Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta

When I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman's site, I just KNEW that I was meant to make it. So I saved it until the very right time, and went in for the kill. and I was NOT disappointed. I altered the ingredients here to make a smaller portion, halving the recipe. This made about enough for 4 people, using as a side dish.

1 (7 oz.) package thin spaghetti
1/4 stick of butter (2 tablespoons)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped (if desired)
Juice of about 1 1/2 more lemons

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook your spaghetti al dente and set aside, in the dish you plan to bake in (I used an 8x8 pan, but I think it looks ultra cute in a bowl!)
In a skillet, heat the butter and olive oil on low heat. Once butter is melted, throw in your garlic. Then, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon into the pan and turn off the heat.
Add the sour cream and stir until combined. Add the lemon zest and salt. Taste and make sure it's salty enough.
Pour the mixture over your pasta, and stir together.
Bake, covered, for 15 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Squeeze MORE lemon over the top, top with parmesan cheese, as much as you like, and then the parsley. Give another squeeze of lemon juice to top it all off. At this point, I stuck it all back in the oven to get the Parmesan a little melty and yummy.

Ree says to serve with a loaf of french bread, and a green salad, which is how I would like to eat it. But if you've got a meat eating man, grill him up a chicken breast to go with it and have yourself your salad!


My review: Evereything I thought it would be and more! This was absolutely delicious. Ree suggests that (if you want), you could put it in the fridge after adding the sauce and have it as a cold pasta salad, and I may try that as my next venture. YUM! You'll enjoy this, honest!

Amazing Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Olive oil
1 can Pillsbury classic pizza crust or thin pizza crust
3 tablespoons butter/margarine
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 sweet onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons Frank's Hot sauce
1 cup diced plum tomatoes (about 2 or 3)
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

If using classic crust, heat oven to 425 degrees. If using thin, heat to 400.
Lightly coat a cookie sheet with olive oil.
Unroll the dough onto the sheet and push out into a crust.
In a ten inch skillet, melt butter on medium high heat. Add chicken, onion, and hot sauce. Cook 4-6 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes.
With a slotted spoon, spoon the mixture over dough, leaving a crust on the edges. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.
Bake 13-16 minutes for the classic crust and 11-14 minutes for the thin crust.


My review: This is amazing. A bit spicy, but nothing a little bit of ranch couldn't handle. It's dang yummy and you're crazy if you don't make it right now!!

Buffalo Wing Dip!

8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot (adjust to your preferred spiciness!)
1/2 cup shredded mozzerella
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (optional, i like mine VERY cheesy!)
2 (9.75 oz) cans of chunk chicken breast, drained (or any other cooked chicken)



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the cream cheese in a baking dish and stir until smooth.
Mix in the salad dressing, hot sauce, and cheeses.
Stir in chicken.
Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, crackers, triscuits, pretzels, ANYTHING!


OTHER COOKING OPTIONS
MICROWAVE: Prepare as before in a microwavable dish. Microwave uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring halfway.
SLOW COOKER: Prepare as before and place into slow cooker. Heat on high for 1-2 hours or on low for 2-3 hours.


My review: Please make this. If you love hot wings, please do yourself a favor and make this. and eat it. on celery, on carrots, on tortilla chips, or on a spoon all by itself. I like to double the recipe and throw it in the crockpot for covered dish parties. If I don't eat this on Super Bowl Sunday, I shrivel up and die. It's a very sad thing. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chili

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, browned
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours (high for 4-5 hours).

Serve with some cornbread, and top with a bit of cheddar cheese.


My review: This is the recipe I use every time I make chili, and it turns out wonderfully every single time. I love finding crock pot recipes that take 8-9 hours, not 4 hours, because I like to throw it in before work and leave it in there for the whole time I'm at work. I can't come home at lunch. The crock pot is supposed to make my life easier. DUH. sorry for the small rant. Make the chili. You'll love it.

Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Bake

I love making this recipe, as both a dessert and a brunch recipe. It's easy, and incredibly delicious, especially paired with a big cup of coffee!

