Main Dishes

My Best Mac & Cheese

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   How many recipes have you tried for mac & cheese? Seriously, I have tried too many.  Look no further! This is the one!  Totally delicous! My kids totally asked for 2nds and 3rds!   There are 4 differents cheeses in this and seasonings that you already have handy. You are going to make this your go to recipe for homemade mac & cheese. I promise!

This recipe makes a 13″x9″ casserole dish full! 

2 TBSP. butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 cups milk
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1- 1/2 cup cubed velveeta cheese
1/2 cup cubed cream cheese
1-1/2 boxes of Rotini pasta, cooked
onion powder
italian bread crumbs, or your favorite
Pam

Spray your casserole dish with pam, and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cook your pasta and drain. Set it aside.

In a good sized pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the following: flour, pepper and milk. Slowly add the milk using a whisk until mixture is smooth. Bring this to boil over medium heat; cook for one minute, stirring constantly so your sauce doesn’t stick! Immediatly reduce heat; add cheeses, stirring in until melted. Remove from the heat and add in the pasta. Stir until the pasta is coated well and pour into the casserole dish. 

(If youhave a bigger dish it might be a good idea to use it. My 13x 9 overflowed! But man, was it good!)

Sprinkle over the onion powder over the top, generously, but don’t go crazy! The sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. You can add as much or as little as you want.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Recipe seriously adapted from Gooseberry Patch.

Lime Pepper Grilled Chicken

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Today I am going to share with you a quick, easy, healthy, tasty chicken recipe.  Not only that, I am going to give you the whole meal so that you will have a yummy addition to your 30-Minute Meal Arsenal.  And you know why?  ‘Cuz that’s how I roll….

The chicken part of this recipe is original, the other components of the meal are straight out of the can, already seasoned, tried and tested in the Jenkins Family Test Kitchen–two thumbs up!!


Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Lime Pepper seasoning
1 can Margaret Holmes Southern Style Seasoned Mixed Greens
1 can La Costena Frijoles Charros



1.  Place chicken breasts in a gallon-size zippered freezer bag.  Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and about a teaspoon of Lime Pepper seasoning (to taste). Close the bag and kind of “moosh” things around until the chicken is evenly coated with oil and seasoning.

2.  Grill chicken on a counter-top nonstick grill (I used my George Foreman grill) for approximately 8 minutes, checking for done-ness.

3.  Meanwhile, open the cans of beans and greens and heat each over medium heat until ready to serve.

4.  That’s it.  Really.

Moni’s Quinoa Mac and Cheese

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Let it be known to all that I have finally tried Quinoa.  Yes it is true.  I tried this recipe that I found on Pinterest and I must say it is quite tasty.



Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium leek white and green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup diced tomato or red/green pepper
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
pinch of salt
a few grinds of seasoning salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water (or stock)
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese plus more for topping
Panko Bread Crumbs for topping, optional

1.  Heat oil in medium pan over medium heat.  Add leek and tomatoes; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 minutes, or until grains start to turn opaque (they will not be fully cooked at this point).

2.  Add 3 cups chicken stock and season with the salt and Seasoning Salt.  Cover and reduce to medium-low and simmer 15-20 minutes or more,  or until most liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Coat 13 x 9 dish with cooking spray.  Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl.  Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese (add more cheese here if you need it).  Stir well and let some of the cheese melt.  It will be a little “soupy” but that’s okay,  It will firm up.

4. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with Panko Crumbs.  Bake 25-35 minutes, or until browned around the edges.

TIPS:  The original author of this recipe suggests using salsa, scallions, sour cream or hot sauce as toppings.

SOURCE:  A Pinterest Re-Pin from Monica Nelson



Chicken and Pineapple Kebabs

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I love to grill in the summer time! Who wants to bake in a kitchen when you can cook in the open air?? AND when you’re in the heat of summer, who wants a heavy meal? Not me, friend!

These hit the spot with their fresh, light mix of fruit, vegetables, and meat.

Ingredients:

20 oz can of Pineapple Chunks in juice (fresh pineapple is awesome if you can get it)
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp plain yogurt*
1 Tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro
few drops of orange food coloring (opt) –I didn’t use it.

1.5 lbs skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts (or tenderloins) — about 2 cups
1 Red Bell Pepper**
1 yellow Bell Pepper
1 green Bell Pepper
1 Onion
Cherry Tomatoes
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

12 Kebab Skewers

1. Drain the canned pineapple into a large bowl and reserve the chunks, covered, in the fridge. If you use fresh, you should juice enough to get about 1 Cup and chunk the rest.

