Beanie Weenie Casserole

I was over the moon about this recipe – and I finally had the girls (my two nieces) with me for the day/night so we went over to Wal-mart, grocery shopped and shot straight home so I could make this fabulous recipe for them to try! I could not locate Rachael Ray’s recipe ANYWHERE to save my life. However, I originally saw this on her 30-minute meals and vowed, for about a year, to make it.

The little snotfaces didn’t even taste it. WHAT CHILD turns their nose up to a hotdog? I was very disappointed! Albeit, more for me – nonetheless, still disappointing. They both eat hotdogs so I’m not entirely too sure what their little ‘tudes were about this wonderful dish..

- 1 package (8) hotdogs, cut into chunks (I use Chicken Franks – 40% less fat)
- 1 large can of Original Baked beans, half drained
- About 3/4 cup of hickory smoked (or original) barbeque sauce
- About 1/4 brown sugar
- 1/4 red onion (optional) – I grated it, you can dice it
- 1 clove garlic - grated (optional)

I like to “jazz” my recipes up a bit – therefore, I threw in the garlic and onion. This, of course, was after the mini-turd buckets wouldn’t eat my casserole. I also made a topping. This was inspired by the recipes I saw that had cornbread or cornmeal in the mixtures:

- About 1 cup of original bread crumbs
- About 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- About 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or Agave)

This is quick, cheap, simple, easy… throw everything in the first section together in a casserole dish and mix. For the topping, add your cheese to the bread crumbs and begin to add the syrup, one tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork. You want it to be a bit crumbly to just top the franks and beans – “drizzle” it over with your fingers until you’ve covered the entire surface. Pop it in the oven at 375 degrees for 35 – 45 minutes (or until heated all the way through). I served this up with a quick mac’n cheese side (see Baked Macaroni and Cheese - my style) and a Sweet Wheat Roll. It was delicious, with or without gremlin approval. And I ate off the panda plate..

Baked Macaroni & Cheese - my style

My friends and family... I tell ya... I'm going to STAPLE this recipe to their foreheads!

So as I mentioned, I have received several requests for my macaroni and cheese so it just made sense for me to blog it and then email a link. I just did a search in all of my emails (including work) and I couldn't find the recipe anywhere... so this, I promise to you, is the very last time I type this out!

Before I get started, as with any recipe I ever try, I don't measure anything... and with my mac'n cheese, it always looks and taste different with one common demoninator: CHEESE! Lots and lots of cheese! This recipe changes all the time - you don't have to do the roux, at all if you don't want. Just do a quick cheese sauce.*

to make the roux*:
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- about a cup of shredded extra sharp white cheddar cheese (you can sub Muenster, here)
- about 1/2 cup of cubed velveeta cheese (or 4 slices)
- about 2 cups low fat milk
- about 2-3 tablespoons Lawry's seasoning salt (to taste, of course - or you can use regular Kosher salt / Sea salt)

for everything else**:
- 16 oz box of elbow macaroni noodles
(feel free to use Rotelli noodles/Ridged jumbo nooodles/cut elbows - whatever you want!)
- 1.5 cup shredded Colby Jack (feel free to sub Gruyere, here - or do half/half)
- 1.5 cup shredded extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- about half cup of half & half or low fat milk


To get started, crack your two eggs in a small bowl and pour in the half cup of half & half or low fat milk. Give it a quick stir and set to the side. You want this at room temp - we'll temper it later, just to be sure. Grate all of your cheese ahead of time so you are not having to do this during the layering process. Fill your large pot with water and bring to boil for your noodles. Once your water is boiling, throw in your noodles, THEN get started on the roux. This is your thickening agent for your cheese sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (this will vary, depending on elevation) and spray a large casserole dish so your noodles don't stick.

Melt your butter in a medium sauce pan and whisk in the flour, one tablespoon at a time until all of your flour appears to be incorporated with your butter. Let it cook out for about 45 seconds or so, so you don't have a floury taste. Then add your low fat milk while still whisking. Don't let it sit too long without supervison.. milk burns fast! When the milk mixture begins to "smoke" a bit, toss in your velveeta cheese. Grab a spoonula and stir occasionally until the cheese is fully melted (milk AND cheese burn faster - keep an eye on it!) Toss in - one handful at a time - the extra sharp white cheddar cheese. Begin mixing in a figure "8", as this will keep the cheese from clumping (keeps the air bubbles out!) Keep doing this until all your cheese is in, and melted. Add your Lawry's. Remove from heat.

