Quick & Easy Last Minute Dinner Idea

So, if you are anything like me by about 4pm every night you are looking through your fridge, scratching your head, and trying to figure out “what the heck is for dinner?”  Tonight was one of those nights for me, so I went to one of my quick and easy dinner recipes; Homemade Macaroni and Cheese!

I have tried many Macaroni and Cheese recipes but my favorite is from The Pioneer Woman.  If you’ve never heard of her then you must RUN to her blog immediately, she is amazing.  I’ve been a fan for many, many, many years.   The best part of her recipes are the great pictures she takes for almost every step, it’s a nice way for me to figure out before I get too far if I’m messing up. 

The Pioneer Woman’s Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

§  4 cups Dried Macaroni

§  1 whole Egg Beaten

§  1/4 cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter

§  1/4 cup All-purpose Flour

§  2-1/2 cups Whole Milk

§  2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired

§  1 pound Cheese, Grated

§  1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste

§  1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste

§  1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

§  Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

I follow the recipe almost exact except for a few minor changes that I’ve figure out over the years. 

1.        I use only 3 cups of dried macaroni noodles (or any that you prefer); it helps to make the macaroni super cheesy.

2.       I don’t add as much dry mustard.  I think the dry mustard gives it a great flavor, but two small size teaspoons is plenty.

3.       I only put a TINY bit of cheese in at a time.  She tells you to put half in at a time, but whenever I’ve done that the texture gets really gross!  So tiny handfuls work best.  Make sure you make sure it is all melted then add a little bit more.  It takes a lot more time but you will thank me.

4.       Try it without baking it.  My husband LOVES it right off the stove, I prefer mine cooked a little.  I recommend trying it both ways and figure out what you like best.

Here is a picture of my TINY handful of cheese (don’t mind the cell phone camera; it makes my life easier for posting on a blog):

And here is the final creation:

Come extra close and look at one of the (out of focus) cheesy bites:

Side note: My wonderful girlfriend (Krazy Keri) has taught me a great trick with flavoring my Broccoli.  I first cook mine in those microwave bags (3 mins and its cooked perfect) then I add a little bit of butter, pepper, and some Dill Weed.  Tastes great and the kids love it.

Dessert

Now, what’s for dessert?  I found a recipe online a long time ago (would give credit to the website, but I honestly cannot remember where I found it) for this Easy Apple Pie.  The texture is very thick, kind of mushy, soft, and just downright delicious.  It may not look extremely appealing but I promise you, it tastes way better than it looks.  And with only a few minutes of prep work, it’s a dream come true for a typical busy mom.

Apple Cake

Cake

1 package of white/vanilla cake mix (any brand)

1.5 cups of apple sauce

Topping

4 TBS butter

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup powder sugar

¼ cup of milk

Mix together the package of white/vanilla cake mix with the apple sauce until smooth (don’t add any of the other ingredients listed on the box) pour into 9x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 mins.

While cake is cooking (about 5 mins left), mix together the topping ingredients over a stove until bubbling. 

Pour topping over cake immediately after removed from oven; serve hot.

So you add only the box of cake mix with the apple sauce (don’t add anything else):

Then you put it in a baking dish:

Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the topping all over it:

Cut a piece and eat (the best part):

All of these recipes can be done on a very cheap budget and the supplies can easily be stocked up on when there are deals.  Home cooked good meals that don’t break the bank; my favorite type of meal!

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