Baked Crab Mac & Cheese

Adrienne made us a fabulous treat for dinner the other night!  She was so excited to try something new(I will miss her when she is married).  It turned out so good I decided to post it here so I don't lose it!  Thanks Adrienne, this one's a keeper!   Found at http://willcookforsmiles.com/2013/04/baked-crab-mac-and-cheese.html

• 1 1/2 cups of dry macaroni(Adrienne used these cute little shells)
• 6 oz claw crab meat(Adrienne used imitation crab, it was good!)
• 3 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 large shallot, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 oz fresh Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese (block, it will melt better)
• salt, fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a casserole dish.
2. Cook the macaroni according to the box instructions, drain well. Add the crab meat and set aside.
3. In a sauce pot, melt the butter (on medium heat) and add chopped shallot. Saute until fragrant.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the shallot, mix well. Slowly pour in the milk while constantly stirring with a rubber whisk. The mixture will start thickening.
5. Grate the white cheddar into the milk mixture. Add salt and pepper and keep stirring, slowly, until the cheese is melted.
6. Pour the cheese mixture into the macaroni and crab. Add half of the grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, until all combined.
7. Transfer into a baking casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and the other half of the grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cole Slaw (Like KFC's)

DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
•  

SLAW:

• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 medium carrot (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons minced onion

Instructions

1. Chop cabbage into chunks and run through your food processor, or chop fine.( I just bought a bag of Dole angel hair coleslaw mix and made my own dressing)
2. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl, whisk well.
3. Combine cabbage, carrots, and onion and toss well. Pour dressing over the slaw and turn to coat well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to allow the cabbage to soak up the marinade. Overnight is best.

Bourbon Vanilla French Toast Casserole

Bourbon Vanilla French Toast Casserole

Blue and Gold is coming up and I am helping out by making french toast casserole.  This recipe feeds quite a few and the yummy caramel like sauce on top is sooooo good!

• 1 loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices(I use the skinny bagettes and slice them thin or buy them already sliced off the day old bread rack)
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon(we actually had some...gasp! so I put it in, pretty good)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup salted butter
• 1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Cooking Directions

1. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, bourbon and cinnamon. Put bread slices in with the egg mixture and coat thoroughly.. Make sure that the slices are covered with the liquid mixture. Cover and place in the fridge.
2. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture. I use a measuring cup to pour it so that I can make sure all the slices are covered.
3. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef

From:  http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/01/slow-cooker-mongolian-beef.html
Mmmmmm...I just love six sisters stuff!  This meal is easy and smells SO good while cooking!  

1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak, cut into stir-fry sized strips (we used a bottom round roast because it was cheaper and it worked great)
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 medium green onions, chopped

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place cornstarch in a bowl. Coat each piece of steak in cornstarch and place in crock pot. Discard any remaining cornstarch. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over beef in crock pot. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice, topped with additional sliced green onions.

Almond and Coconut Chex Mix

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz-17 oz) box of Rice OR Corn Chex cereal
1 (7 oz) bag of sweetened coconut
1 (5 oz) bag of almonds (about 1 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) margarine or butter
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup (like Karo syrup)
Dash of salt

Directions:
Spray a LARGE (the biggest you can find!) bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in the entire box of Chex cereal, coconut, and almonds. Gently mix together.

Mix together the sugar, butter, light corn syrup, and dash of salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a full boil, turn heat down to medium, and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over the cereal mixture in the big bowl and stir evenly.  Spread cereal evenly on wax paper and let cool (even though it's delicious to eat while warm, too!).

Found this on the blog, http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/11/gooey-almond-and-coconut-chex-mix.html
I admit, I kinda wanna be the seventh sister!!  :-)

Homemade Rhodes Rolls

Amazing Rolls
1 cup warm milk
 2 tsp vinegar
½ cup butter (1 stick) – if you want to try oil, use 1/3 cup
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
 1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup potato flakes
4 cups flour
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
Directions
Add all ingredients to bread machine pan in order suggested by manufacturer and select dough setting.
When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide dough into 24 portions and shape into balls.
Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan or in muffin tins.
Cover with saran wrap (spray with non-stick spray) and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes (if you are using regular wheat, you can let these rise for an hour or more.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

If you want little freezer rolls, then when you divide the dough into 24 portions, put them on a cookies sheet and place them in the freezer for a few hours.  Then when they are solid, I like to put them in a freezer bag. Then when you are ready to bake them, just pop them out of the freezer and onto a sprayed cookie sheet, cover and let rise for 4-5 hours.   I tried this on Sunday and they came out perfect!  You can also use these in sticky buns!  This is SO much cheaper than buying the bags of Rhodes Rolls and they taste so good!

Found on:  http://www.ourfoodstorage.com/2009/08/19/better-than-rhodes-rolls/

Mushroom & Wild Rice Chicken Casserole

This is a variation on the chicken and cheese casserole I posted a couple weeks ago.  I made the modifications myself and think it turned out SO delicious!

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, chopped(I used half an onion)
• 2 -8 ounce boxes Uncle Bens long grain and wild rice, cooked according to directions
• 1 cup swiss cheese grated
• 2 - 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup (regular or fat free)
• sliced mushrooms(as many as you prefer)

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. About halfway through I added the mushrooms, but you could put them in at the start if you want, they really shrink no matter when you put them in!  A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.  This was SOOOO good!