No Bake Mac & Cheez

This recipe is really simple and you can mix up ingredients to your liking. Any pasta will do as will any cheeses. This is easy for kids {use your best judgment because they will be near a stove}.

We enjoyed this recipe tonight with sweet corn & peas, cajun bratwurst & papaya.

Ingredients:

• Any pasta. I find that wide egg noodles are to my liking for this recipe & that is what I used tonight. Use the amount you would use for your family.
• Butter/margarine. I use I Can't Believe Its Not Butter -Light. It is my favorite spread
• Salt & Pepper to taste.
• Any cheese. You can use one cheese, 2 cheeses---10 cheeses if you like. I always use what is available in my fridge. Tonight it was American white & Mexicano mixed. I used a half of a slice of American on each plate & then sprinkled the Mexicano cheese on top.

Boil water, cook pasta to al dente, drain pasta {do not rinse}, return pasta to pan and add a tablespoon of butter/margarine for about every 1.5 servings that you are using.

Now I put a serving of pasta on individual plates & let people add their own cheese just because some don't like it really cheezy. Now you can also layer or mix & put in a microwave safe bowl or casserole dish, microwave on high until the cheese melts. Add salt & pepper to taste

This is a great dish for your mac & cheez fans--who don't want to turn on the oven in this sweltering heat & don't want the box mac & cheese & as you see the kids can do it too..............

Have fun!

Fried Chicken Recipe #1

I have a few different recipes for fried chicken. One that I will share with you today is simple.

To do 5 whole chicken legs {whole being the thigh & leg as one} I use the following ingredients:

1 egg, beaten
Approx 2 1/2 cups of Italian breadcrumbs w/garlic
Canola or Vegetable oil---enough to cover the chicken half way
5 whole chicken legs

Put the oil in a large frying skillet and set your flame on medium or 6 if you have an electric range.

While the oil is heating: clean & rinse your chicken.

Put beaten egg into a bowl, in a separate large bowl put the breadcrumbs. Dip pieces of chicken one at a time into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs.

When the oil is hot {I take a little dab of water on my fingertips and fling it in the oil, if it responds it is hot enough}

Carefully place chicken into hot oil and then turn your heat UP. Yes, UP. If you have an electric range go to 8 and high on a gas. Reason you are doing this is because when you put the cold chicken in the oil it cools the oil and the chicken will not come out great. Cook until done---yes the oil will be very hot---it will boil like water. I flip every 5 - 7 minutes until it is done { I do cut in to a piece and make sure it is done}

Please note then when frying with breadcrumbs the look of the chicken will be darker than when frying with flours.

While the chicken is cooking line a large bowl with paper towels or napkins {I use a glass mixing bowl}, don't use plastic, when the chicken is done, carefully remove from the oil & set in paper towel lined bowl, the paper towels will soak up the oil.

And then: ENJOY!

We are having this tonight with corn on the cob & left over spanish rice from the taco cafe and macaroni salad left over from the soup kitchen.....no BBQ for me this year, just resting.....fireworks tonight though!

Chicken ala Nonny

Tonight for dinner was a creation of my daughter's, hence the name Chicken ala Nonny. It's chicken, any type, tonight we used thighs. Poured some chicken broth to cover and cooked in the crock pot on high for 1.5 hours and then low for another hour. In the last half hour we added, frozen broccoli, peas, corn and baby carrots---my Nonny's favorite veggies. Then we had mashed potatoes and gravy on the side.

This is when it is pretty much done:

Chef at work:
Here is the completed dish, on my new dinnerware:
And this is what my Nonny thought about her creation:
Again the recipe is simple:

Chicken thighs {or whatever chicken you like}
Chicken broth
Frozen or fresh veggies {we used broccoli, corn, peas and baby carrots}
Spice to taste, I chopped up some garlic, used onion powder & black pepper.

Clean your chicken, put in the bottom of crock pot, pour chicken broth over chicken till covered. Cook on high for 1.5 hours and then low for 1 hour, in the last 30 minutes add veggies and let cook.

We had mashed potatoes, gravy & applesauce to complete the dinner. You can have whatever you want with it.

I love crock pots, because you can do other things while the food cooks!