math. As opposed to $20 previously. That's a savings of around $220 a year. Thats worth it to me!

Is it hard to make?? Not really. The hardest part is grating a bar of soap, your arm may get a little sore, but your working it out and your body will get use to it. The first few times I made it, my arm was a little sore but now I'm use to it.

Where can I find the ingredients? I have been able to find all the ingredients at the local Harps stores. Walmart does not carry all the ingredients (shame on you walmart).


So after all of that here is the final recipe. This makes a gell type of detergent. I use a cup per load. I have my good friend Brenda from work to thank for this recipe.


Homemade Laundry Detergent

1/2 bar of Zote soap, grated (found at harps)
1/2 c Borax (this can be found at Walmart but might as well buy at Harps since that's where everything else is)
1/2 c Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not Baking soda but Washing soda, also found at harps)
1 bottle concentrated fragance (Walmart or Hobby Lobby)
5 gallon bucket (can be found at Lowe's or Home Depot type of stores)

Mix 4 cups of water with grated soap in pan. Heat until dissolved.

 Add Borax and Arm & Hammer washing soda. Boil 15 minutes. Watch very carefully so that it does not boil over and cause a mess. 

Pour into a 5 gallon bucket. Add hot tap water until the bucket is 3/4 full. Cover and leave alone for 24 hours.Then mix in 1 bottle concetrated fragrance.

Use 1 cup detergent for 1 large load of laundry. 

Dishwashing Detergent

Another great discovery lately is that two of the same ingredients I use for making laundry detergent can also be made for making dish detergent! 

Use 1 part washing soda for 1 part borax, mix between 1-2 tablespoons between both dispensers and  ese white vinegar as a rinse aid. I've found this to  work better than the leading dishwashing detergent and it saves even more money!! ENJOY! 

Chinese if you Please!

So just recently one of my families favorite places to eat is P.F. Chang's. If you haven't had the priviledge of experiencing delicous gourmet chinese, I strongly suggest this restaurant. The first time we ever ate there, Austin, my now 13 year old step-son, stood in shock and asked with deep concern, "where is the buffet?" It still makes me laugh, but it's true we almost always consider chinese food to be second class buffet's or mall style fast food. It doesn't have to be that way. You don't even have to eat out at P.F. Chang's to get delicous chinese food. Here are a few recipe's my family has enjoyed without spending $20 per person.


P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wrap
For those of you who have never been to P.F. Chang's, these amazing lettuce wraps are one of their signature and most popular dishes. This recipe has been tried and tested by me and found to be true!! These are amazing! The recipe for the sauces is great too! You must you course ground mustard- other mustard's won't have that spicy kick!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnut
2/3 cup mushroom
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 teaspoons water
1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions
1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
16. Top with"Special Sauce".


P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef
This recipe is absolutely divine! The freshness of the ingredients makes this one BETTER than the actual restaurants. If you are not famaliar with flank steak it is a very thin meat that runs anywhere between $7-$10/pound. Here in northwest arkansas I have found it at the Pinnacle hills neighborhood Wal-mart and at pinnacle whiteoak station.
Serves 2. Total time: 30 with 10 min prep.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large green onions


Directions

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.
2. Don't get the oil too hot.
3. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
4. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
5. Remove it from the heat.
6. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices.
7. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.
8. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.
9. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
10. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).
11. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.
12. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.
13. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.
14. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.
15. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
16. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.
17. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
18. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
19. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.
20. ENJOY TO YOUR HEARTS CONTENT!!!



Incredibly Easy Egg drop Soup
You won't believe how easy it is to make such an incredible soup.
Serves 2, prep 5 minutes, total 15 minutes

Ingredients
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 scallion, with tops, finely chopped


Directions
1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in soup pot.
2. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt & mix.
3. Combine water and cornstarch; stir into boiling broth.
4. Stir a small amount of hot broth into slightly beaten egg. Add egg mixture into hot broth slowly, stirring all the time. Cook until clear and slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
5. Garnish with scallion.



Chinese Fried Rice
Serves 4, prep 5 min, total 25 min.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
2 cups rice, prepared and cooled
1/2 cup cooked pork (optional) or cooked shrimp (optional) or cooked chicken (optional)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cooked peas (optional)

Directions
1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet or wok.
2. Scramble eggs in butter, breaking up the cooked eggs into small pieces.
3. Set aside.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet or wok.
5. Saute onions and/or green peppers in butter for 3 minutes.
6. Combine eggs, onions, rice, and meat.
7. Stir in soy sauce until color of rice is uniform.
8. Stir in peas.
9. Heat only until warm.



Enjoy your homemade Chinese cuisine, it will be so worth it!! Join me next week where I will share a few recipe's that aren't exactly edible!! God bless!

French Bread & all it's glory!

