Aunt Shirley's Macaroni and Cheese

We drove to Delaware for Thanksgiving to visit my Aunt Shirley and Uncle Bill. Aunt Shirley is an excellent cook and we enjoy talking about recipes and sharing cookbooks. One of Aunt Shirley's signature recipes is Macaroni and Cheese. She makes it for every holiday meal and takes it to church suppers. It is not only good hot from the oven, it is also still delicious warmed up the next day.

When the food was served on Thanksgiving, Aunt Shirley made sure to place the Macaroni and Cheese in front of me at the table. She knows that it is one of my favorite dishes and she wanted to make sure that I had easy access to it. I definitely ate way more of it than I should have over the Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm not complaining!

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups elbow macaroni
12 oz. can evaporated milk
2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions. Spread half of the macaroni into a 9X9 casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Repeat. Pour evaporated milk of the macaroni. Bake at 350º for 25-35 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

 for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 106:1

Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Recently I tried a Pumpkin Smoothie recipe. I really liked it, but my kids were not impressed. So, I poured the leftovers into a canning jar and put it in the refrigerator. Later that day, the idea came to me that I could use the leftover smoothie as coffee creamer. This was a great solution to keep food from going to waste and it was yummy in my coffee. Although, it was a bit tart from the yogurt in the recipe.

I reworked the recipe and came up with the one below. It is smooth and thick. And, it even tastes great on its own without being too sweet. I am pleased that the One Time Pumpkin Smoothie evolved into something that I have gladly enjoyed and will make again and again.

Pumpkin Spice Creamer

¾ cup cooked pumpkin
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Add all four ingredients to a blender. Process until completely combined. Serve with your favorite coffee. Store in the refrigerator, and shake before serving.

You may also like to try homemade versions of Amaretto Creamer and Peppermint Mocha Creamer.

Sweet Potato Cake

Photo Credit

Yesterday, I told you about the large batch of sweet potatoes that I cooked up in my slow cooker last week. Immediately after dinner I mashed the remaining sweet potatoes and made this sweet potato cake for our breakfast the next morning. It is super moist and ever so simple to make. And, I have two more containers full of pre-measured, mashed sweet potatoes in my freezer to make more cake in the future.

Sweet Potato Cake

¾ cup melted butter

1 ½ cups raw sugar (or white sugar)

3 eggs

½ cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

Stir together melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and sweet potatoes. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I visited an aunt and uncle in Delaware. While we were there, my aunt gave me some sweet potatoes that she was afraid might go to waste at her house. And as I have told you before, I adore sweet potatoes. So, I was glad to take them home with me.

Obviously this recipe is meant to serve a crowd and is perfect for the holidays. But, even though I had no crowd to serve last week, I made them up any way knowing that I could freeze the leftovers for later. So we had them for dinner and I mashed up the rest to use in Sweet Potato Muffins and Sweet Potato Cake. I’ll tell you more about the cake tomorrow.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

6 medium sized sweet potatoes

1 ½ cups unsweetened apple sauce

2/3 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)

3 Tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

Peel and cube sweet potatoes and place in a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until tender.

Leftover Turkey Strata

Photo Credit

I have a love/hate relationship with leftovers. On one hand, it is nice to have a night off from cooking. On the other hand, I don’t care for eating the same meal two nights in a row. I do love investment cooking though. And, this is one of those recipes that recreates leftovers into something completely different. So, if you are tired of trying to eat up that leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you may enjoy this for a change.

When I made this the other day, I used some stale Asiago cheese artisan bread instead of the French bread. I have to say, that it tasted fantastic!

Turkey Strata

3 cups leftover French bread, cubed

3/4 cup chopped leftover turkey or chicken

1 small can diced green chilies

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 eggs

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp. mustard

Layer half of the bread, turkey, chilies, and cheese in a small casserole dish or pie pan. Repeat layers. Whisk together eggs, milk, and mustard. Pour over layered casserole. Bake at 325˚ for 45 minutes, or until browned. Serves 4.

This recipe can be made up early in the day or the night before and refrigerated until ready to bake. Or, it can be doubled easily and baked in a 9X13 pan to serve more people.

This post has been linked to Frugal Tuesday Tip.

Our Favorite Fall Foods

We have been enjoying lots of Fall foods lately. My oldest especially loves apple slices dipped in caramel. I have made several batches of Caramel in a Can this Fall that we have gobbled up with Granny Smith Apples. This simple recipe can be made in the slow cooker and is no trouble at all.

