Mac-n-Cheese

My friend Melanie made mac-n-cheese one time for a party. Well, lets just say it was awesome. There are no exact measurements for this recipe, so it is easy to make as little or as much as you want.

24 ounces of macaroni noodles
milk
3/4 of a block (the big block) of velveeta
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or cheese of your liking


Cook noodles, but do not cook all the way. If you do, your macaroni will be mushy. Drain noodles & place back on stove top over medium heat and cover with milk. Dice up large block of velveeta (about 3/4 of a block) and add to noodle/milk mixture
continue stirring until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste
place in 9x13 baking dish
cover with cheddar cheese
Bake on 350 for about 20 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and the mac is bubbling

Peach Dump Cake (Cobbler)

While the name is absolutely horrible. This recipe is actually wonderful. Great for a no fuss dessert to take to a party. Don't expect a cake to pop out of your crockpot, it is more of a cobbler. Great with vanilla ice cream. I have made this twice now. 1st time without brown sugar, 2nd time with. In my opinion the brown sugar makes it a little to sweet for my taste buds. So, I will continue to make it without the brown sugar. But everyone's tastes are different. Don't like peaches? You can easily substitute canned blueberries, apples, or cherries.

24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup (large can)
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

Crockpot method

Dump the peaches in the crock pot or slow cooker. Pour cake mix over top of peaches & top with butter slices, brown sugar & walnuts.
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Enjoy!

Gyoza's

Gyoza's are also known as Japanese potstickers.

I will warn you, this recipe is very time consuming. However, it is well worth making. I am putting 2 different cooking methods on here. However we fry both sides of the gyoza. We prefer them that way.

Serves 6 for dinner or 10-12 as an appetizer

1 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cup cabbage ( I just use the slaw mix)
2 green onions, diced
2 teaspoons ginger (dry)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
vegetable oil for frying
wonton wrappers
Makoto ginger dressing- optional (found in the produce section)

In a medium bowl combine, pork, cabbage, onions, ginger, eggs, soy sauce, hot chili oil & sesame oil.
Lay wonton wrappers in front of you, place a small teaspoon worth of filling in the center of the wrapper. Wet edges of wrapper. Fold the sides of the wrapper to form a triangle, then pinch the edge to seal. Continue with the rest, until the filling is gone.

Cooking options

Heat 1-2 table spoons oil in a heavy fry pan over medium heat. Add 12-15 of the goya's and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan. Cover the gyoza's and cook until the water is absorbed (5-7 minutes). Repeat with the remainder gyoza's.

Heat about an 1/2 inch of oil to heavy fry pan over medium heat. Add about 10 gyoza's to the pan & cook about 2 minutes until golden brown. Turn the gyoza over & cook 2 more minutes or until golden brown. Place gyoza's on paper towel to drain & repeat cooking until all gyoza's are cooked.

To keep gyoza's warm, I place them in a 9 X 13 pan & place in a 250 degree oven just to hold until ready to serve.

Serve over rice & salad. with your favorite dipping sauce (ours is the makoto ginger dressing).

Taco Soup

Way back in high school, yes I said high school. We made this recipe. I have made it ever since. It is super easy, delicious, plus it is freezer friendly. While it is very similar to the chicken taco soup, this is made with beef. You can substitute the ground beef with chicken or turkey if you would like. Make sure you make it in a big pot, it makes a lot. Would be great to serve for a football game.

Serves 8-10

Note- this picture was taken before all the fritos & cheese were added.

1 pound ground hamburger
1 med. onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 -15 oz can kidney beans
1- 15 oz can black beans
1- 15 oz can pinto beans
1 large or 2 - 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1- 16 oz bag frozen corn
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 cups water
sour cream
cheese
Fritos

1. Brown hamburger meat with onion & bell pepper, drain
2. In a big pot add meat mixture, beans, corn, tomatoes, seasoning & water. Simmer for 30 minutes
3. Ladle into bowls & top with sour cream, cheese & fritos.