Upon just recently watching the wonderful movie 'Julie & Julia.' I was inspired to start my blogging once again. I found myself relating to the Julie character again and again. I too have always had problems finishing things. For instance my 3 year wedding anniversary is coming up soon and my wedding scrapbook is still not complete. I've finished a total of 4, maybe 5 pages. But you wouldn't believe the amount of time I've spent shopping and researching scrapbook items- definitely a lot more than the time I actually put into the scrapbook pages themselves. I've never been able to grasp why it is so hard to finish things, maybe I just get bored, or find something else more interesting. I don't know but probably would not have finished nursing school, had it not cost thousands of dollars.
Anyways on to cooking. A wonderful gift I received this christmas from my mother was a kitchen stand mixer- a beautiful red one that matches my cherry red kitchen! I found this marvelous french bread recipe that is just divine. WOW do these stand mixers make it sooo much easier to make bread! Most bread recipe's seem to take hours to make because you have to let to dough rise twice and it also has to double in size. This particular recipe doesn't call for the dough to double! Which means less time till it's done! According to the author of the recipe, the trick to wonderful french bread is to not allow it to let it double, but to let it cook to its fullness. This recipe makes two beautiful loaves. If you don't have a french bread pan, you can shape it into 3 loaves so it'll fit onto cookie sheets a little better.
A couple tricks to create a wonderful crusty bread is to spritz the bread with water while it is cooking, or place a pot of boiling water underneath the dough in the oven.



French Bread

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons shortening
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons instant yeast
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
1. Place hot water in large bowl.
2. Add the shortening, salt and sugar.
3. Stir and let stand until lukewarm.
4. Sprinkle yeast over all. Allow it to foam for about 10 minutes
5. Beat until smooth.
6. Add 3 cups flour and beat until mixed.
7. Work in 2 cups flour with a wooden spoon.
8. Gradually knead the last 1-1/2 cups flour in until no longer sticky-about 3 minutes.
9. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
10. Punch down and place on floured board.
11. Roll out to a rectangle.
12. Cut lengthwise in half.
13. With each strip, roll up lengthwise and pinch seams.
14. Roll gently back and forth with hands to desired length and to smooth loaf out.
15. Lightly grease cookie sheet or use French loaf bread pans.
16. Cover and let rise for 25 minutes.
17. Cut diagonal slashes across bread about 1/4" deep.
18. Preheat oven, pour boiling water on large cookie sheet to fill.
19. Place cookie sheet on bottom rack in oven.
20. Brush loaves with warm water and place bread on higher rack in oven above water.
21. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.


After you pull your delicious bread out of the oven, and giggle with joy about its beautiful golden color, just dream of the endless possibilities of how you can enjoy your creation. My family chose to enjoy the first loaf with a delicous cheese fondue and and also with an olive oil dip. With the second loaf we choose to make cheesy bread using brie and parmesan-reggiano cheese. YUM! *Just an FYI - we didn't eat all this in one night!
A confession I need to make is that I have been on a cheese craze lately. I crave it all the time. And NO I am not pregnant. Just recently I counted over 10 types of cheese at one time in my fridge, which all included of course the basics of cheddar, parmesan, and cream cheese. I also had parmesean-reggiano, fontina, gorgonzola, smoked gouda, guyere, feta, blue cheese (which I hate by the way), monteray jack sliced sandwhich cheese, swiss and last but not least brie.
My cheese fetish started last September when my husband and I were on a trip to St. Louis and stopped at a cheese outlet somewhere along the way. There were so many choices of cheese, my senses just went wild and since then I haven't been able to stop.
Now which is my favorite? Well that depends on what it is and what I'm eating it with. If it's a sub sandwhich then my choice is provolone! If it's tossed in a salad then my choice is feta! If it's mixed in a casserole my choice is cheddar! My favorite for basic crackers & cheese - smoked gouda! AND I could keep going and going. Last week I made a trip to Sam's club where I had to stop dead in my tracks and admire the lavish array of international cheeses they possessed. Oh it was so hard to resist. Thanks to Dave Ramsey and our allocated spending plan - there was no money for an $8 block of delicious Spanish cheese. So I walked away, I resisted! One less cheese block to take up space in my fridge. After all this I'll admit I'm a little obsessed with cheese.
But the results are so amazing. Here are 3 beautiful recipe's enriched with cheeses to enjoy with your french bread!


Swiss Cheese Fondue

Ingredients:
6 cups shredded swiss cheese
2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, halved
2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup dry sherry or kirsch
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
French bread, cut into cubes

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients; stir to mix well; set aside.
2. Rub the inside of a large saucepan with the cut sides of the garlic halves; discard garlic.
3. Add the wine to the saucepan; cook over medium heat until hot, but do not boil.
4. Add in lemon juice.
5. Gradually add in the cheese mixture.
6. Cook unti cheese melts, stir constantly.
7. Add in sherry, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
8. Transfer mixture to a fondue pot.
9. Serve with bread cubes for dipping.



