Busy Day Supper

All of our days are busy down on the dairy farm, but there's all those  additional to do lists in December. The lists I'm referring to are  the shopping, the baking, the decorating and all the extra  activities like practice for the church Christmas cantata or the school play. Midwest Dairy's  Cheeseburger Macaroni Casserole fits into a busy schedule perfectly!

Cheeseburger Macaroni Casserole


Ingredients:
Non-stick cooking spray
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
whole-wheat elbow macaroni
1 medium tomato,chopped
1-8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt,optional
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
In large skillet over medium heat,cook ground beef and onion until
beef is brown and onion is soft; drain. Cook macaroni according to package directions,drain.
Spoon macaroni into prepared pan. Spread beef mixture and chopped tomato over macaroni.
 Pour tomato sauce over beef. Sprinkle with seasoned salt,pepper and shredded cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

Options:
To spice it up, use your favorite pizza or Italian style tomato sauce instead of tomato sauce
 and seasoned salt.
For a later meal, double the recipe and place the second casserole in the freezer for later use.

                                        
                                        Happy December!

Tuesday's Taste of Dairy: Macaroni and Cheese Balls

I kicked off June Dairy Month having fun and eating delicious dairy recipes at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods contest.     James Martin of Ward, Arkansas, won first place in the Party Idea category with Macaroni and Cheese Balls.  From his excellent preparation technique, it was obvious that he has prepared this many times for his family and enjoyed sharing his recipe with us.


Macaroni and Cheese Balls

Ingredients:

4 quarts water
1 tsp. salt,divided
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup milk
8 ounces Velveeta cheese,cubed
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated jalapeno cheese
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 large eggs
2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cornmeal
Canola oil for frying

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grate and cube chesses as noted above.
In a large saucepan, bring water and 1/2 tsp. salt to boil; add pasta and cook 6-8 minutes, drain well.

In a large bowl, combine hot cooked pasta, milk,
Velveeta cheese, mozzarella cheese, jalapeno cheese,1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.
Shape into small balls (size is individual preference, I like 11/2 -2 inch) and place on lined baking sheet. Put in freezer for 1 1/2 -2 hours.

In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and cornmeal. In another small bowl, whisk eggs. Dip balls into egg mixture, and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

In a large pot, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 350 degrees. Fry mac and cheese balls in batches, 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Serve with Marinara sauce or any sauce you like. Makes approximately 24 balls.

Macaroni Celebrates June Dairy Month

 There are absolutely no losing recipes at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest but the overall winner of the Main Dish category this year was The Toasted  Macaroni and Pimento Cheese with Bacon Sandwich. The delicious winning sandwich was a creation of Hope McAlee of McRae, Arkansas.

While watching Hope prepare this recipe for the contest, it was obvious that she had prepared this may times for her family. She did tell us it was a bit messy to eat but you will be happy to use your fork to eat every last bite!



The Toasted Macaroni and Pimento Cheese with Bacon Sandwich

Ingredients:

Pimento Cheese--
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup of Miracle Whip
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. dark chili powder
1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. hot sauce (optional, use to personal taste)
1 (4oz jar) of Pimento peppers,diced and drained
Salt and pepper as needed
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika

Macaroni and Cheese--
2 cups macaroni
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup pimento cheese spread
4 oz. of heavy whipping cream
1 cup mixed blend of cheese
4 oz. Velveeta Cheese

Bread: Your choice of thick sliced bread

Bacon: 1-2 slices bacon per sandwich

Preparation Directions:

Pimento Cheese--Place cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Miracle Whip, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, hot sauce and pimento cheese into bowl and mix. Mixer may be used, although a simple spoon or fork works well. Season with salt and pepper.

Macaroni and Cheese--Cook macaroni in boiling water for 6-9 minutes. Once cooked, strain and place back in pot. Add butter, whipping cream and Velveeta. Once butter has melted, add cheese.

Bacon: Fry bacon, chop in small pieces.

Sandwich--Slice bread , and butter on one side of the pieces of bread. Spread macaroni and cheese on one piece of bread, and pimento cheese on the other piece. Chop up bacon and place heart portion on macaroni side. Put sandwich together. Place sandwich in preheated skillet and toast bread to desired darkness. Flip sandwich and repeat step. Once finished toasting, remove from skillet. It is suggested that the sandwich is cut in half because this sandwich can be quite messy.

Serving suggestions: Serve with chips or other favored sides. Eat with fingers or fork. Enjoy the cheesiness!

Cooking time: approximately 30 minutes

Melt Down Monday with Dairy

Instant macaroni and cheese has its place in my pantry because my sons love it, but they also enjoy trying new recipes that contain their favorite ingredients. Macaroni-and-Cheese Deluxe, found in my 1979 Southern Living Recipes  book,   has a rich flavor and would  complement any meat dish.  It's a perfect, family pleasing  recipe, and easy to prepare  for melt down Mondays!


Macaroni-and-Cheese Deluxe

1 (8oz.) package elbow macaroni
2 cups small-curd cottage cheese
1 (8oz.) carton commercial sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups (1/2 pound) shredded process American cheese
Paprika


Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain.
Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; stir in shredded cheese.
Add macaroni, stirring well.
Pour into a greased 9-inch baking pan, and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Helpful Hint: To make shredding of very soft cheese easier, put in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Yield: 6-8 servings

 

Dairy Makes Sense Everyday!

Snow Day Comfort Food

While we were feeding calves this morning, the snow was flying fast and furious. Although we're doing the same chores whether it's snowing or not--milking,feeding cows and caring for calves--, filling up on some good old hot bubbly baked  macaroni and cheese seemed to be the perfect snow day  comfort food.

Three Cheese Macaroni

Ingredients:
12 ounces dried elbow macaroni (2 2/3 cups)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter,melted
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (black pepper works,too)
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces American cheese,cut into 1/2 inch cubes
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese,shredded (2 cups)
2 ounces mozzarella cheese,shredded (1/2 cup)
20 rich round crackers,crushed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot cook macaroni according to package directions;drain. Return to pot.
Add milk,melted butter,pepper, and salt.Stir in cheeses. Transfer to a greased 2 quart casserole.
Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Carefully stir mixture. Sprinkle with crushed crackers. Bake 5 minutes more or until crackers are browned and mixture is just heated through. (don't overheat or mixture will curdle). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

Farmers love snow day comfort food!

How about you?

January's Comfort Food

No one in my family is too happy about eating leftovers so Mama is very happy to find a recipe that uses leftovers and produces smiles and the thumbs up when asked if it's good enough to be served again! Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ham from about.com was the perfect solution this week when we thought it was too difficult to eat any more leftover ham.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese With Ham

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cups of half and half
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 14 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 cups diced ham
5 cups cooked macaroni
1 cup bread crumbs-half for the inside crunch and half for the topping
1/4 cup scallions,diced
pepper to taste

Using a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour; stir and gradually stir in half and half, making sure to keep stirring as the entire mixture thickens.
Pour in your cooked macaroni. Add your shredded cheese and your Parmesan to the mixture--now you can add half the bread crumbs and scallions, and add the cubed ham.
Stir well and pour into a well-greased casserole or baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is crisp.

 

Next thing you know, they'll be asking when we're having ham leftovers!!