Baked Mac n Cheese

I have a few Mac n Cheese recipes.  Lately, I've loved this one, as it is EASY and QUICK and DELICIOUS!  Very yummy!  Shaking the flour/milk/onion salt mixture helps make this super-simple and the sauce is creamy and yummy.  The leftovers are even delicious!

ingredients:
8 oz. elbow macaroni
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. onion salt
4 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (use different types of cheddar for a great taste)
1 cup soft plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter

directions:
1.  COOK macaroni according to package directions; drain well. Set aside.

2.  PLACE milk, flour, and onion salt in a quart (mason) jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously 1 minute.

3.  STIR together flour mixture, 3 1/2 cups cheese, and macaroni.

4.  POUR macaroni mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish or 2 (11 inch) oval baking dishes.

5.  Sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs and remaining 1 cup cheese; drizzle evenly with melted butter.

6.  BAKE at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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Cinnamon Roll Cake

We tried this last night and it turned out fabulous.  It was less cake-like and more roll-like.  But with the ease of a cake and not waiting for dough to rise, etc. etc.  My daughter and I put this together, and it has been very much enjoyed!  I'll for sure make this again.  I'm thinking, it would be really good in the Dutch Oven too while camping!

ingredients
cake:
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

struesel:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13" glass baking pan with non-stick spray. 

2.  For cake:  In a mixer, add all the "cake" ingredients (except butter): flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Once combined well, slowly stir in the melted butter.  Pour into the baking pan.

3.  For struesel:  In a medium-large bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, flour and sugar together until creamy.  Make large drops of the struesel onto the cake batter.  Take a knife and swirl it through until it is marble-like. 

4.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out NEARLY clean.

5.  For glaze:  In a medium bowl, mix together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla with a whisk.  Drizzle over warm cake. 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Honey Sesame Chicken for the Slow Cooker

We had this tonight, and it turned out delicious.  I think I was expecting a more traditional Teriyaki chicken flavor, and while this had hints of that, it was more along the lines of "bourbon chicken" we find at our local Panda restaurants.  We really enjoyed the taste of this.  It took about 15 minutes to prepare and voila--the slow cooker did the rest!

ingredients:
2-3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 9-12 pieces
salt
pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion  or  2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp. cornstarch
sesame seeds (for garnish)

directions:
1.  Place chicken thighs in the slow cooker and salt and pepper, both sides.

2.  In a medium sized bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes.  Stir well.  Pour over the chicken.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or high for 3-5 hours. 

3.  When chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken into a bowl and cut up into desired sized pieces.  Mix the cornstarch with water and then add to the slow cooker juices/sauce to thicken the sauce.  Return the chicken to the slow cooker, coating the chicken in the glaze/sauce.

4.  Serve over rice and sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds.  Enjoy with your favorite vegetable!

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Chicken Parmesan Bake

I found this on Pinterest, but it was a video. I have written down the directions and ingredients. It was SO easy to make, and really really delicious. I love that!


ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 8-12 tenderloins
2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil or 2 Tbsp. dried basil
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pkg. (5 oz) seasoned croutons


directions:
1. On the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, pour the olive oil and spread in the minced garlic cloves.

2. Lay the chicken on top of the oil/garlic. Pour 2 cups of the marinara sauce over the chicken. Sprinkled the chopped or dried basil over the sauce.

3. Put half the cheese (1 cup of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the parmesan) over the sauced-up chicken.

4. Evenly spread the croutons over the cheese. Add the remaining cheese over the top.

5. Oven set to 350. Cover for the first 15 minutes of baking. Then uncover for the last 15-20 minutes. NOTE: Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, it can take up to an hour. Make sure the breasts reach 155* internal temperature. For the smaller breast tenderloins, it takes only about 30 minutes.

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