Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese

My family loves both buffalo sauce and mac and cheese, so this recipe is very popular in my house. Please note that if you (or your kids!) aren't a fan of buffalo sauce, it is extremely easy to take that part out. Also note that the original recipe calls for blue cheese crumbles, but we never include that since none of us like it. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 Tablespoons plus another 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup Velveeta cut into small cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups half and half
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• Grilled chicken
• Franks Buffalo Hot Sauce
• Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Ranch Dressing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter dish (1 9x13 or 2-9x9).
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. add oil then macaroni, and cook until just tender about 7 minutes. (if freezing it cook pasta a little less time) drain well.
3. In a large pan melt 8 T butter. stir in pasta. in a large bowl mix the muenster, mild and sharp cheddar, and monterey cheese. to the macaroni add the half and half, 1 1/2 cups of the mixed cheese, the Velveeta, and the eggs. sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. transfer to buttered dishes. sprinkle with remaining cheese and dot with the last tablespoon of butter. bake until its bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.
4. Take the grilled chicken then slice and toss with some buffalo sauce. Then top the mac and cheese with the buffalo grilled chicken. Then top with some blue cheese and drizzle with buffalo sauce and ranch

We all love this recipe! It's definitely not the healthiest recipe out there, but it's fun to do on occasion. I don't typically eat mac and cheese, but I really like this recipe. Feel free to play around with the types of cheeses you use if there's another kind you really like. Oh, and I typically just buy a package of pre-cooked grilled chicken to use in this and it works perfectly. I usually go heavy on the chicken when I use it as a main dish for dinner, but feel free to leave it off entirely if you want it for a fun side dish.

Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I found this recipe as an ad when I was scrolling through Instagram, and it looked so good that it immediately hooked me. I had most of the ingredients already and made them just a few days later. Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, spoon & leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I recommend Jif)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Add the butter and peanut butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Beat the butter and peanut butter until they are smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla and beat for about 1 more minute. Add the sour cream and dry ingredients in additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Place the bowl of batter in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
4. Using a large 1/2 cup cookie scoop, or you can use a measuring cup, place four large leveled-off scoops of cookie dough on a cookie sheet, leaving plenty of space between them. Place the remaining dough back into the refrigerator. Use your hands to slightly squeeze each dough ball making them slightly taller.
5. Bake the cookies for 13 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned on the tops and bottoms. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely*. 

Oh man, these were actually amazing. My 10-year old even called them "phenomenal." :) I didn't make them quite as big as the recipe calls for (maybe not-quite double a normal sized cookie) and they still turned out amazing, thick, and moist. (Sorry for using that word!) However, I didn't bake them quite as long since they weren't as big - maybe 10 or 11 minutes. I also used milk chocolate chips. Anyway, I highly recommend them!

Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup

 I don't make lasagna from scratch ... like ever. It never turns out as good as a lasagna from Costco. Well, maybe it's a little better, but not worth 10x the amount of work. Ha! Anyway, this is easy and quick and more up my alley. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• ▢1 pound lean ground sausage
• ▢3 teaspoons Italian seasoning - divided
• ▢1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• ▢1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• ▢1 teaspoon salt - or to taste
• ▢¼ teaspoon black pepper - or to taste
• ▢8 ounces broken lasagna noodles or short noodles - boiled til tender
• ▢⅔ cup ricotta cheese - plus more for serving
• ▢handful of fresh basil leaves - thinly sliced or finely chopped
• ▢¼-½ cup shaved or grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Add ground sausage to a skillet, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and saute over medium-high heat for about five minutes until browned. Transfer to slow cooker along with pasta, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and remaining Italian seasoning.
• Cover and cook for 2 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in ricotta cheese, re-cover and allow to cook for a half hour longer.
• Just before serving, stir in basil. Serve topped with parmesan cheese and additional ricotta cheese and basil if desired.

I think the only change I made was using cellentani (I think?) pasta instead of broken lasagna noodles. But I'm sure it would be good either way. It wasn't our favorite soup ever, but I'll definitely make it again. Serve it with good bread!

Sticky Sesame Chicken

I have to admit that I didn't think this looked very good, but it had great reviews and looked so easy so I decided to try it. I am so glad I did! It is way way good! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 pounds popcorn chicken frozen
• 6 Tablespoons honey
• 4 Tablespoons ketchup
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 3 green onions diced
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional topping

Instructions

• Cook popcorn chicken as directed on package.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together honey, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil while stirring and simmer for a few minutes until sauce slightly thickens.  
• Toss cooked chicken in sauce and serve over rice.
• Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Notes

• We love this served over rice.

Literally every member of my family liked it. I will absolutely make it again and again. My husband preferred it without the green onions, but I thought the green onions were perfect. :)

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

 This is one of my favorite soups. Even my kids like it, which is saying something, because at first glance it doesn't seem all that kid-friendly. My kids even drink it with a straw! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• ▢2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• ▢1 10-ounce can tomato sauce
• ▢¼ cup fresh basil - finely chopped
• ▢1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢1 tablespoon salt
• ▢1 teaspoon pepper
• ▢1 medium white onion - diced
• ▢1 cup heavy cream
• ▢4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• ▢2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Roux

• ▢3 tablespoons butter
• ▢¼ cup flour
• ▢1 cup heavy cream - see note

Instructions

• Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and next 7 ingredients (through broth) to a slow cooker/crockpot. Cover and cook for 2 hours on high or 4-8 hours on low. (If you are home, give it a stir every now and then and scrape down the sides)
• About 30-40 minutes before serving transfer soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, then return to crock pot.
• Prepare the roux. Begin by melting the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
• Add flour to melted butter and stir until flour clumps up. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream (or half & half) until mixture is thickened and smooth. Add roux and parmesan cheese to crockpot and stir to combine.
• Allow to cook another 20-30 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Give it a good stir before serving. Top with additional basil and parmesan cheese if desired.

I like to serve it with some type of cheesy bread or grilled cheese sandwiches. It is even good with regular bread though. I highly recommend it!