Your noodles should be about done. Al dente is what you're shooting for since you're going to pop this in the oven to cook a bit longer. Drain and toss back into the pot you cooked them in. Grab your egg mixture and while stirring, fold in about 2 tablespoons of your cheese sauce. This will "temper" the mixture, ensuring it's at room temperature so when you dump it on the noodles, it doesn't cook the egg! Now, dump it on the noodles - stir together and make sure all the noodles are covered. Now dump in your cheese sauce mixture. Stir together. (taste to see if you need more seasoning salt or not - add here, if you do and stir).

Put in a layer of noodles about 1.5 inches thick into your casserole dish. Top with your grated cheese(s). Add another layer of noodles, more cheese... this is just like making lasagna. Once you're finished up with the layers, put the rest of your cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil (be sure you tent it so the cheese doesn't stick to it). Pop in the oven for about half hour- you're really just wanting to melt the cheese all the way through. Once it's golden brown on the top, it's ready to come out! I normally remove the foil with about 5 minutes left to get this to happen.

Simple enough.... ENJOY! Once you stir in your cheese sauce to your noodles, feel free to add-in other things here - partially steamed broccoli, cubed Virginia ham.. picky little eaters? Add in diced hotdogs, cubed boiled chicken.. you have endless options for an all-in-one-stop-shop, here! I hope you guys find this helpful!



*If you don't want to make the roux, do a quick cheese sauce by heating up about 1.5 cups of milk and toss in about 1/2 cup of cubed velveeta (or 4 slices). Stir occasionally until cheese is fully melted. This is where I throw in the Lawry's seasoning salt, to taste. And that's it! very simple!

**feel free to use 3 cups of all the same cheese - I would highly suggest the extra, or sharp yellow cheddar cheese if you do so.

Time FLIES, huh?

As November is settling in nicely, fall-back on the clocks to give us an "extra" hour that really isn't extra at all, my annual Funky Sock Exchange* email is enroute and I JUST finalized my Christmas party details with my theme set AND my games all in order.

Last year was great - and I feel like I JUST took down my Christmas decorations. Everyone had to get into groups and build reindeer antlers out of pantyhose, balloons and red ribbon. I laughed the entire time. It makes me feel accomplished when guest have fun at my gatherings... that's what the host should make sure of, right? I sure do :-) non-alcoholic cranberry sparklers and my Christmas "punch" will be on order, as well - Martha Stewart helped me out with the Christmas cocktails, too!

I had a snowman building contest one year - went to the dollar store and craft store and picked up all kinds of things from pipe cleaners to glitter to styrafoam balls. The beauty about this is that everything that was left over went into my niece's craft kit at the house. Win, win! I have also filled stockings with Christmas related items and the guests had to guess what was in the stocking.

I pull these games from online - I google and search, and search... and search some more until I can collaberate some together - or they are just too darn funny, I have to do it! I have received positive feedback on the 'ice breakers' at the parties so you will be a BIG-HIT-HOST throwing a few games into the mix. This at least allows for a break in the monogamy of drinking, eating, watching the fight, eating some more, getting another drink, step outside to mingle by the fire pit, grab another drink, snack on some meatballs, can't locate your glass so you grab another drink....

"Fantastic" doesn't begin to describe the games, and the level of laughter that goes into these things is unmeasurable.


Themes! Man... I plan almost all year on games and themes (I'm going to start writing down the games because, this one time, in bed, late at night, a fabulous game popped into my head and it made me LAUGH and LAUGH - and the next morning I couldn't remember what it was! A DAMN SHAME!). This year's theme is Chelle's Chic Christmas (three C's - get it? CCC... it means nothing, really.. )
I'm going silver, black and metallic blue. I can't wait to begin decoration shopping this weekend!!

Ok - off to write a mac'n cheese recipe... it's that time of year, and everyone is asking for it so I'm blogging about it :)


Happy Thursday!







