The BEST Homemade Mac and Cheese

The BEST Homemade Mac and Cheese of your LIFE. Outrageously cheesy, ultra creamy, and topped with a crunchy Panko-Parmesan topping, this mac and cheese recipe is most definitely a keeper. Trish used three different cheese and a homemade cheese sauce to take this macaroni and cheese recipe over the top. From momontimeout.com.

The BEST Homemade Mac and Cheese


Ingredients:

16 oz elbow macaroni, cooked (or other tubular pasta)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded (if tolerated or try mild or medium)
2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded (if tolerated)
salt and pepper to taste (if tolerated)
1 1/2 cups panko crumbs (it's IC friendly)
4 tbsp butter melted
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded (if tolerated)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika or regular paprika (if tolerated or omit)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside. Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl.

3. Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.

4. Melt butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven, or stock pot.

5. Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden.

6. Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.

7. Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be nice and thick.

8. Stir in the cooled pasta until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.

9. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then the remaining mac and cheese.

10. In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.


*If you want, use different cheese combinations when you make this mac and cheese recipe.

Baked Spinach Mushroom Quesadillas

These are crispy, delicious, and chock full of nutrition. And baking these quesadillas allows you to make many at once, so you can feed your hungry family quickly and easily!

This recipe is a real good go-to meals for busy weeknights because you can have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes and everyone loves to eat these! From dizzybusyandhungry.com.

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Ingredients:

4 tortillas (8 inch) without problem ingredients
olive oil (optional, enough to lightly coat the tortillas)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded cheddar
3 cups roughly chopped spinach
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the mushrooms in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 2 ½ to 3 minutes to soften them. Drain the mushrooms and set aside.

3. Lightly brush one side of each tortilla with the olive oil (optional) and place on a baking sheet, oiled side down.

4. Distribute about half of the each of the cheeses over half of each of the tortillas. Then layer the spinach, then the mushrooms, then the rest of the cheeses, and fold the other tortilla half over top.

5. Bake the tortillas for about 6 minutes, then flip each over and bake for another 6-7 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the outside of the tortillas is brown.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Follow this easy recipe to make homemade caramel sauce – salted or not. It only takes 10 minutes and 5 simple ingredients. Then drizzle it on ice cream, cakes, pancakes, cheesecake, stir it into iced coffee, or use as a dessert dip for apples! From bellyfull.net.

Homemade Caramel Sauce


Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt


Directions:

1. Add the sugar and water to a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan; stir a little so it sits in a flat, even layer.

2. Warm pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, turns clear, and starts to bubble. (It will be cloudy at first, but will turn into a clear, bubbling liquid.) This takes about 3-4 minutes.

3. (At this point, do not stir again - simply allow to bubble, swirl the saucepan occasionally and brush down the sides of the pan, as needed, to prevent crystallization.)

4. Sugar will form clumps, but continue swirling and cooking until the mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color like honey (this can take anywhere from 8-12 minutes), keeping a watchful eye so the mixture doesn’t burn.

5. Carefully add the butter and whisk until completely melted. (The caramel will bubble up rapidly, so be careful and continue to whisk.)

6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking continuously until all of the cream has been incorporated.

7. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.

8. Set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

9. Then pour into a lidded glass jar and allow to cool completely. (It will thicken as it cools.)



How to Store Caramel Sauce

After the caramel cools down, you’ll pour it into a lidded glass jar or container.

Store in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, up to 3 weeks, or freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, before using.

Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator so it needs to be reheated, either on the stove or in the microwave, until desired consistency is reached. Note: reheating the caramel will make it thinner and runnier.

Creamy Herb Pesto Dip

A wonderful blend of herbs and pesto, make this creamy herb pesto dip pretty versatile. You can even served it in tossed pasta! Superb! From dailydishrecipes.com.

Creamy Herb Pesto Dip


Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream (if tolerated)
½ cup Basil Pesto (without problem ingredients) or more for flavor
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons parsley finely chopped
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. In a blender, mix all ingredients together until smooth.

2. For best results, refrigerate at least 2-3 hours before serving, however can be served immediately. Serve hot or cold.

Quick Ranch Dressing

Yummy & tastes just like regular Ranch! From callieknutrition.com.

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Ingredients:

1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (without problem ingredients)
1/4 cup milk (or less for a thicker dip consistency)
2 teaspoons McCormick Just Five Homestyle Ranch Dip, Dressing & Seasoning Mix packet (more or less to desired taste) check for problem ingredients


Directions:

Blend all until evenly mixed. Store in the fridge. Refrigerate 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Makes about 1 cup of dressing.

Creamy Swiss Steak

An oldie, but a goodie from my old Rival Crock Pot recipe booklet I got when I bought my crock pot back in 1982. It is easy peasy and goes great with a bake potato, rice or noodles or any side dish. I give it: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Creamy Swiss Steak


Ingredients:

½ pounds round steak, cut ¾ inch thick
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste (if tolerated)
1 10 ½ ounce can cream of mushroom condensed soup (without problem ingredients- I use Organic Pacific Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup)
1 6.5 ounce can mushroom steams and pieces (drained)


Directions:

Cut round steak into serving pieces. Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge meat in seasoned flour. Place meat in bottom of crock pot. Spread can of cream of mushrooms soup over meat. Top with mushroom stems and pieces. Cook on Low 8 to 10 hours.

Fresh Basil Pesto

Homemade pesto is one of the best ways to enjoy a bounty of fresh basil. It's great on pasta, baked potatoes, pizza, or bread. Make it in just 15 minutes! From simplyrecipes.com.

Fresh Basil Pesto


Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (can sub half the basil leaves with baby spinach)
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces), if tolerated
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (if tolerated), (you can sub chopped walnuts)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times.

2. Add the garlic and Parmesan or Romano cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

3. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor is running will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

4. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

5. Toss with pasta for a quick sauce, dollop over baked potatoes, or spread onto crackers or toasted slices of bread.


NOTE: Basil pesto darkens when exposed to air. To store, cover tightly with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic is touching the top of the pesto and not allowing the pesto to have contact with air. The pesto sauce will stay greener longer that way.