The Five of Us, Spring 2014

The Five of Us, Spring 2014

Good Stuff from the Kitchen

A few nights ago I made this yummmmmy mac n' cheese with ham. It was so good! Pea ate the leftovers morning, noon, and night til they were gone!

Mac n' Cheese Recipe (for Carey)
(adapted from Cooking Light's Creamy Four-Cheese Macaroni recipe)
Yeild: 8 servings
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 54 minutes

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat rotini)
1/3 c all-purpose flour
2 2/3 c 1% milk
3/4 c (3 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 c (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 c (2 oz) shredded extrasharp Cheddar cheese
3 oz light processed cheese (like Velveeta)
1/4 t salt
(I threw in Canadian bacon we had laying around, maybe 1-2 oz cut up)
Cooking spray (like PAM)
1/3 c crushed onion Melba toasts (I used multigrain crackers)
1 T butter, softened

Cook pasta according to package direction, omitting salt and fat. Drain.

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.
Cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly.
(I actually made this recipe twice in a row and the second time I used
the hot pot from the pasta and it worked much better than the cold pot I used
the first time.) Add cheeses; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts,
stirring frequently. Remove cheese mixture from heat; stir in cooked pasta
and salt (and ham, if using).

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Combine crushed toasts and butter; stir until well blended. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

This morning I made these cupcakes for Pea's school Christmas party. I had a lot of fun and they look great. And, I have to say, I have the world's BEST frosting recipe! MMMMMMMM!

The frosting recipe is top secret, though. Sorry!

6 comments:

Sarah said...

They do look yummy! Care to share the recipe?? I've been trying out different frosting recipes and haven't found one I care for all that much. :)

Anonymous said...

can you share the mac'n cheese recipe? I'm always trying to find a good one.
Carey
(mom to Peter from Liberia)

andreawilliams said...

Yummo!! I will be over next time you cook it. Oh wait, you could make it for us during our girls weekend at the beach!

Anonymous said...

My kids will love this, will def. try it...me too, I'm a slave to macc n cheese, and chocolate too! Love, Denise

Tarah said...

Your recipe looks very similar to mine. I add onion powder and dry mustard to the cheese mix. :) yummy!

Anonymous said...

Thank you!
Carey

My Man and Me

My Man and Me
married 7/7/2001

Punk

Punk
ours through biology, born 7/25/2004, home 8/1/2004

Pea

Pea
ours through adoption from Liberia, West Africa, born 7/15/2005, home 10/25/2007

Pup

Pup
ours through domestic adoption, born 1/15/2011, home 2/10/2011, final 8/3/2011

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Round Two Timeline

  • 9/24/08 Home study update home visit for Ghana adoption
  • 10/15/08 Dossier sent to AOHG
  • 10/15/08 I600A application sent to USCIS
  • 10/30/08 First heard about possible domestic private adoption
  • 11/18/08 Last spoke with contact about possible domestic adoption; expected to hear back about meeting with birthmother
  • 12/3/08 Withdrew application from AOHG
  • 1/6/09 Found out another family had been chosen for possible domestic adoption
  • 1/21/09 USCIS fingerprinting appointment
  • 1/8/09 Received USCIS fingerprinting appointment notice
  • 4/11/09 Sent Pre-Application to Covenant Care Adoptions for Domestic Infant Adoption program
  • 6/8/09 Social worker visit to update home study from International to Domestic
  • 7/24/09 Received completed home study update
  • 8/25/09 Went "on the list" for birthfamilies to choose from
  • 4/28/10 Found out a birth mom had chosen us
  • 5/8/10 Met the birth mom
  • 5/11/10 Got the call that birth mom changed her mind
  • 5/19/10 Birth mom's scheduled c-section
  • 11/30/10 Visit from DSS sw about foster parenting
  • 11/30/10 Got the call that another birth mom had chosen us
  • 12/21/10 Met with the birth mom
  • 1/15/11 @1:42 PM BB was born!
  • 1/19/11 ICPC (interstate) paperwork sent to GA for approval
  • 1/31/11 ICPC Clearance Approved
  • 2/10/11 Placement Ceremony and Pup comes home!!!!
  • 8/3/11 It's Official! Pup's Adoption Decree was issued