*Funky Sock Exchange details (condensed to Chelle's standards):

This is a Funky Sock Exchange!!

1 - Please send a unique pair of ladies socks (holidays are right around the corner- make it great!) to the person listed on the #1 space below.

2 – Copy & Paste my name/address up into the # 1 space and put your name/address in the # 2 space. Only your name and my name should appear on the list when you send out your letters.

A small manila envelope will mail the sock swap nicely!

You should receive thirty- six pairs of socks (if you have at least six people participate!) for the price of one and it is fun to see the different places where your socks will come from. (Seldom does anyone drop out because we can all use funky socks to boost our outfits!!)

The turnaround is extremely fast because there are only two names on the list. Hopefully, you will be receiving funky socks within two weeks!!

#1
NAME
ADDRESS

#2
NAME
ADDRESS

Side note: if you're the individual beginning this "exchange" you will need to pick a person to list in #1 - I chose a dear friend that I felt deserved new socks :) It will then trickle from there, and of course, you don't have to send it to the person in #1 but be sure to give them a heads up that they will begin receiving socks from strangers!

The by-product of cleaning out the fridge is tasty!

This past weekend I realized that I, yet again, had celery going soft, potatoes sprouting new baby potatoes and tomatoes that would have probably GROWN a worm because they were sitting on my bar for so long. There are no words to describe how lazy I was this past weekend so this girl wasn't getting dressed to go to the store for anyone. Not even me, because I was hungry. So I created... a simple stew! This was inspired, too, by a Facebook pal that posted her crock was broken and I realized I hadn't used mine since last winter!

After I washed and sliced the celery, dug out all the roots on the potatoes with my fingernails and cubed them then chopped up my tomatoes, I tossed everything in the crock pot on high. I opened a small can of diced tomatoes from the cabinet, pulled the rest of my baby carrots from the drawer and halved all of them, grabbed the red onion - on the bar - next to the bag sprouting potatoes - finely chopped, grated two large cloves of garlic, chopped up 2 tablespoons of rosemary and one basil leaf and tossed in three bay leaves and about 1/3 cup of sour cream. I remembered I also had left over cooked chicken from the enchiladas *ahhhh HAA* chicken stew, it is!

I ground in some sea salt, black pepper corn, tossed in about a tablespoon of cumin and chipotle chili powder. I poured in 50% less sodium beef stock just to cover everything, gave everyone a shimmy-shake around the crockpot and covered it - cooked on high for 4 hours. At this point, I checked my potatoes, made sure my tomatoes had burst, cubed the left over chicken and threw that in and let it cook for another hour. Now... at this point, I thought to myself, "self, this would be great over egg noodles... " So, as I'm scrounging around for egg noodles in the cabinet, I run across Lentils. WHAT A TREAT! I was so excited! I finally have a reason to cook these! Great source of protein so I popped those in a pot (these things take 45 minutes to cook!) and cooked them up while the stew finished up. When the lentils were finished I drained them, dumped them in the stew, gave everything another shimmy-shake and grabbed a bowl.

My friends, this was by far my best "just throw it in and see what happens" experiment. Ever. Most of these things do already go together in a beef stew. And I have to admit, I keep a lot of "staples" on hand at home - but this was by far my favorite, without having to leave the house!

Just do it. Left over meats, ripend veggies, herbs that are going to rot.... just do it.

QUICK CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

You know how sometimes life happens? Yes... yes, that has been me. My most sincere apologies for not getting these recipes out in a timely manner! It has been a crazy few weeks, kids... crazy..

Ok, so Chicken enchiladas! This one doesn't come from Rach - but one of my favorite go-tos because it is just so simple, quick and easy!

4 - large chicken breast, boiled, shredded
2 - jars (or 1 large and 1 medium can) of store-bought enchilada sauce - the "mild" has a kick to it - be careful!
(sometimes I make my own - this is for another blog though :))
1 - 8 oz tub of sour cream
1 - can cream of chicken soup
1 - large bag of mexican mix cheese (or you can grate colby jack - does just fine)
2 - packs of tortilla shells (this recipe is going to make about 20 rolls)
1 - can black beans
1 - cup cooked brown rice
3 - tablespoons sofrito (or about 1 teaspoon of cilantro - whichever way you want to go)

Throw on the rice, first - this takes the longest to cook!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (I typically don't do this until I begin shredding my chicken - save energy, right?!)