2 cans Crescent rolls
2 packages cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Unroll one can of crescent dough and press onto the bottom of a greased 13x9 pan. Press the seams together.
Beat the cream cheese, vanilla, egg, and 1/2 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread onto the crust.
Unroll the other can of crescent dough onto wax paper and pat out to form a 13x9 rectangle and press the seams together. Invert over the cream cheese mixture to form a top crust.
Bake 30-35 minutes.
Combine cinnamon and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top.

Store in the refrigerator, if you have leftovers.


My review: I already told you I love this, so stop bugging me! but seriously, you will like it too. But be careful, it's so good that the whole pan can disappear, even if you're the only one in the house!

Old Bay Shrimp Scampi

I saw this recipe on the back of the Old Bay can, and I knew that I just HAD to make it. Oh yeah, and those are boiled monkey heads next to the pasta in the picture. Otherwise known to normal people as brussels sprouts...

1/3 cup oil (i used 1/2 vegetable and 1/2 olive)
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and tails off
2 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp Parsley Flakes
1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Heat the Oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add shrimp, Old Bay, and parsley.
Saute for 3-5 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in Lemon Juice.

Serve over angel hair pasta. Top with Parmesan and a bit of mozzerella cheese.


My review: This was incredibly easy. and very yummy. I highly recommend this recipe. You can adjust the Old Bay to your preferred spiciness. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 tsp, and I added a bit more. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Chicken Quesadillas

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1/2 green or red pepper, diced (or sliced thinly, whatever you prefer)
1/2 cup salsa (or you know, just dump some in til it looks right...)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tortillas (burrito size)
2 cups Cheddar Cheese


Spray your skillet with cooking spray. Add your strips of chicken; cook on medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the onions and peppers; cook 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in salsa and beans and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle a bit of cheese on 1/2 of each tortilla, then spoon some chicken mixture over top, and then sprinkle some more cheese.
Fold tortillas in half.
Spray second large skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium heat. Add quesadillas, in batches; cook 2 min. on each side or until lightly browned on both sides.

Cut into wedges to serve. Serve it up with some sour cream and salsa for dipping.


My review: OMG. One of the best recipes I've made yet. In the words of my boyfriend "you can put these on the make every single day list." add a lot of groaning and yummies to that quote. :-) So good. I plan to make these more more more. Next time, I might add some corn to the mix. Delicious.

Grasshopper Willie Pie

Okay, so the name of this pie comes from my late grandma, who always made this pie, and made it better than anyone will ever make it again. And this is her recipe.

1 Oreo pie crust (use the store bought one) (or if you're ambitious, make your own, using oreo crumbs and melted butter)
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup creme de menthe
2 Tablespoons creme de cacao
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Shaved Chocolate for decoration, if desired, or some mint sprigs Grandma used to crush up Girl Scout Thin Mints for the top or cut them in half and stick them in.

Combine marshmallow fluff, creme de menthe, and creme de cacao. I love the way this smells... YUM. Keep combining until smooth. and keep sniffing while you're combining.
Then, somewhere else, in a different bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form, which usually takes like 10 minutes. This is where a KitchenAid or any other stand mixer is lovely, because you don't have to hold the thing, bored as the devil. Instead, you can walk over and sniff the other stuff. Once you've got the soft peaks, fold whipped cream into marshmallow mixture.
Now, spoon all of that deliciousness into your pie crust.
Freeze your delicious grasshopper pie for at LEAST 5 hours.
Garnish as you please, and maybe even through a bit of whipped cream on it.


My review: I grew up with this, knowing my Grandma Willie made the best grasshopper pies. Enjoy!

Island Layer Dip

Caution: this recipe contains rum. and don't go substituting. I won't have it.

1 pkg. Cream Cheese, divided
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP divided
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. lime juice
4 tsp. rum (I used Parrot Bay coconut rum, but I think any flavor would be good...)
1/2 cup chopped Macadamia nuts
1/2 cup Coconut, toasted
3 kiwis, chopped
2 or 3 mint leaves

Beat 1/2 of the brick of cream cheese, pineapple and 1 cup Cool Whip until well blended; spread onto bottom of pie plate.
Mix remaining cream cheese, lime juice and powdered sugar and spread over pineapple layer.
Mix the remaining Cool Whip and rum (seriously, don't even think about substituting with rum extract, that's the wimp's way out) and spread over lime layer.
Refrigerate for 1 hr. before serving. Top with nuts, coconut, kiwi, pineapple tidbits, and mint.
Serve with Nilla wafers or Graham crackers. Pretzels are good too.


