Just My Mac-n-Cheese

So Brandie responded to my "fancy mac-n-cheese" recipe wanting to know the recipe for my "basic" mac-n-cheese that I usually make all the time for my family. It's funny because I don't really have any measurements (until today). So I mentioned earlier that my husband just loves mac-n-cheese. I used to just make it using Velveeta and shredded cheddar but then my sister told me she always used flour and water in addition to her cheese. So I've played around with this dish many times and here's the best I can do at estimating how I make it. This is still my favorite way to make it, by the way.

Ingredients:
1 box macaroni
1/4 to 1/2 jar cheese whiz (it's up to you)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
A few tablespoons of flour or more
1/2 cup water (to start)


Instructions:

• Prepare macaroni according to package directions.
• In medium skillet, add cheese whiz and shredded cheddar. Over medium heat, stir until cheese is melted. Be very careful not to let it burn! (I learned from experience when I had it too high and got distracted doing something else, and it burned.)
  
• Add a few tablespoons of flour and 1/4 cup water. Stir until well-blended. (Note: Sometimes I have to stir it a while slowly until this all really blends together and the water "becomes" part of the cheese and isn't separated.) Add another tablespoon of flour and 1/4 cup water. You can repeat this procedure a third time until you get the consistency you want. If it seems too thick, you can also just add 1 or 2 T of water.
• Add the melted cheese mixture to the macaroni and stir until mixed well.
• You can eat as is or pop into the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees for a crispier dish. Sometimes I add a pound of hamburger too if I am using this as my main dish.

ENJOY!

(Picture credit goes to free Microsoft Clip Art)

Simple Mexican Rice

I was in a pinch the other day. I was making a meal for a mom in our church Titus group who just had her second child. I decided to make my burrito recipe and thought I had some Mexican rice to go with it. Turns out I didn't have the rice so I surfed the internet a little bit until I came up with a few recipes I liked. I merged a few recipes and came up with this.

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
1 can tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 can tomato sauce
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin


Instructions:

• Heat oil in large saucepan and add rice. Cook for 5 minutes or so until rice is a bit golden.
• Stir in tomato sauce,onion, garlic salt and cumin. (I really improvised here because I didn't have tomato sauce. I only had tomato paste. So I took 3/4 of a can of tomato paste mixing it into the chicken stock before I added it to the rice.)
• Once it boils, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.