2. In pineapple juice, blend together the cumin, coriander, garlic, chili powder, salt, yogurt, and food coloring (if you use it, I really don’t know why you would, but hey. To each his own, right?) The actual recipe says that you should mix all the spices together separately and then add them to the pineapple juice, but I really hate doing dishes and mixed them all together in one bowl. It worked just fine.

3. Cut the chicken into cubes and add to the yogurt spice mixture. Marinate it in the fridge for 1.5 hours.

4. Cut your veggies into chunks.

5. Arrange the chicken, peppers, onion, tomatoes, and pineapple on your kebabs.

6. Brush the kebabs with oil and cook on a preheated, Medium heat, grill, turning every 4 minutes or so,  until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tenderish. I like mine a little crispy and it took around 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve with rice and salad.

*I don’t cook with plain yogurt regularly and wasn’t about to go buy some for 2 Tbsp worth, so I used sour cream and they tasted fabulous! I like sour cream anyway!

**I imagine that since this is squash season, this would taste GREAT with a variety of squashes on the kebab. Mix it up and let me know how it turns out!

Source: The Ultimate Barbecue Cookbook, Barnes and Noble

Beef Pot Pie

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This is one of those oh, so, yummy, homestyle fully delectable goodness dishes.  It is actually my oldest daughter’s recipe and I only acted as a “Sous Chef” 🙂   

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (4 TBSP) Butter
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
6 stalks celery chopped
1 cup chopped carrots or more to your taste
4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (we like Red Skin Golden Potoatoes)
1 15oz can corn or 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh
–Add 1 cup peas or broccoli with other veggies if desired–
1# leftover pot roast, (we used flank steak cooked in the crockpot) chopped or shredded
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 – 3 cups Beef Stock
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Pie Crust – recipe below or use pre-made, refrigerated crust –  enough for a two crust pie

1.  Heat Olive Oil Medium – Medium high and saute onion, celey, and carrots for 5 minutests
2.  Add garlic and potatoes and cook for another 5-10 minutes
3.  Add corn and butter – stir until butter is melted
4.  Add roast and stir until blended
5.  Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
6.  Add Beef Stock and milk — bring to a boil until the sauce has thickened.
7.  Taste now add salt and pepper as needed
8.  Pour into a 13×9 pan and top with pie crust.  “Poke” a few holes into the crust for steam to escape.
9.  Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

Pie Crust Recipe
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup (4 TBSP) butter
6-8 tsp ice water (more if needed to make a soft ball of dough)

1. In medium bowl mix flour and salt together
2. Cut in shortening and butter
3. Add ice water and stir with hands or wooden spoon until a soft dough forms
4. Roll out on floured surface into desired shape

Enjoy!

Source:  Jessica

Mexican Stuffed Shells

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I love tacos…. I love pasta. So naturally when I came across this recipe a while back – it was meant to be made. This recipe is so easy and a really nice spin on taco night. I know you’ll enjoy it. It is easy to either kick up the heat or to tame it down by varying the ingredients.




Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients: 
1 lb. ground beef (turkey or chicken would be great too)
1 package taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
16-20 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa (more/less depending to your taste)
1 cup taco sauce (at least)
1-2 cup cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it!)

Directions:
– Preheat oven to 350°.
– In a pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese to beef, cook on medium/low until cream cheese is melted and incorporated. Set aside and cool. (If you want to kick up the heat, diced green chiles would be great to add to the beef.)
– Cook pasta shells and drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
– Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish.
– Stuff each shell with the meat mixture.
– Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce.
– Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed.
– Top with any condiments you’d like. Green onions, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, taco sauce… you name it!

Marinated Grilled Chicken

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“Kara, can you give this recipe to my mom so she can make it? It is SO GOOD!”

Liam is six years old. He has the most adorable face and the most beautiful hair (that’s right. HE does). I cannot deny the child the one pleasure in life he has asked me for. I daren’t. So, here you go! The real plus is how dang EASY-PEASY it is!
Easy.
Ingredients:
1 Cup 7-UP* 
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce**
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp+ Ground Ginger
5-6 Chicken Breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
1. Mix all ingredients in a 1 Gallon zip lock bag (I do two bags just in case) and refrigerate over night.
Peasy.
2. Slap those bad boys on a grill the next day for lunch or dinner and VOILA!  You’ll have 6-year-old boys…and 80-year-old boys for that matter…lined up begging you to give their moms the recipe. (Please cook the chicken all the way through until the juice runs clear. Those boys will take it all back if they get food poisoning!)
*Sprite works, too, but I really do think 7-UP is better for some reason. I feel a science experiment coming on!
**For a different kick, try 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce and 1/4 Cup Teriyaki Sauce.
NOTE: I think that smaller chicken breasts work better. I always cut the chicken down into “Smallish” sized portions. This way, the portion size is great for kids, too.
Source: My Great Aunt, Audrey
~Kara

