Macaroni and Cheese - The Ultimate Comfort Food

This may not be true for everyone, but in my book, Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food. So when you think that way, you tend to become a conesuer of the irresistable golden stuff. And I have to say, my oldest daughter's recipe is some of the best I've ever had. 

Here's what you'll need for this yummy dose of comfort food:

• 8 oz. Velveeta, cubed
• 8 oz. Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp cheese, grated 
• 1 can condensed Cheddar Cheese soup
• 1 cup half and half (you can use cream or milk, if you prefer)
• 16 oz. package of your favorite elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions
• Ground black pepper
• Salt 
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
• 3 tablespoons butter

Get your macaroni to cooking first. Then preheat oven to 350 degrees.

While that's going on, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine the soup, Velveeta and Cracker Barrel cheese over medium-low heat. 

Stir over heat until smooth. 

Add half and half and stir until blended and creamy.

Add salt and pepper to taste and keep warm until macaroni is ready.

Drain macaroni, add to sauce and stir until fully combined.

You can either leave it in the skillet or transfer to a baking dish.

In a separate skillet, melt butter. Add crushed crackers and stir to combine.

Sprinkle over top of mac n cheese and bake 25-30 minutes, until top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

In my world, this can be a side dish or a main course. If it's been a rough day/week, it's a main course. I mean, when something is this good, why would you need anything else?

So we had two of the grandgirls in last week for spring break. 

Can you tell they're related?

This one really loves her macaroni and cheese, though.

We went to a fish fry Friday night, and she was double-fisting the stuff. Definitely takes after her grammy. 

Now that they've gone home, it's time for me to get back to writing. But before I go, I can't help but ask, what's your ultimate comfort food?

Three-time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com. 

Joes for a Crowd

This is one of those recipes that I thought I had shared long ago here at the Cafe, but I couldn't find it! So I'm sharing it today.

This Sloppy Joe recipe is the one I've used...well, since we lived in Indiana. And that's going back a fur piece. Think last century. Think Mom Jeans and the original Full House. Cheers was still on the air, and so was Seinfeld. ("On the air" meant they were making new episodes, not just re-runs on syndicated channels...or binge watching opportunities on Netflix!)

That provenance makes this recipe a perpetual family favorite, and Friday evening called for this kind of recipe.

It was our last evening together as a family before Jacob and Katie move on to their new adventures! We're so excited for them!

It's been two years since their wedding.
Can you believe it?

But...they'll be twelve hours away. Two-and-a-half states away.

Suddenly, having the whole family together will be a once-in-a-while thing. (Especially since another son is planning to move away this summer!)

So we got together for a meal and a couple games of Forbidden Island. (If you haven't heard of this game, look it up on YouTube. It's definitely a Geek-type board game. Perfect for our family!)

I didn't take any pictures that evening, but here's the recipe.

Joes to Go

ingredients:

3 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup chili sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 Tablespoons white vinegar

1 Tablespoon ground mustard

24 hamburger buns

This is an easy recipe, which is probably why I made it so often while the children were growing up!

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet (I use my Dutch oven), then drain. Saute the onions in the skillet for a few minutes, then add the ground beef back in and mix well.

By the way, if your daughter-in-law doesn't like onions, leave them out and substitute onion powder instead. :-)

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

At this point, you can keep the sloppy joe mixture on the stove, stirring occasionally until it's heated through. Or you can put it in your slow cooker (on low) until you're ready to serve it.

The slow cooker option is great for carry-in dinners!

* * * * * * * *

That was how we ended our week. It started out like this:

After more than five weeks of frigid temperatures, the weather warmed up. On Tuesday we reached 50°!!!! So we headed up into the Hills, of course. Our favorite spot (in case you didn't already know) is the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park.

Even though there was still snow, the animals were out - even the prairie dogs!

As we topped this rise, we knew we were in for a treat!

Yes, the "Black Hills Car Wash" was ready for business!

We patiently waited our turn...

And then, as the cars ahead of us moved on, the crew headed our way.

They did a less than perfect job, but they were fun to watch!

And they were close enough to touch...but we didn't. The last thing we want is a surprised bison to swing its head (and horns) into the side of our truck!

Isn't it tempting to sink your fingers into that thick coat, though?

As we drove on, we saw this lady shoving the remaining snow aside to get to the grass underneath. Was that grass sweeter than the field behind her?