Ok - while your chicken is boiling, mix together one jar (or 3/4 of the large can) of enchilada sauce, one can of cream of chicken soup and about 4 oz of sour cream. Stir in about 1/3 of the bag of cheese then just wait. Until your chicken is done.

Once the chicken is cooked (I typically boil for about 15 minutes), pull out and shred it with two forks; your fingers; whatever you want. Heck, cube it if you'd like! Once the chicken is how you want it, dump it in your mixture of sauce/soup/sour cream. Fold it all together.*

Your rice should be done at this point. Don't over cook it because you'll be throwing this in oven!** Mix in your sofrito or cilantro. Drain the can of black beans and fold those into the rice as well.

Now we are going to begin the assembly! (be sure the oven is on at this point!) Dump a spoonful of the rice/bean mixture then a spoonful of the chicken/sauce/soup mixture. Roll it up like an enchilada and beginning lining them up in a large casserole dish, sprayed with Pam (or non-stick spray). Do this until your dish is full - I SCRUNCH them in there - get ten in there, if you can! If you have a smaller casserole dish, you will need to do about three 'rounds' of this.. After you've smushed everyone in, put the remaining 1/4 enchilada mix from the large can and some from the small can on top - just pour it over.. doesn't have to be perfect. I typically take the back of a spoon and just smooth it over the entire area of the shells. Then top with cheese! Lots and lots of cheese! Pop it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. This is really just to heat the mixture through on the inside and melt the cheese on top.. Brown to your liking!
Pull out and serve immediately.

Now... one thing I have noticed about this is that these things do not do well reheated. The shell is always gooey and I just don't like that. This is why I have added the asteriks for you to follow, if you don't NEED 20 - and want to make later in the week. Enjoy!


*If you are wanting to make this as a make-ahead meal, this is where you would stop and refrigerate everything. This recipe is a large recipe so once everything is mixed together and you make one casserole dish, toss everything else in the fridge and make at a later time in the week.


**You can keep the rice & beans seperate as a side dish, if you'd like. Just skip the mixture steps for this if you are a weird eater and can't mix your food together!

Morphine - errr... cheese, anyone?

I love cheese. I could live off cheese. I know people who love cheese as much as I do (well, close - no one could love cheese as much as I do). Arguably, this isn't health for you (me). Arguably, cheese contains a lot of fat. Not arguable. At all. Cheese DOES. I don't have to tell you that... the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in cheese is actually unnerving! I blame this on my cows being fed processed foods.

After researching cheese addiction, I found that there are MANY folk among us that have my very same problem! Have you ever heard of Casomorphins? Me, either.. However, when cheese is digested, this is basically the byproduct. Dating back to the 1980s, cheese contained traces of morphine - this opiate is apparently also in cow milk! APPARENTLY.


Now, if you are interested in all the scientific details, Care2 has more information for you!


As we all know, opiates have a high addiction rate. With that being said, I have a dairy-crack addiction. That's right. My name is Michelle, and I'm addicted to Cheese. There - I said it! Subconciously, it makes me feel goooooood. And I am in love. I exercise so this counteracts the heart-attack-diet I currently have.. maybe.... So, my addiction to cheese is similar to my addiction to chocolate - both release your "feel good" hormones in your brain so you would literally have to ween yourself off just like a drug. This actually makes me laugh because drugs are illegal :)

Ok - so the based purpose of me even researching this was because a friend of mine came over to my house on Sunday. To watch football. Then accused me of having a cheese-drawer. I DO not. I have an extra drawer in my fridge that holds all the little "extra" food items that don't need to be floating all around the shelves. I don't like clutter. Now... if most of these items just happen to be cheese at the moment, that's OK. My drawer is used for more than cheese. I it also has sandwich 'stuff' in it.

See? Don't judge me.

Kombucha SCOBY - what IS it?

First and foremost, this has been an interesting experience and I have only been in possession of my "mother" for 12 whole days..

Secondly, I will say my sister thinks this is absolutely disgusting! LOL!

I was browsing the "free " section on Craigslist and someone posted "Free Kombucha Scoby". I thought to myself, what on EARTH is that...