Family Favorite Chicken Salad

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When it comes to chicken salad, my family can’t get enough! That includes my extended family. It’s a go to meal for all of us. An entertain the company meal, even!  So, several years ago one of my girls had a preschool teacher that introduced us to her chicken salad. And this is the chicken salad that I always make. But, I will warn you, if you have a hard time taste testing your recipes, or playing around with them, this probably isn’t for you. It always tastes the same to me. But, its one of those recipes that I just make up as I go. So, I will try to give you a general idea  and then you have to experiment!  It will be fun! And your family will love this!

5 or more chicken breasts, boiled, and chopped into bite sized pieces.
3-4 big stalks of celery, chopped
1 med. sized onion, chopped
Note: But, be careful not to add all of the onion at first.  you don’t want to over power the celery!
2-3 big red delicious apples, chopped
2-3 big granny smith apples
Note: You use the apples to stretch the salad. If you have a lot of people to feed up the apples! Up the veggies even!
2 cups Red seedless grapes, halved (obviously you can add more)
1 cup walnuts, or pecans, optional
Duke’s Mayo
Kraft Creamy Poppy seed Dressing (this is the secret ingredient)
Crescent rolls, crackers, yeast rolls, lettuce, etc. Anything and everything you would like to serve with this!

After you have boiled and chopped the chicken add all ingredients to a super large bowl and mix. In a separate bowl pour in the entire bottle of the poppy seed dressing and add about 3/4 c of mayo and stir until mixed well and the dressing has thickened up.  You made need to add more mayo. But, be careful not to over do the mayo, you will lose the poppy seed flavor if you add too much. Chill and serve!  Delicious!

Sometimes I find myself without poppy seed dressing and so I will make up a mixture of mayo and sugar and vinegar. This will taste yummy too!

Recipe adapted from Sherene Winkle.

Pepper Rubbed Pork

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I found this recipe for pork rub on a little sticker attached to a pork loin roast. After trying it, I just couldn’t let it go undiscovered! Great for roast or chops.

The Rub:
1/2-1tsp ground pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)
2 tsp each: dried basil, rosemary, thyme
2T Grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp each: garlic powder and salt

Combine all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and apply liberally to all surfaces of your pork. The first time I used the rub, it was on a pork loin roast. I had just enough to cover the whole thing.  When I made these chops, I doubled the rub recipe. It seemed there was more surface area to cover since I was working with the front and back of each piece.  Now here’s where you can choose your own adventure!


If you plan ahead and have some time before dinner:  Place the pork chops in a 9×13 dish with a splash of water in the bottom, cover tightly with foil and bake for about 3 hours at 300*. 
Now, I know some will warn you not to cook them too long for fear of drying them out.  I will say this:  If you’re foil is on tight, and your temp is not too high. They will be juicy, slow cooked chops.  The longer they bake the better, if you ask me.  They were falling to pieces!  Mmmmm!  And the flavor? WOW! 

Or, if you’re ready to get dinner on the table sooner than later:  Let the pork rest with the rub on it, preferably in the fridge, for about 10 minutes or so.  It just gives the pork juices a chance to mingle with the spices.  Then…I used my marvelous grill pan (any pan will do) to sear the flavors and juices into the pork.  About 3-5 minutes on medium heat on each side. Then another 10-12 on each side to cook through (internal temp. should read between 140-160.  I always shoot for 160).

   Enjoy!  (I know I did =)

Chicken Guacamole Quesadilla

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I’ve been trying to come up with some new lunch ideas lately. This little ditty came to me while I was trying to clear out some leftovers. Chances are, you too have most of these ingredients in your fridge right now.
Ingredients
Flour Tortilla
Guacamole (I used a 100 calorie pack of pre-made guacamole)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Chicken
Bacon Bits
Butter
Directions (pretty self explanatory, but here you go!)
– Spread guacamole on one half of tortilla. Top with cheese, chicken, and bacon bits.
– Fold and lightly spread butter on the outside of the tortilla.
– Cook in skillet over medium-low heat.
– Enjoy!