My review: I had this at a cookout a few weeks ago, and the person graciously shared her recipe with me, but didn't want her name mentioned here. She's shy. So we'll just talk about her creation. It's a jumble of flavors that just go so well together. You'll love it. For real, mon. It's a taste of the Islands.

Update: I made this. and loved it. the above picture is how pretty it turned out! don't you just love it?

Easy Cheesy Lasagne

3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef (you can also use ground turkey)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato, chopped
1 egg
1 16 oz. container Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained
1 pkg. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided



Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Brown meat with garlic and oregano in large saucepan. Stir in spaghetti sauce and simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes.
Mix egg, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese together in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce mixture onto bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Top with layers of 3 noodles, 1 cup cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1 cup remaining sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Cover with foil.
Bake for 30 min. or until heated through.
Uncover and top with remaining mozzarella.
Bake, uncovered, for another 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 min. before serving.


My review: This is the recipe I always use to make lasagne. If I have any veggies sitting around, like zucchini, onions, peppers, or mushrooms, I throw them in with the sauce, too. If I'm feeling naughty, this gets paired with Texas Toast. But, if I'm trying to stay away from extra carbs, I'll have it with a big greeny salad. Either way, it's delicious, and fool-proof!

Caesar Chicken Pasta Bowl

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut up
1 can Condensed Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup water
1/3 cup Caesar salad dressing
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
4 cups hot cooked linguine
grated Parmesan cheese



Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring and making sure to get it all cooked. Because raw chicken is sicknast...
Then, add soup, water and dressing. Heat to a boil, stirring occasionally, making sure it's not sticking or burning to the bottom, because I hate when that happens. Add tomatoes. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Toss with linguine. Serve with Parmesan cheese.


My review: How can something this delicious be this easy to make!! Yum. I love pasta dishes. I used the 98% fat free soup to make this, and light caesar dressing, so this ends up being a pretty light recipe. Serve it up with a salad, and if you're not afraid of carbs, some garlic bread!

Bacon Zucchini Pasta

I love Zucchini. I just do. And you should too.


2 cups tri-color rotini pasta, cooked as directed on package (keep warm)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
1 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
2 tbsp. Real Bacon Bits (or 4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped)
3 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese

Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil in skillet on medium-low heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add zucchini, water, bacon and dressing mix; stir. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes on medium heat, until zucchini is tender, stirring occasionally.
Toss with pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.


My review: This is so good served with some grilled chicken breasts or burgers. It's just a light pasta dish, with lots of flavor. I cheated and used some of the real bacon bits, because I didn't feel like cooking up some bacon. You can also use yellow squash in the place or as well as the zucchini. I had some laying around, so I chopped it up smaller than the green zucchini, and put it in with the onions and garlic.

Zucchini Parmesan Sausage Skillet

This is one of my favorite dishes of the summer because all the vegetables are so fresh and delicious. If you want to make it a side or just want a good vegetarian meal, leave out the sausage. It would also be good served over some pasta. You can also use eggplant in the place of the zucchini.


1 red/green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 zucchini (or yellow squash) (1 lb.), thinly sliced
4 large mushrooms, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, diced OR 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound Italian Sausage (you can leave this out)
Italian Seasoning, if desired


Cook the Italian Sausage, pepper, onion, and mushrooms in a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add the garlic as well. Let cook until meat is browned (about 5-8 minutes). Add the zucchini, and cook for about 3 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes or spaghetti sauce, and cover. You will want to add your Italian seasonings at this point, if desired. (if you're using the tomatoes, you will want the seasonings!) Cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes.
Sprinkle with the cheeses and cover until they melt.
Serve with some garlic bread and a large greeny salad.


My review: I threw all this together last summer because it was all the veggies I had in my fridge, and they needed to be used. It turned out to be one of my favorite summer meals, with such a good natural flavor. Sometimes, I will use it as spaghetti sauce, and put it over some spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta.

