Homemade Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

8 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni

2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

3 c. milk

1/4 c. butter

2 1/2 T. flour

2 T. butter

1/2 c. bread crumbs

1 pinch paprika

Recipe:

1. Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.

2. In a sauce pan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux (butter flour mixture to thicken sauce). Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. Put macaroni in large casserole dish, and pour sauce over macaroni. Stir well.

3. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and brown. Spread over the macaroni and cheese to cover. Sprinkle with a little paprika. *

4. Bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes. Serve.

* Totally didn't do the last two steps. Just served the cheese sauce over noodles.

Rating: 2.5 of 5

So, I am not one who really likes mac and cheese. Ally, apparently, is. I didn't exactly cook this recipe the way it is supposed to be, but I figured the sauce over noodles would be just fine too. I didn't really like the sauce just because it didn't have a super strong cheddar taste....it was more Parmesan flavored. But, as long as Ally likes it I will make it. Daniel, surprisingly, couldn't care less for it!

Source: AllRecipes, Homemade Mac and Cheese

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:

1 loaf (16 oz) Cinnamon Swirl Bread, cut into cubes

6 eggs, beaten

3 c. milk

2 t. vanilla extract

Confectioners' sugar (aka: powdered sugar)

Maple syrup

Recipe:

1. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Put the bread in the dish.

2. Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla with a whisk in a large bowl. Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

3. Uncover the dish. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Sift the sugar through a sieve over the top. Serve with maple syrup, in desired.

Rating: .1 of 5

Not even kidding, it was that bad. I should have realized as I was making/reading the recipe that all those eggs poured over it was going to make a mushy type bread pudding thing. Gross. We don't do mushy in our house. I've never cooked something that smelled so delicious while baking come out tasting like slightly cinnamon-y flavored baby rice cereal. If you don't like mush, the DO NOT make this!

Source: Campbell's Cooking Companion, pg. 75

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 (26 oz) jars spaghetti sauce *

6 oz provolone cheese, sliced

1 1/2 c. sour cream

6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

* I say use your favorite kind of sauce. Tonight we had meat flavored.

Recipe:

1. Cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat.

3. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

5. Layer as follows: half of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, half of the sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce mixture. Top with Pramesan cheese. *

6. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheesees are melted.

* Haha....as if I did that. I just started throwing things in and mixing it around. It turned out great. Actually the mozzarella and Parmesan ended up as the top layer and was really good.

Rating: 4 of 5

This was basically a ziti version of lasagna. We like noodles and we love cheese in this family. So, that basically hit the spot.

Source: Allrecipes.com