So I googled it! What I found was intriguing and sort of turned my stomach, all at the same time..

What IS Kombucha, though... really.. So, straight from Wikipedia, here it is:

The kombucha culture is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, comprising Acetobacter (a genus of acetic acid bacteria) and one or more yeasts. In Chinese, this microbial culture is called haomo, or jiaomu in Mandarin, (Chinese: 酵母; literally meaning "yeast").

A kombucha culture may contain one or more of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Candida stellata, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora delbrueckii, and Zygosaccharomyces bailii. Alcohol production by the yeast(s) contributes to the production of acetic acid by the bacteria. Alcohol concentration also plays a role in triggering cellulose production by the bacterial symbionts.

Although the bacterial component of a kombucha culture comprises several species, it almost always includes Gluconacetobacter xylinus (formerly Acetobacter xylinum), which ferments the alcohols produced by the yeast(s) into acetic acid. This increases the acidity while limiting the alcoholic content of kombucha. G. xylinum is responsible for most or all of the physical structure of a kombucha mother, and has been shown to produce microbial cellulose.[1] This is likely due to artificial selection by brewers over time, selecting for firmer and more robust cultures.

The acidity and mild alcoholic element of kombucha resists contamination by most airborne molds or bacterial spores. As a result, kombucha is relatively easy to maintain as a culture outside of sterile conditions. The bacteria and yeasts in kombucha may also produce antimicrobial defense molecules.

What does all of this mean? It means Kombucha is fermented sweet tea that grows bacteria and yeast - then you drink it. (gag)

Seriously, gag. I'm on day 8 of my brew and I think it looked worse on the first few days than it does now - but STILL doesn't look appetizing... enough... to drink....

Here are my "mothers" I picked up on 9/28/12 from the nice lady who gave them away for free on Craigslist:

They were very healthy! I divided one in half and threw the other half in the jar with the other because I only wanted to kill one at a time.. Seriously..

Apparently, Kombucha orginated in East Asia... they and Russians believed Kombucha tea to have healing ailments. It appears this is quite popular among people with HIV and the elderly because of claims it can boost immunity and slow aging. Nowadays, though it appears to be more of a natural probiotic, from what I have read. Now, whether or not I can 'stomach' this probiotic (no pun intended) is questionable... we'll see!

One very important thing to note in regards to this new milestone in life: THERE ARE SIDE EFFECT. Ohhhhh LAWD, sweet baby jesus, in a manger! I AM the side effect... always... if it's going to happen, it happens to this girl!

So, www.cancer.org has an article about Kombucha! The USDA warns caution when making and drinking this tea. From the article, two women were diagnosed with high lactic acid levels when admitted to the hospital. Looks like I'm Ok though because the cancer warning on this is for the dummies who brew in ceramic, lead or painted canisters. SMH..

This is what I pulled from WebMD though:

KOMBUCHA TEA Side Effects & Safety

Kombucha tea may be UNSAFE for most adults. It can cause side effects including stomach problems, yeast infections, allergic reactions, yellow skin (jaundice), nausea, vomiting, head and neck pain, and death.

Kombucha tea, especially batches made at home where it’s hard to maintain a germ-free environment, can become contaminated with fungus (Aspergillus) and bacteria (including anthrax). In Iran, 20 people got anthrax infections from taking kombucha tea. This tea is particularly unsafe in people with weakened immune systems, such as people with HIV/AIDS, who are more likely to get infections. Also, lead poisoning has been reported from kombucha tea that was prepared in a lead-glazed ceramic pot.

Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Kombucha tea may be unsafe during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Alcoholism: Kombucha tea contains alcohol. Avoid it if you have a drinking problem.

Diarrhea: Kombucha tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in Kombucha tea, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Kombucha tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in Kombucha tea, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea and might worsen symptoms of IBS.

Weak immune system: Don’t use kombucha tea if you have a weakened immune system due to HIV/AIDS or other causes. Kombucha tea can support the growth of bacteria and fungus that can cause serious infections.

I need to re-think this... my dad was all about drinking this with me to "try it out" until he saw how it looked on day three.... he then said he was just going to watch me to make sure I didn't die.... wonder if he looked this information up before I did...