Baked Mac and Cheese

I made this for Benjamin's birthday and it was really quite yummy. Rich and creamy. Just what you want out of your mac and cheese! I got the recipes from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
2 eggs
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), melted
2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese,
divided
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese,
divided

Directions:
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, butter, mustard, seasoned salt and pepper until combined. Stir in the process cheese and 1-1/2 cups of each cheddar cheese.
2. Drain macaroni; stir into cheese mixture. Pour into a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Hello people who look at this blog! I am sorry I have died to the world of food, but no worries I am slowly making a recovery. :O) This recipe makes it in my blog because it is the only new thing I have tried lately and because I really liked it.

This is why I think it is a winner:
-my kids get veggies in a kid friendly way
- had a slight creamy taste
- it's a whole meal in one dish
- was different then your average chicken noodle
- easy, most time spent is with chopping

My notes on this recipe: I used way less herbs. I did dashes, not tsp. I didn't add the salt. It is thick, Stewart asked if we needed forks when he set the table. :O) I used cream of mushroom too because I only had one can of cream of chicken - you wouldn't even know it tasted great. I used less chicken, less money if I didn't add it and my kids wont eat it. I think I might add more water if I added it all. Please know that when you cook you do what you would like. In my book recipes are only spring boards from which you can explore and customize to your taste.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

8 cups Water
2 T. Chicken Bouillon
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 sm. Onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups Carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cup Peas, frozen
3 cup Chicken, cooked and shopped into small pieces
one large stalk celery chopped
1/2 tsp Thyme leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Parsley flakes
1/4 Basil
1/8 tsp Oregano
1 (12 oz.) pkg. Egg noodles, any type - I like no yolks, healthier

Mix water, bouillon and cream of chicken soup together in large soup pot. Then add everything else. Cook until noodles are done and then remove from heat and let sit for 10 - 15 minutes to thicken and cool. EAT!!! I put rolls in the oven while it thickened. Timing was perfect.

Egg Noodle Recipes

Stroganoff

I like this version. It is simple and the beef flavor was mild enough for me to really enjoy every bite. I have beef issues. :O)

1 lb. "cubed" steak cut into bite size chunks
1 onion
1 1/2 cup water
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can mushrooms drained

Brown steak with onion. Add 1 1/2 cup water cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Then add cream of mushroom soup, can of water, mushrooms, and sour cream. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve on egg noodles. I like to use the no yolk noddles, healthier.

Cheesy Sour Cream Egg Noddles

2 cups sour cream
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan
1 TB butter
1/2 to 1 tsp chicken bullion

Cook your noodles and drain them. Keeping then very hot return them to their pan and add in all the other ingredients. Stir well and serve right away. So easy and still very yummy.

Cream Cheese Egg Noddles

I have never made this. I just made it up as I wrote this. If you try it let me know if it is any good. :O)

1/2 onion chopped in fine pieces
2 TB butter
1 package cream cheese 1/3 less fat would be smart
1/2 cup hot water from the noddle pot
2 tsp chicken bullion - total guess :)
1/2 cup Parmesan
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of garlic powder

While cooking the noddles saute the onion in butter. Cook the noodles and drain them reserving 1/2 of the hot water. Add all the other ingredients to the onions and cook until the cheeses are melted and flavors are blended. Pour the sauce over noddles and enjoy.

Healthy Mexican Feast

This dinner is one of my Favorite Summer and Spring Mexican feasts. It is fresh, healthy and Oh, so yummy!

Mexican Dry Soup - Sopa Seca

I love this! It's a classic of my mom's. It is nice to have a side dish other then refried beans and Spanish rice when its a mexican night. It is fresh and so good. A nice change at least! And honestly it taste very Mexican, not Italian at all!

1 to3 TB oil
18 to 14 oz package of Mexican broken vermicelli
1 can petite diced tomatoes
chicken bullion to taste
pepper
Basil 1/4 tsp maybe
1/2 onion chopped in small pieces
1/2 green bell pepper chopped in small pieces
2 cups chicken broth
Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet. When hot add the vermicelli. Saute until the noddles start to brown to a light golden brown. can burn so watch carefully. then add onion and bell pepper. let that saute some more to slightly cook that veggies and continue browning noodles. when the noddles are a nice light brown and the veggies are a little soft add the can of tomatoes. stir in the pepper, Basil, and bullion. Then add the chicken broth. reduce the heat to low and cover. Let it simmer 10 minutes or until the soupiness is gone and the noddles are tender. Remove from heat and sprinkle generously with Parmesan and recover until ready to serve. This one of our favorites!

