Mac n Cheese

Basic but good flavor - sour cream is our 'secret' flavor boost

ingredients:
1 lb noodles
1 can Rico's aged cheddar cheese sauce
2+ cups shredded extra sharp cheddar
4 oz sour cream - important!
butter (optional)
milk/cream

Boil noodles, not too soft beacuse they will be baked later

Drain noodles and put back in pot

Add shredded cheese and stir to melt (save 1/2 cup for top)

Add the canned cheese and sour cream. If difficult to stir, add some kind of milk or cream. Add butter if you want it smoother

Add basic seasoning (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder)

Put in a foil pan and add a generous blanket of shredded cheese ontop

Bake at 350 F for 30 min

Meatloaf

Moist flavorful meatloaf - tomato sauce/paste is very important

ingredients:
3 lb ground beef (this makes A lot)
1 onion
1 bell pepper
2 eggs
1 small can tomato paste
1/3 jar tomato sauce
2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheese

Chop onion and pepper finely

Put ground beef in a large metal bowl and add everything else (onion, pepper, eggs, tomato sauce and paste, bread crumbs). The tomato sauce is roughly a third of a jar, and the bread crumbs is about 2 cups, its not a precise measurement

Season with basics (pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder) - italian herbs optional

Mix with your hands until ingredients are evenly distributed (yes it is gross and cold)

Put meat mixture into very large foil pan and flatten

Pour some sauce over evenly and cover with shredded cheese (mozzerella or mixed blend)

Bake at 350 F for 1 hour

Corncake

Doctored box mix

ingredients:
1 box of cornbread mix (1 lb/16 oz) - krusteaz sweatcorn muffin and cornbread mix is our current go-to
1 can cream corn
1 small can sweat corn
1 stick of butter (cold or soft - read below)
8 oz sour cream
1 tbsp sugar

Depending on your preferences you may want a soft very moist corn cake, or one with more crust

I prefer crust so: drain water from corn can into sink, and use cold butter

Very soft: keep water corn can, use soft butter

Mix everything together - hand mixed with a spoon is fine. If using cold butter, make sure pieces are small and well distributed

Pour into lubricated glass 9x13 inch cake pan - glass encourages nice brown crust

Bake at 350 F for 1+ hour

Cheaters Lasagna

Basically baked pasta but layered, no actual lasagna noodles used

ingredients:
2 12 oz boxes of noodles
1 big jar + 1 regular jar tomato sauce
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb italian sausage
32 oz riccotta cheese
2-4 cups finely shredded mozzerella cheese - parmesian optional

Boil noodles

While noodles are boiling, cook the ground beef and italian sausage together, add plenty of seasoning (basic and italian) to meat and chop with spatula as it cooks

As noodles and meat are cooking, mix 1-2 cups of mozzerella cheese into riccotta cheese until mixture is thick and looks clumpy. Mix in parsley flakes and parmesian cheese too if desired

Drain noodles and meat once they are done

Pour some sauce in the bottom of a very large foil pan.

Layer noodles, riccotta blend, meat, and sauce until all are gone (except some sauce). Ideally the last layers should be noodles and then sauce on top.

Blanket the top with shredded mozzerella, parmesian (grated or shredded), and parsley flakes

Bake at 350 F for 30+ min

Pasta Salad

Italian pasta salad, not creamy

ingredients:
2 12 oz boxes of spiral noodles
1 container cherry tomatoes
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 can olives
1 16oz mozzerella cheese block
1/2 summer sausage
1 large + 1 small italian salad dressing bottle (Wishbone - ideally zesty, if not get italian dressing seasoning packet)

Boil noodles - not too soft because they will soak in salad dressing

While noodles are boiling chop up ingredients. Cut onion into rings. Cut bell pepper into strips. Cut cheese into bite sized cubes. Slice suasage and quarter the slices. Cherry tomatoes and olives can be cut in half or left whole.

Drain noodles and run cold water through them until cold.

Put half of noodles into a very large plastic container (must have a secure lid). Put half of all the other ingredients in, including dressing. Add seasoning, heavy on garlic pepper

Stir and put other half of everything in. Depending on your container you may not be able to stir the second time, so secure lid and hold upside down to run dressing through (flip back to right side up and repeat a few times)

Keep in fridge. Wait 4+ hours to marinate, stir/flip before serving

Butternut Balls

Round crumbly walnut based cookie - very special christmas tradition to me

Makes aprox 50 balls about 1.5 cm (1/2 - 3/4 inch) in diameter (we usually double the recipie because they are a favorite that goes quick)

ingredients:
1 stick + 2 tbsp room temp butter
1/2 cup granular sugar

1 egg yolk
1+ tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

2 cup flour
1 cup fine chop walnuts
1+ cup mini semi sweet choc chips (very small - 2 mm wide)
1 cup powdered sugar
cinnamon

Finely chop walnuts into 1-2mm (1/16 inch) pieces if not already (pecans could also be used) and spread out onto a cookie sheet. Bake walnuts (at 350 F) for 7 min. Let cool to room temperature (if its winter you can set the sheet outside for quicker cooling)

While walnuts are baking/cooling, beat butter and granular sugar in large metal bowl on high until fluffy.

On low, beat in yolk, vanilla, and salt

Gradually beat in flour

Mix in cooled walnuts and mini choc chips (chop chocolate if unable to find small enough chips) mixture should be dry and crumbly. You can probably add some cinnamon somewhere in the mixing process

Pack the dry dough into a small sturdy melon baller, and scoop it out into your hand. Use your palm and fingers to round the ball (warm hands are best). This is time consuming but worth it, and a cherished christmas tradition of mine. Put all the balls on a cookie sheet, they can touch each other since they don't expand.

Bake at 350 F for 12 min. Cool to room temperature - very important! Again they can be sat outside to cool if it is cold outside.