But we also noticed her neck...see the ridge? The hollows along her shoulders? In the fall, the bison have thick humps on their shoulders, full of fat for the coming winter. These bison were all skinny like this. It's time for the green grass to start growing!

Not yet, though. The day after our warm spell, a blizzard hit.

LOTS of snow, and winds gusting up to 60 mph. Not the worst storm we've had, but bad enough.

This is the snow trapped between the
screen and the window. Pretty, isn't it?

We have no idea how much snow we got. The front yard was swept bare (along with our driveway,) but this was what the dogs' run looked like:

Wynter has always liked the snow...

This time, Thatcher wasn't so sure.

We're back to warm weather, now. This storm was definitely a spring storm, bringing wet, heavy snow, and then turning warm right afterwards.

The flooding farther east is terrible, though. I have a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot about flooding in the next few weeks.

But the first day of spring is on Wednesday! I'm ready for it! How about you?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Roasting Vegetable Mixes

Missy Tippens

I wanted to share something new I discovered. I've been having fun with my air fryer and have enjoyed finding freezer items I can cook quickly. It's nice for side dishes, of course. But I've been cooking these as a way to snack on vegetables.

There are several of these PictSweet mixes. Here's one...

Another I tried and really enjoyed was a mix of potatoes and onions.

I just put the frozen veggies in the basket and give it a little spray with Pam. The cooking times have varied, mainly because I'm not sure what to use. I just keep trying different temps and times.

I really enjoyed this combo! Here they are after the veggies have started to caramelize a bit.

I've also really enjoyed cooking fresh cauliflower bites.

You'll have to let me know if you have any air fryer favorites!

Now, for dessert...

I finally did my second oil painting for the class I've been taking with Dreama Tolle Perry! It's a little squatty and lopsided, but overall, I'm pleased with it. And I had fun, which is the most important part! :)


www.missytippens.com

The Yank Does Something Healthy For Once!

So don't get used to this. This isn't like an everyday thing around here... not when the Good Lord gave us potatoes and Basmati rice and pasta...

And BREAD!!!!

But because this is my writing time of year, there is way too much sittin' going on so I have to be mindful of the fact that I'm not as active from January through March...

And there was this fish, just kind of hanging out in the fridge after we did a big fish fry on Monday to celebrate our daughter's visit...

And we stocked up on salad fixings because I don't want to buy new pants.

I would be so mad at myself to buy new clothes because I couldn't keep my hand out of the M&M jar!!!!

But I do love my candy/chocolate so that's a conundrum.

Oh, and desserts.

Yup.

Love them too. :)

But this was a lovely broiled fish and salad supper:

I am so impressed with myself right now. :)

And that means I have to eat the rest of the salad fixings before they go bad!!! Yikes!

Salad week at Ruthy's!  Spring mix, iceberg and broccoli slaw....

I Cajun broiled the haddock. Now I love haddock. It's amazing.... and I simply dribbled a little bit of olive oil onto the pan, heated it under the broiler, added the fish and sprinkled it liberally with Cajun seasoning and salt.

Do not tell me I need to reduce salt, there is only so much one gal can do, friends!

Then broiled for about six minutes....

And done.

And delicious!!!!

I am so happy right now.

During farm season I can pretty much ignore what I eat because I'm moving a lot.

Winter is different, and I have to recognize that. I should have recognized it in JANUARY, I know... but better late than never!

And this is a big birthday month in our family. Five birthdays.... in one month. And then one birthday and Easter... and then two birthdays and a hint of summer in May, which means yard work and planting and tending...

But March is tricky so I'm coupling this with Jesus's 40 days and nights. He was so brave. So true. So amazing.

So He is my inspiration to not give in to all the things I want to eat... and eat simply.

I am not, will not eat locusts and honey or other other bugs.

I am not that good!

But eating sensibly for the next six weeks shouldn't be a big deal... except in my head because we think about it...

Oy vay, we are such humans!

Here's some fun looks at our new ocean presented by The Mighty Finn and Princess Lena:

And check out this amazing sunrise with a cross aura...

Isn't that so cool??? It was 4 degrees on this morning, March 8th.... Four degrees in March...

And this is why people do their skeptical eyebrows about Global Warming or Climate Change even though it might be a thing...

