Doesn't everyone need a good macaroni and meat type recipe? Unless you are a vegetarian the answer would be yes. I grew up in North Carolina but spent a lot of time in Florida where my grandma lived. We always looked forward to our trips to the beach. Lots of the good memory I have of childhood revolves around my time spend down in Florida with the family that we had there. I will always and forever have a special place in my heart for that state. In fact I tell my husband all the time that I wouldn't at all be disappointed if we just HAD to move there for some reason, jokingly of course. Okay, okay, I'm not really joking when I say that. Anyways, you are probably wondering what Florida and macaroni have in common. Well, those car trips from N.C. to Florida where about 9 hours or so. We would usually leave our house super early in the morning and make it there just in time for dinner. My good old GRAM would usually have this macaroni and meat type dish ready for us to chow down on along with some kind of canned fruit like pears. I've never tried to recreate it for myself but I do have my own version here with this dish. This is a very family friendly casserole is a great way to incorporate more vegetables into my children's food. I use whole wheat noodles for extra nutrition and there is a fair share of bone building calcium in every serving. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and who knows, maybe someday I will be a grandma making this for my grandkids when they come to visit.


Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake
adapted from myrecipes.com

1 (8oz) package of whole grain shell macaroni
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, shredded or chopped very finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb lean ground sirloin or lean ground turkey
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Cheese Sauce

1 cup fat free milk
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups 2% shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain; lightly coat pasta with cooking spray.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrots, saute for 4 minutes. Add garlic; saute for 1 minute. Add ground sirloin; cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato sauce, spices, salt and pepper. Cook for a couple minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.

Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 1 cup of cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour cheese sauce mixture over pasta mixture; stir.

Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Do you ever have a day when you don't feel like putting too much thought or work into dinner. I know I do every so often, especially when I am short on time. I have a few go to recipes for nights such as these. This is one of them. This is so easy to throw together last minute and it is actually pretty healthy which is a double bonus. This casserole is versatile too. You could use ground beef in place of the turkey. You could substitute frozen corn or your favorite frozen vegetable mix for the peas and carrots. You could also use crescent dinner rolls in the place of the biscuits. I've made it before with a cornbread topping too and it turned out great. Sometimes I leave out the Velveeta because it's not something that I usually buy or substitute shredded cheddar cheese. Do what you want with it.

Turkey & Vegetable Bake
adapted from Kraft Foods

1 lb lean ground turkey meat
1 8oz package sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
1 can (10 3/4 oz) reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 oz Velveeta 2% milk pasteurized cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 can (10 count) refrigerated biscuits

Heat oven to 375 F. Brown meat in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and onions; cook 8-10 minutes or until liquid from mushrooms evaporates, stirring occasionally. Stir in peas and carrots and soup; bring to boil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Add Velveeta; stir. Remove from heat. Transfer mixture to 8x8 baking dish or pie plate.

Unroll the biscuits. Working with one biscuit at a time; roll between hands to for a snake like shape. Coil around in a circle and place on the casserole. Continue with the rest of the biscuits until all 10 are evenly spaced on top of the turkey mixture.


Bake for 12-15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

This post is linked to At Home with Haley

My favorite fruit of all time would have to be the strawberry. I suffer throughout the winter because of the lack of fresh strawberries, frozen just aren't the same. Here we are in the month of March where strawberries are starting to make their appearance at the store. I get especially excited when I see them for .98 a lb like they were yesterday. I had just seen this recipe over at Two Peas and their Pod, they got it from Martha Stewart. I just knew it would be the perfect thing to make with my fresh strawberries. I am so glad I did. This is kind of a twist on strawberry shortcake (one of my favorite desserts of all time). The strawberries are baked right into the crust. The only change I made was to add some fresh orange zest to the batter. I think it gave it a great little hint of citrus that paired perfectly with the strawberries. One more great thing about this recipe is that it is so quick & easy and most of the ingredients are things you probably have on hand already. I hope you enjoy this great spring time treat.

Strawberry Cake
adapted from Two Peas and their Pod who adapted it from Martha Stewart

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. fresh orange zest
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top of cake (I just used granulated)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan or pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
Gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in orange zest. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Arrange strawberry slices on top of batter. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over berries.
Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool in pan. To serve, cut into wedges. Store cake at room temperature, for up to two days.

Oh this is one of those MUST TRY recipes. I am telling you, go and make this bread!! I am craving some of those nice fluffy chunks of cheesy herbed dough right now. This bread is irresistible. If you've ever had monkey bread this is kind of the same concept but savory instead of sweet. This is so easy to make too because all you do is chunk up the dough and throw it into the baking pan, no rolling dough out. Kids will have fun helping with this. I think it would make a great appetizer. I can picture sitting around with friends and pulling chunks of this pull apart dough off to pop in your mouth. We sat around our dinner table last night with the kids and did just that. It's was fun to eat. Here is what our loaf looked like when we were done. There was some taken from the back end too but you can't see it from this picture.


There is whole wheat flour mixed into this for some extra nutrition and character. Just another warning that this is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE so must make sure you have people to share it with.