Baked Oatmeal

I got myself all hot and bothered and hungry for breakfast earlier, so I thought I would finish it up and add another breakfast recipe...

2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 cups of quick cooking oats
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups fresh fruit (whatever you like: peaches, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, or a mixture!)
Vanilla or plain yogurt, or cream, or milk



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In large mixing bowl, whisk up your 2 eggs, applesauce, sugar and milk. Once creamy, add oats, salt and baking powder and mix through. (If you are adding in any fruits, add 1 cup of them now!)
Pour batter into greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle top with brown sugar and cinnamon and the remaining fruit.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Don’t wait too long, as you want to serve it warm!
Top with your preferred topping: I like vanilla yogurt or milk. Or ice cream... (hey, i was in a pinch one morning, and I couldn't help it! it's dairy. kinda)


My review: I love this stuff. I love oatmeal. I can't help it. And it's so good in the summer when you have so many different fresh fruit choices for cheap. So enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli Divan

So so easy! and a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey! When I have leftovers after roasting a chicken or turkey (which I rarely do, so I make a big one for this reason...), I usually chop it up and throw it in the freezer, so I can whip up quick meals like this one!


1 pkg. (about 10 oz.) frozen broccoli spears, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey (use leftovers! or a rotisserie chicken from the store!)
1 can Condensed Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted



Arrange broccoli and chicken in 9" pie plate or 2-qt. shallow baking dish.

Mix soup and milk and pour over all.

Sprinkle with cheese. Mix bread crumbs with butter and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 400°F. for 25 min. or until hot.

Broil about 1 min. to lightly brown topping.


My review: I love chicken and broccoli together. I don't know what it is. But I like it. and this was so simple that it was even better! Definitely a keeper.

Lazy Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

These are quick yummy sandwiches to make. If you want, you can double or triple the recipe and once it's cooked, throw it into a crock pot and take to a pot luck.

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (26 oz.)Condensed Tomato Soup
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli roast beef
12 of your favoritest rolls, i prefer Martin's Potato Rolls




Heat oil in saucepot. Add onion and cook until tender.

Add soup, water, sugar, vinegar and Worcestershire. Heat to a boil. Cook over low heat for 5 min. Add beef and heat through. Serve on rolls.


My review: This is so easy. and Delicious. Good for cookouts and pot lucks or just for those nights when you need something easy.

Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

I love breakfast food. I would eat breakfast food for every meal if I could. Bacon, Sausage, Pancakes, Eggs, and French Toast, and everything amazing like that... So, obviously, I liked finding this recipe...


10 eggs
1 cup milk
1/8 cup favorite syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
about 12 thin slices of French bread
2 old spotty bananas
4 oz cream cheese
4 granny smith apples or any other favorite fruit that you're going to want to serve with your delicious french toast
Syrup


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Whisk in syrup and cinnamon.
Using a mixer, blend bananas and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
In 8x8 baking dish, pour about 1/2 cup of egg mixture into the bottom of the dish, just enough to cover the bottom.
Place bread on top of egg mixture to cover as much of the dish as possible.
Spread banana/cream cheese over the top of the bread. Cover with more bread slices.
Pour the remaining egg/milk mixture over the top of the bread and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, but all day or overnight would be the best idea. It gets all goopy and delicious then, and you won't regret it, I promise.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes when you're ready to dig in.
Slice apples or other favorite fruit.
Serve with syrup and sliced fruit.


My review: OMG. I love this. I love this very much. Please make this and enjoy this. It's freakin' yummy. For realz. Not even kidding you. You can even throw some blueberries or whatever in it to bake it up and give it lots of flavor. Go nuts. and then let me know what you did, and if it was good, and then I can try too!

Strawberry Cheesecake

Before you groan, let me convince you that this is actually a lower fat cheesecake recipe. Honest. I'm not all about the bad for you stuff. and I figured I needed to post something low in fat after that pesky Mac and Cheese that I'm going to have to Wii fit for four hours to work off.

