Happy Valentine's Day!!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is a recipe I made up based on watching my Grama make homemade macaroni and cheese. I tweaked it to my tastes is all.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
1 pound cooked pasta
1 batch white sauce with cheese(see recipe below)
salt & pepper

1. Boil pasta, drain, set aside.
2. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with oil.
3. Add pasta to pan.
4. Stir white cheese sauce into pasta.
5. Season to taste.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.

White Sauce with Cheese
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pound cheddar cheese

1. Melt butter in pan.
2. Stir in flour and cook for about two minutes.
3. Add in heavy cream slowly to reduce lumping.
4. Add cheese, stirring until melted**.

**may need to add a little more cream or milk if sauce gets too thick.
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Variations:
You can use whatever pasta you have on hand - shells, macaroni, bowties - anything but egg noodles works well. You can also use Velveeta or any flavor of cheese you prefer. You can use milk instead of cream if you are looking to trim some fat. Some people garnish the top with corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs, but it is not necessary.

ENJOY!!

Pea Soup

This is another family recipe from as long as I can remember. One of my favorites!
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Ingredients needed:
1 bag dried peas
1 ham bone(shank)
onion salt
pepper
Lawry’s season salt
10 cups water

1. Mix all ingredients in crockpot. Season to your tastes.
2. Cook on high for at least 6 hours. Make sure peas are soft.
3. Remove ham bone from soup, let cool off, then pick off meat and add back into soup.
4. Serve with any type of bread or cracker.
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Variations:
My grama likes to add diced carrots and cooked shell noodles, I prefer it the way it is written.
Both my grama and my mother make this on the stove. I prefer the crockpot cause you can throw it in and forget about it, but if you have time to cook it on the stove and watch it, it will cook faster.

ENJOY!!

Egg Bake

This is a dish that I tried to emulate from my sister-in-law Sharon's family. It doesn't quite come close to their version, Sharon says I probably don't add enough fat, but it is good. The entire Peaslee clan eats it up like mad and it is a great way to make breakfast on the weekend.
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Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
3 dozen eggs, beaten
1/2 package shredded hashbrown potatoes
2 pounds breakfast sausage
8 ounces cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

1. Brown sausage on the stove top. Drain fat.
2. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with oil.
3. Add hashbrowns to pan.
4. Add sausage.
5. Add cheese.
6. Pour beaten eggs over all of it.
7. Salt & pepper to taste.
8. Bake for one hour.

**Depending on the oven, may need to bake a little longer. If eggs wiggle in the middle, its not done. You can use the toothpick test too.

Makes enough to feed about a dozen people.
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Variations:
You can make this with bacon or ham instead of sausage. You can use any kind of potato, I have used shredded hashbrowns, tater tots, hashbrown patties and o'brien potatoes. All work just fine. You can use whatever cheese you like too, I just prefer cheddar.

ENJOY!!

Italian Meat Balls

This recipe is my Grama Connie's. I have tried really hard to emulate her, but once again, when I make these, it is missing what I call "the Connie factor." Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does, there are never any leftovers!
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Italian Meat Balls
Ingredients Needed:
1 lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground pork
½ cup bread crumbs
1 egg
Pinch of minced dry onion
pinch of dry parsley

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2. Roll into 1 inch round meatballs.
3. Brown them, but do not cook completely.
4. Remove from pan and place them in slow cooker.
5. Add spaghetti sauce and cook on low all day.
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Spagetti Sauce
Ingredients Needed:
15 ounce can tomato sauce
15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tsp. Italian seasoning
Lawry’s season salt
onion salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. Tarragon
Dash of rosemary
2 tsp. sugar
1 green pepper
1 onion

1. Stir all ingredients together. Season to taste.
2. Add to crockpot and let simmer with meatballs all day.

ENJOY!!

Navy Bean Soup

This is a soup my Mom and Grama both make alot. I grew up eating it and have very fond memories. My Mom and Grama like to add drop dumplings to it, I don't care for those, so I eat mine just the way it is.
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Ingredients needed:
1 bag dried navy beans
1 ham bone(shank)
onion salt
pepper
Lawry’s season salt
10 cups water

1. Mix all ingredients in crockpot. Season to your tastes.
2. Cook for at least 6 hours.
3. Remove ham bone from soup, let cool off, then pick off meat and add back into soup.
4. Serve with any type of bread or cracker.

** May add dumplings or egg noodles if desired.

ENJOY!!

Taco Shells

This is another church/family recipe that has been around ever since I can remember. This is my preferred tortilla.
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Ingredients needed:
3 cups white/wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
½ cup shortening
approx. 2 cups lukewarm water

1. In medium mixing bowl, mix 3 cups of flour with 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, ½ cup shortening.
2. Add approximately 2 cups warm water.
3. Mix dough until sticky.
4. Let set for one hour.
5. Roll dough into 2 inch balls, roll out, place on medium temp griddle, cook until shell starts to bubble, flip over, cook for another 15 seconds, then place in warmer. Repeat until all shells cooked.

Makes about 1 and 1/2 dozen shells.
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Variations:
As with the pizza dough, you can use straight wheat or straight white flour. I have grown up on half of each and like it that way best.

ENJOY!!