Caramel in a Can

My son's favorite Fall food is Sweet Potato Muffins. He is not much of a fruit or vegetable lover, so I sneak them in wherever I can. These muffins make him so happy that he dances around the kitchen in pleasure when I make them!

Sweet Potato Muffins

This Pumpkin Snack Cake is one of my favorites because it is so moist. We normally eat this for breakfast with powdered sugar sprinkled on top. I served it last weekend to a group of friends and there wasn't a single crumb left when everyone went home.

Pumpkin Snack Cake

What are your favorite Fall foods? 

Leftover Turkey Salad

Today I am breathing a sigh of contentment. One more fantastic Thanksgiving is behind us. We spent two full days cooking, eating, and visiting with friends. As we went around the table on Thursday, listing the things that we were most thankful for, our four year old guest stated that he was thankful for chocolate cake. This is a boy who takes joy in the simple pleasures of life!

This weekend I am thankful to be taking a break from serious cooking. We will do our best to eat up the leftover potatoes, green beans, corn, and cranberry salad. And, we will definitely be enjoying this Leftover Turkey Salad. It can be served in multiple ways, as a salad or a sandwich, hot or cold.  

Leftover Turkey Salad

2 cups chopped leftover turkey

1 ½ cups grated Swiss cheese

½ cup sliced celery

½ cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp. mustard (any kind will do)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir well. Use as a filling for cold sandwiches, grilled sandwiches, Panini; or, as a topping for broiled open-face sandwiches. It is also good on a bed of salad greens.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

We have some family friends that we have spent many holidays with over the years; Thanksgiving, Christmas, July 4^th, and Birthdays, just to name a few. Both of our families have moved several times, and yet our paths keep crossing. This year is no exception. Although we will not be together on Thanksgiving, we will be spending Black Friday together visiting, eating, and laughing about old times. (No shopping for us!) These dear friends have been such a blessing to us and we are thankful for their friendship.

We have eaten this Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe together multiple times. And, as the Holidays roll around each year, I am always so grateful to have it in my recipe box.  Standard mashed potatoes are yummy, but have to be made at the last minute. So, this make-ahead recipe frees you up to take care of other details just before serving time. Enjoy!

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

8-9 medium sized potatoes

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. dried onion

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. butter

Peel, cube, and boil potatoes until fully cooked. Drain and return to stock pot. Mash the potatoes with a masher and add cream cheese, sour cream, 2 tbsp. butter, dried onion, and salt. Combine thoroughly. Spread into a casserole dish. Dot the potatoes with remaining 2 tbsp. of butter.  The potatoes can be baked immediately at 375˚ for 30 minutes or they can be covered and refrigerated for up to five days ahead of time.

Sweet Potato Muffins

I love sweet potatoes. This is surprising because, in general, I only eat raw vegetables. I enjoy them so much that I went on a sweet potato binge a few years ago. I tested recipes for baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato casserole, sweet potato pie, sweet potato rolls, sweet potato biscuits, and sweet potato fries. My favorite, by far, has been this Sweet Potato Muffin recipe. Although these muffins are fairly plain, without any added nuts, fruits, or chips; I adore them for their simple goodness. And, with sweet potatoes being plentiful and inexpensive this time of year, they are perfect for Thanksgiving.

Sweet Potato Muffins

½ cup melted butter

¾ cup raw sugar

¾ cup mashed sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour

¾ tsp. salt

2 ¼ tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

Whisk together butter, sugar, sweet potatoes, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Scoop into greased muffin pan and bake at 350˚ for 18-20 minutes, or until golden. Yield: 12 muffins.

Frugal Tip: When you find sweet potatoes on sale, purchase enough to cook, mash, and freeze in ¾ cup portions for Sweet Potato Muffins.

Be Thankful

On our way home from church yesterday, my husband asked the kids what they had learned in Children’s Church. Our oldest, who is ten, said;

                As you go through life,

                Make it your goal,

                To look at the donut,

                Not the hole.

Shane, then asked, “What does that mean?” Our middle kid, who is eight, said;

                Look at the things you have,

                Not the things you don’t have.

I have a feeling that this little poem is going be quoted in our house repeatedly for years to come. What a great message to remind our children (and ourselves) to be thankful for what we have been given.

Picture Credit: My husband made these “Thanks Pumpkins” for an open air craft fair that our church hosted earlier this month.