1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
2 packages Neufchatel, softened (you can also use fat free cream cheese. whatever makes your skirt fly up)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups Yoplait 99% fat free Strawberry Yogurt (or whatever strawberry yogurt you like)
2 tablespoons flour

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Spray your 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, and sprinkle the chocolate wafer crumbs into the bottom.

In medium bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs; beat on medium about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add yogurt and flour; beat on low speed until smooth. Carefully spread batter over crumbs in pan.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake is set and center is slightly jiggly. (Do not insert knife to test for doneness because hole could cause cheesecake to crack. And cracked cheesecakes are ooogly.)

Turn off oven; cool in oven 30 minutes with door closed. Remove from oven; run knife around side of pan to loosen. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours. Carefully remove side of pan.

This is really good garnished with some fresh strawberries, so if you have the means, throw some on.


My review: This was light and yummy, not so heavy like a full fat cheesecake. The yogurt just seemed to make it fluffy. I liked this a lot. Yum. Next time, I may try it with a graham cracker crust, but the chocolate wafers were good too.

Macaroni and Cheese

So, last night, I was determined. I wanted to make Macaroni and Cheese. from scratch. No Shells and Cheese here, just good ol fashioned homemade Mac and Cheese. And I had never made it before. So I did a little bitta research on how it's done, and made my own little interpretation...

2 cups dried macaroni
2 tbsp butter
1/8 cup flour
1 1/4 cups milk (whole milk is best here... i know, i know, i don't use it either)
1 heaping tsp dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
2 cups cheese (use cheddar. i love cheddar. i used cheddar)
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar!)
1/2 tsp season salt
1 tsp black pepper
Tiny bit of cayenne pepper (not too much!! and you can leave it out, if you like)
Paprika, Thyme, and Parsley are sometimes added as well, so do what you like.


First of all, cook that macaroni like the package says, except leave it too al dente to eat straight outta your pan. (test this by sneaking a piece or two. this is my problem when cooking, i could just grab handfuls of plain ol' pasta.) Back to the macaroni, throw that junk in your colander in the sink, and let the babies cool while you work making the sauce...

Melt the butter in a saucepan on lowish heat. Don't burn it. I hate burnt butter. Once it's all melted, mix in the flour, and whisk it like you've never whisked before, and keep whisking it while it cooks up for about 2-3 minutes. Add in the milk and the mustard, whisking whisking whisking all the while, and cook on medium low heat, until it gets thick and bubbly, which will be about 5 minutes. but keep stirring it and whisking it, because it will burn, and then you will be unhappy. Reduce your heat to low.

Now comes that beaten egg. Beat that sucker. then, take a large spoonful of your happy sauce, and stir it into your egg, and keep stirring so you don't cook the egg. Then, plop it all back into the big sauce mixture. Add in the cheese and keep stirring til it melts. Then add all your seasonings. Taste it. If you want to add more, add more. It all depends on how weak all your stuff is. Make sure it's all mixed together and smooth, and then throw in all that delicious carbiness of macaroni, and stir to combine. The macaroni is screaming "hello, lover"...

So, you now have a choice.

You can eat it now. Just like it is.

OR

You can pour it into a buttered dish (a square glass 8x8 is what I used), top with that extra cheese I told you about, and bake for 25 minutes on 350 degrees F. It will be all bubbly and golden on top and everything mac and cheese should be.



My review: Delicious delicious delicious. Soooo good. But it also took way more effort than my shells and cheese that I adore. I would totally make it again, on a day that I have more time. It was amazingly delicious, both before baking and after. Depends how you like it. But you will like it. I promise.

Cake Trifle

Bakerella, who makes some fantastical cake pops, saved me this week.

I mean it. Saved my life.

I made a cake. Just because.

And I ruined said cake. It was still cakey, still faboosh tasting, but I tried to get it out of the pan, and all hell broke loose.

And then came Bakerella. With this post.


I want to ruin cakes more often. Because, if you didn't follow the link, a ruined cake makes a fabulous cake trifle. and you know what a cake trifle includes?

Ruined Cake
1 Box of Prepared Pudding
1 tub cool whip

And then, you just layer it. and it looks fabulous, and no one ever knows that it was actually a mistake that you had to fix.

So do it.

Go ruin a cake.