GOLDEN CHEESE BREAD
Adapted from King Arthur Flour & Tracey's Culinary Adventures

1 cup lukewarm water

4 tablespoons softened or sliced butter

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups white wheat flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup dry milk powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon onion powder, optional but good

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Put 16 pieces of dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Distribute 1/3 cup of the shredded cheese over the dough pieces then brush with some of the melted butter.

Not everyone is a fan of casseroles. Our family happens to love them so I do make them quite often. I found this recipe in a Cooking with Paula Deen magazine and thought that it sounded good. It was the mushrooms that caught my eye. I am a huge fan of mushrooms so almost anything with that ingredient sounds good to me. You might notice that something is missing from my version of this. I left out the poppy seeds, only because I didn't have any. I'm not sure that it would have changed the flavor any but I will assure you that it was very good without them. Next time I make it I will add them and see if there is a difference. Now I know Paula Deen is famous for her unhealthy obsession with butter, lots and lots of butter. I don't share that same obsession with her. I wish I could have the same care free attitude but I take my health and my families health to seriously. This recipe has a total of 4 Tbsp of butter in it which actually isn't that bad, for our friend Paula. I was able to cut down the amount of butter that is mixed with the cracker topping without compromising on taste. You can follow suit or be a little more care free like Paula and use the whole amount. The recipe below is the original. You can cut it in half if you don't have a lot of people to feed. I hope you enjoy!


Poppy Seed Chicken
Cooking with Paula Deen

1 Tbsp butter
2 (8oz) packages sliced portobella mushrooms
7 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream (I used light)
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 cups crushed butter-flavored crackers like Ritz Crackers
Hot cooked white or brown rice

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 13x9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat; add mushrooms and saute for 7-8 minutes or until browned. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine mushrooms, chicken, chicken soup, sour cream, almonds, and poppy seeds. Pour chicken mixture into prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine melted butter and crackers; sprinkle over chicken mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer until bubbly. Serve over rice.

I do love pizza but I've gotten to where I don't enjoy eating it unless I make it at home. Delivery pizza is always so greasy. I guess that is what makes people like it so much. I don't feel good about eating it that way though, no matter how good it tastes. I have my go to pizza crust recipe which you can find HERE that is very good. I found another pizza crust recipe that sounded really good and though I might like to try it, just to see the difference. I'm glad I did, it was very good and made with whole wheat flour for extra nutrition. It came from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. I decided to keep my ingredients simple and meatless on this one. I am a fan of the spinach & mushroom combination and when paired with mozzarella & Parmesan cheese it makes a great topping for pizza. I used my go to sauce recipe which is so simple and cheap to make. I hope you enjoy, thanks Mrs. Martha Stewart!

Crust Recipe
Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine
makes 2 medium pizza's

1 1/2 cups warm water 110 F
2 packages of active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour

Toppings

Fresh Spinach leaves, chopped
mushrooms, sliced
mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated

Place water in large bowl of mixer and sprinkle with yeast; let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. Add the olive oil, sugar, and salt to yeast mixture and mix. Stir in both flours. Switch in dough hook and knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes on level 2. Transfer dough to bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray or oiled and turn to coat top.

Cover dough with towel and let stand in warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.

Turn dough onto well floured surface and knead until smooth. Preheat oven to 450 F.  Divide dough into two large pieces and roll each one into a circle of desired thickness. Transfer to pizza pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray.
Spread on the sauce; add toppings of choice and then top with cheese.
Bake until golden brown and cheese has melted. Time will very depending on the thickness of the crust but should be somewhere between 12 and 20 minutes.

I am not a big fan on seafood. I wish I were because I know all the wonderful health benefits that come along with eating fish but I just haven't been able to make myself like it, except for shrimp. It is the ONLY seafood that I do like. My favorite way to eat it is grilled. I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine and thought I might like to try it. The marinade for the shrimp smelled so good as I was preparing it which made be so excited about eating it. I wasn't disappointed. This was really good. I must warn you however that it is on the spicy side. Not so spicy that you can't enjoy but it does have a little kick to it. My husband kept popping them in his mouth like candy. My kids didn't like it though. My daughter said it hurt her mouth so unless your children are used to a little heat, I wouldn't serve this to them. The coolness of the Cilantro Cream Sauce helps mellow out the heat of the shrimp perfectly so make sure you have some of that to dip them in. Enjoy, grilling season is upon us.

Grilled Chipotle Shrimp
Taste of Home Magazine

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce chopped plus 1/4 adobe sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
2 lbs. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 limes, sliced

Cilantro Cream Sauce

1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. grated lime peel
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. minced fresh mint

In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, chipotles, adobe sauce, garlic, water, lime juice, oil, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat; cool completely.

Transfer mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Add shrimp; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients; chill until serving.

Drain and discard marinade. Thread the shrimp onto metal or soaked wooden skewers. Add a slice of lime if desired. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack.

Grill shrimp, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, turning once. Serve with sauce.