Although anyone who lived through the Dust Bowl of the 1930's will probably say things couldn't get worse than that... at least in that region.  We learned a lot about the cycles of nature and the bonding of nature from above and below and how well they work together... because sometimes in our know-it-all-ness we mess with the order of things.

https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/dust-bowl

The one thing we can probably all agree on is that things change... and our survival, that of any animal, depends on adaptation and adjustment.

And God gave us amazing brains and abilities, so I believe we've got this... eventually... and we'll adjust and adapt as needed.

But in the meantime it is 4 degrees here and I'm going to enjoy a little warmth when it comes my way!

Multi-published, award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne loves writing heart-stirring books with multi-dimensional characters and cute kids, some critters, good food, and wise mentors sprinkled throughout... find her on facebook and Twitter and you can visit her website ruthloganherne.com or email her at loganherne@gmail.com

It's time for Irish Soda Bread Scones

It's that time again - when the world turns green (and I don't mean because of spring). Mindy gave us green cake yesterday. Whole Foods had green chocolate chip cookies, New York's famous black and white cookies are green and white.

But none of that appeals to me the way good soda bread does. Problem is, most of what is made commercially is not very good.

I lucked out this year because the farmers' market had some really good soda bread last weekend.

But if you don't have a market with good bread, feel free to try these delicious scones.

Irish Soda Bread Scones 

Years ago, when I walked my daughter to school before my walk to work, I would pass a coffee shop that sold to-die for soda bread scones. I've been craving them lately so here you go.

Disclaimer - this recipe is adapted from one given to me by a mother at my school who baked me the loaf form of this every Christmas and St. Patrick's Day for as long as her children were in the school. When they graduated, she gave me the recipe.

The recipe is very simple:

You start with 4 cups of sifted flour. I imagine you could use any flour (or a mix).  I used King Arthur's white.

 

Next you add 1/2 a cup of sugar. I used coconut palm sugar which gave the bread a lovely grainy look because the sugar has a brownish color.
Next add 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp of salt. (I only used a shake of salt and I used low sodium baking powder).

1/3 of a cup of butter gets cut into the dry mixture. The recipe recommends using a pastry blender or fork to evenly distribute.

Next up - 1 cup of seedless raisins (or dried cranberries for a nice variation) and my favorite part - 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds!

Confession. I messed up this next part because I added the baking soda in with the dry ingredients. It did not cause any problems.

You're supposed to mix 1 tsp baking soda with 1 1/3 cups of buttermilk and 1 egg in a small bowl. You add this to the dry mix and knead gently.

See the dark specks from the coconut palm sugar?

At this point you could form it into a loaf, but instead I shaped it into scones. Likewise, the loaf should ideally go in a cast iron pan. I used parchment paper. ;)

The result was about 15 wonderful scones that kept nicely in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag.

They may be Irish, but I think you'll enjoy them all year long - especially when you sub cranberries (or some other fruit).

May the luck of the Irish be with you.  

I thought I'd share one of my favorite Irish songs, thought it's quite sad. Fields of Athenry sung by Paddy Reilly.

Revisiting St. Patty's Day Cake (aka Easy Pistachio Cake)

Well, St. Patrick's Day is nearly upon us, so I thought we'd revisit a recipe that celebrates the wearin' of the green. My mom used to make this cake all the time when I was a young girl, especially for potlucks. It's so moist, it doesn't need frosting and is SO delicious everyone will want the recipe. It'll even make believers out of those who fear green foods. Best of all, it's easy.

So here's what you're going to need:

1 package yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)

1 small package pistachio pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/2 cup canola/vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour everything into a large mixing bowl.

Mix on low to combine.

Scrape down sides, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add 6-8 drops of green food coloring, if desired, and mix into batter.

Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan, or spray with baking spray (love this stuff!).

Now pour in your batter.

Doesn't that look pretty? So spring like.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until toothpick inserted half-way between outer edge and center cone comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack.

Once cake has cooled completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

You could add a glaze instead of the powdered sugar, if you like, but we've always done it with just the powdered sugar. 

This cake is moist and delicious. And green! Perfect for St. Patty's Day.

Well, it looks like winter is behind us here at the ranch. While people in other parts of the country were shoveling snow this past weekend, I had to mow the lawn.

Despite last week's freeze, things are growing greener by the day. And with a couple of gorgeaous afternoons behind us, I'm finally ready to embrace spring, even though summer won't be far behind. 

What's happening in your part of the world? 

Three-time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com.