Brie Bread

1/4 lb butter
6 ounces brie cheese
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon basil
1 loaf French bread

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and onion and basil.
2. Cut the Brie into small pieces and add to the butter mixture.
3. Stir until the Brie is melted.
4. Slice the French Bread in half lengthwise.
5. Take each half and cut ALMOST all the way through into slices about 1 1/2
inches each
6. Spread the melted brie mixture over each half of the loaf.
7. Note: At this point you can refrigerate the bread/brie and continue just
before serving.
8. Place each half of the bread under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly.
9. Tear the individual pieces completely off the loaves and place on
serving platter.


Copycat Macaroni Grill's Bread Dipping Oil

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese (I used parmesean-reggiano!)
black pepper

Directions

1. Combine seasonings and olive oil top with Parmesan cheese.
2. Dip pieces of bread into oil.



Thanks for checking out my blog and remember... Homemade just tastes better!!! Next post I'll be blogging about copycat recipe's from a favorite Chinese bistro restaurant I found, something to do with lettuce, maybe? Check back in about a week to find out!

Boxed brownie mixes are so last season.

Making homemade brownies is so incredibly easy, you'll wonder why you ever spent money on them. I can almost guarantee that you will already have all the necessary ingredients for these in your pantry already.
Found this delicious basic brownie recipe in a Rachel Ray magazine and WOW, do they taste better than any Betty Crocker crocker mix!!!! SInce this is a basic recipe, be creative and add your own flair such as pecans, coconut, butterscotch chips or my favorite, ghiradelli chocolate chips!


Basic Homemade Brownies

2 cups sugar
1.5 sticks melted unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs.
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup flour.

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
3. In a large bowl combine sugar, butter and salt.
4. Whisk in eggs, one at a time.
5. Stir in cocoa and flour.
6. Transfer the batter to a baking pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
7. Let cool before enjoying.


No-Bake Cookies


I saw a package of no-bake cookies for sale at the local Harps grocery store bakery and I thought - theese are so stinkin easy to make, I can't see why people would buy them at the store. Here's my favorite no-fail recipe.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (or chunky)
3-3 1/2 cups dry quick-cooking oats
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
1. Add the first four ingredients into a 4-quart sauce pan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and hold for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the next 3 ingredients and drop by tablespoons onto wax paper.
5. Let cool until set.

Presto it's Pesto!!

I just recently discovered this wonderful French dish at the grocery store- where it cost around $5 for a small jar. That's crazy!!! Well this recipe is sure to please and it doesn't cost anywhere near $5. It is addicting and can be used for SOO many meals. Try it tossed in pasta with a little added feta cheese and pine nuts (which is my favorite) or spread on crackers or bruscetta. It can also be spread on sandwiches, mixed in salads, the possibilities are endless. Be creative and enjoy! This recipe will stay good in the fridge for about 2-3 days but it also freezes well and would make a nice last minute meal for family/friends that show up at the last minute! And remember, Homemade just taste better!

Basil Pesto

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
2-5 garlic cloves (I like to use 4, but you will still be tasting garlic the next day.)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil

1. Mix everything together in food processor except the oil and lemon.
2. Once everything is mixed well, drizzle with lemon and oil.
3. Mix until well blended.
4. Serve on pasta or just about anything that needs a pick me up.

I scream for HOMEMADE ice cream!

I believe the best homemade food you can make is ice cream, there is really nothing that beats it. Here is a truly homemade recipe from the recent Rachel Ray Magazine, you'll also find a recipe at the bottom for homemade heavy cream (it really works!) Have fun and enjoy!

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
1 Quart

4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
ice water
3 tablespoons key lime juice
3/4 cup chopped graham cracker

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar and the sale.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk the cream, milke and remainin 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat until just beginning to simmer, about 5 minutes.
3. Add to the egg mixture in a slow strea, whisking constantly, them pour into the saucepan.
4. Cook over medium-love heat, stirring constantly until the custard thickens and registers 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 8 minutes.
5. Strain the custard into a bowl set in an ice water bath; stir in the key lime juice. Let cool, the cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
6. Using an ice cream machine, process teh custard according to the manufactuere's instructions. Fold in the graham cracks, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

Homemade Heavy Cream Substitute
Makes 3 cups

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt

Directions
1. Combine the ingredients and mix until well blended and smooth.
2. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. For best results, refridgerate at least 10 hours before using.
4. Use as needed.

Enjoy some hot fudge with your delicious treat!

Homemade hot fudge sauce
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/3 cup cocoa (Hershey's)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a microwave proof bowl, combine margarine, water and cocoa.
2. With wire whisk, blend in condensed milk.
3. Microwave on high 1 minute then whisk to blend.
4. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes more on high. Add vanilla and blend with whisk completely.
5. Serve over your favorite ice cream.
6. Store in 1 pint canning jar, cool and refrigerate.
7. Can be rewarmed in jar (lid removed) in microwave--add a bit of water if it thickens too much.


Homemade Sweetened condensed Milk
Makes 10 ounces

1 cup dry milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons melted butter

1. Put ingredients in blender and whip until smooth.