It's not Cinco de Mayo yet but it will be here before you know if. I found this recipe over at one of my favorite blogs Our Best Bites. These two girls are always coming up with great recipes and I've tried many of them with great success. This is no exception. When I think of a taquito I think of the kind you buy in the freezer section of the grocery store that my husband loves so much. They are probably not the healthiest thing in the world. These are a baked version that, if light ingredients are used, is probably pretty healthy. That is assuming you don't eat 20 of them, which isn't hard to do. I made mine with half white corn tortillas and half whole wheat tortillas. I liked them both very much so either way you do it you can't go wrong. These are nice and creamy on the inside and crisp and salty on the outside. They would make a great appetizer for a party or we just had them for dinner with a side of Spanish rice. Dip them in your dip of choice whether it be salsa, sour cream, or guacamole. My kids really gobbled these up using sour cream as their dip.

Chicken Taquitos
Adapted From Our Best Bites

1/3 cup light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green enchilada sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder (more if you like things spicy)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup cheese (cheddar or pepper jack)
corn tortillas or small whole wheat flour tortillas
cooking spray
salt

Heat oven to 450 F. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray. I used my pizza pan with the holes in it for the air to circulate through. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, enchilada sauce, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic salt. Add the chicken and cheese, mix well.

Heat tortillas a few at a time to make the pliable. I put them between damp paper towels to keep them from drying out and cracking. Spoon 1 to 2 Tbsp. of chicken filling on the lower third of the tortilla. Roll up as tight as you can and place them seam side down on the baking pan. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.


Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and ends start to brown.


Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Oh fresh baked dinner rolls, how I love you! I tried to stop at just one and then told myself just two. Three rolls later and I knew I had to stop myself or I would regret it, plus I wanted some dessert and had to save some room. I hit the jackpot on this recipe. These are unique, I've never had anything like them before. I can honestly say that they are the best I've ever made or had for that manner, sorry to my mother-in-law. They have orange zest in them and I wondered how that was going to be but it gives it just a subtle taste of orange not overpowering at all. The smell of fresh bread baking with citrus undertones is absolutely wonderful! I found this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine so they are considered healthy. The recipe says 163 calories and 3.7 grams of fat, if you care about those kinds of things. What is 163x3 anyways? Who cares, it was worth it.

Orange-Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

1 1/4 cups warm buttermilk (100 to 110 F)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 package of dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 tsp. grated orange zest
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
cooking spray
1 Tbsp. melted butter for brushing on

Combine first 3 ingredients in bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Stir 2 Tbsp. butter, zest, and salt in. Weigh or lightly spoon 3 cups of the flour into dry measuring cups; level with knife. Add flour to yeast mixture; mix on low speed with dough hook until soft, elastic dough forms (about 5 minutes). *I ACTUALLY HAD TO ADD ABOUT 1/2 CUP MORE FLOUR TO THE RECIPE BECAUSE MY DOUGH WAS WAY TOO STICKY. JUST DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT* Dough will be somewhat sticky but not too wet.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.


Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 13 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll dough into a ball. Arrange dough balls 2 inch apart on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush lightly with melted butter (I forgot to do this). Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.


Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 13 rolls.

I have been following the most amazing blog for a while now. This girl (Jenny) never ceases to amaze me. Her creations are awesome. Go check out Jenny at Picky Palate if you have a chance. I saw these no bake cookies and knew they would be a hit with my family and an easy thing to make with my daughters. They are kind of like a rice krispie treat but with Oreo's instead of cereal. It's a funny coincidence but as soon as she posted this recipe I started to think about other cookies that would be good in the place of the Oreo. Nutter Butter's came to my mind first and wouldn't you know it that the very next day she posted the same recipe with Nutter Butter's. I guess we were on the same wave length. I will try those in the very near future. These are so easy to make with only 3 ingredients and no cooking and are ready to devour super fast. Enjoy!


Chewy Cookies & Cream Bars
Recipe Source Picky Palate

16 oz package Oreo's
5 cups large marshmallow's (1 whole package minus about 7)
4 Tbsp. Butter

Place Oreo's in a food processor and process until ground up.

Serve with this cornbread for a special treat! Just click on link.

*UPDATE: I found out where I got this recipe. I got it from Lynn's Kitchen Adventure. This is a great blog with tons of great recipes. Go check it out when you get a chance.

This is a must try recipe if you have kids in the house. My kids were so excited when I made these for dinner. I found the idea over HERE at Quick Dish by Tablespoon. I originally was just going to make them green for St. Patrick's Day but I couldn't help myself, I wanted to see the rainbow of color. This recipe just uses Bisquick so it is quick and easy. I doctored it up by adding some cinnamon and sugar for more flavor. I hope you enjoy, I know your kids will.

Rainbow Pancakes
adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sugar
Food Coloring (preferably the gels by Wilton)

In a bowl mix the baking mix, milk, eggs, cinnamon, and sugar until blended. Separate into as many bowls as colors you want and dye each. I just did three.

Cook pancakes by pouring 1/4 cup of batter onto hot greased skillet. Stack pancakes and top with syrup. I think some fresh whipped cream on the top would be a nice addition too.