Bean Salad

1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 can corn drained
1 green bell pepper diced into small pieces
1/2 onion diced into small pieces
garlic to taste (powder or fresh chopped works)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (adjust to taste)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (adjust to taste)
1 tsp chicken bullion (adjust to taste)
Romain lettuce rinsed and chopped
"Salad Jazz "Chili Lime Salad seasoning (I get it at Walmart by the produce and/or salad dressings) its spicy so add it slowly and keep gage the flavor to see when it is enough for your taste.
*tomato, cilantro, and avocado are good additions too

drain canned goods and chop the pepper and onion and mix together in a large bowl. stir in the garlic. Then add the oil, vinegar, bullion, and chili lime flavoring ( I have never used the whole thing so don't add too much) mix and let the flavors meld. Then rinse and chop your lettuce. Arrange it on a large plater. Spread the bean salad on the center of the lettuce. making sure the the juices make it on the lettuce too. Then serve and enjoy. You can sprinkle a little cheese if you would like. I also like to add tomato and avocado too!

Super Easy Healthyish Chicken!

I found these marinades at the store and have fallen in love with them. I like them because they aren't like tha bottles types that add a lot of sugar to your chicken. These are sugar free and very flavorfull! And so easy!

1 to 2 pound Chicken (I prefer to use chicken breats cut in half so theya ren't so thick, this makes it easier to have tender juicy meat)
1 packet McCormick Grill Mates Marinade - Okay these are great our favorites are the Grill Mates MESQUITE Marinade Mix and Grill Mates ZESTY HERB Marinade Mix and want to try the Grill Mates HICKORY BBQ Marinade Mix soon. For a Mexican night I I like the Mesquite the best

Marinade as directed ( I never need more then 15 minutes to get intense flavor) and then either grill, broil, heat it up on your foreman grill or cook in a frying pan. So little fat and major yummy flavor!

* I have also added thick sliced bell pepper and onion to the marinade and then cooked along side the meat to make yummy easy Fajitas.

Dessert

Either of these deserts is great. I made these when I was kid. We had two orange trees and one tangerine tree in our back yard so these were treats I made often. These are especially great during the spring and hot summer months.

The Real Orange Julius

Four Tangerines or Clementines (1 for each person)
Lite whipped cream

Peel and separate the tangerine sections. Remove excess white stuff on the outside of the sections. Arrange in a circular pattern on a plate with a soup bowl in the center. Sprinkle the tangerines with a little water and then sprinkle with a little white sugar. Put in the freezer. Half an hour before you want to eat desert remove the tangerine halves from the freezer to slightly thaw. Fill the bowl with the whipped topping. Serve. People can dip their tangerine pieces in the whipped topping. so good!

Oranges? -yeah you'll like this better then ice cream!

4 ripe firm oranges
powdered sugar

Cut oranges in rings 1/4 inch thick. Then cut through the peel and then peel it away from the orange itself. arrange the slices nicely on a serving plate. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Before serving put 1/2 powdered sugar in a fine strainer and dust the oranges until they have a adequate dusting of sugar. Serve and fall in love with oranges all over again!

*to jazz these up for company add in other fruits as well. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are my favorite to serve along with these simply fresh deserts.

Sharing One Of My Passions: FOOD

I have decided to start a recipe blog. I am currently writing a cook book and I thought this would be a fun way to share my "research" and keep me motivated to remember to type up my latest creations. Plus I hope to get impute and other recipes from my fellow foodies.

I go through phases, and right now I am on a healthy cooking kick, thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law Kirsten, and thus that is what I will be starting with. So I hope you check it often and have fun trying some of the stuff we are cooking up here in the Rasmussen abode!

This first recipe isn't healthy and I am not even sure if it counts as a recipe but here it is:

Mac and Cheese

If you are like us you have mac and cheese for lunch at lest once a week and being a wannabe chef I have to play with it and try different things to jazz it up. This is my latest theory on very yummy blue box Mac and Cheese. If you are going to cook something that has that much butter I figure you better be able to taste and enjoy the fattiness you are ingesting. You can accomplish that by using real butter and then caramelizing it!

After you drain your macaroni let it sit in ther drainer and return the pan to the heat and add your 1/4 cup of real yummy butter. Let it cook by itself until it is very bubbly and has taken on a caramely color. Don't do it too long or you will burn the butter and that won't be the way you want to taste your butter. I then add the cheese to the butter, followed by the milk, and finally the mac. Stir it and enjoy your Yummy Buttery Cheesy Heaven!