December 3, 2011: Rice Alfredo Recipe

If you want to sneak more veggies in to the food your family eats, this recipe for a yummy rice side dish just might fit the bill. Because the cauliflower is the same color as the rice, chances are no one will even notice it's there!

Alfredo rice served as a side dish with Parmesan Chicken and fresh green beans.

Rice Alfredo

1/2 cup white rice
1/3 cup finely chopped cauliforets
1/2 t. dehydrated garlic
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. dried parsley
1 cup water
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup prepared Alfredo sauce (or just use bottled, such as Ragu)
1 T. butter
2 T. milk

In a medium sized saucepot, add rice, cauliflower, garlic, parsley, garlic salt and water. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is done. Add pepper, butter, Alfredo sauce and milk. Heat through.

Serves 3 - 4

September 12, 2011: Macaroni and Cheese Deluxe Recipe

Macaroni and cheese seems to be a universal favorite comfort food. It certainly is for my family, who could eat it every single week. They’re completely devoted to their box of Kraft mac and cheese but every now and then I’ve convinced them to eat outside the box. This is a recipe I found in a magazine some years ago or… okay, well it’s mostly that recipe but not quite. Here’s how I make a “kicked up” version of macaroni and cheese that functions as a hearty main dish.

Macaroni and Cheese Deluxe

1 lb. penne pasta

10 slices thick bacon, cut into small pieces

½ cup diced onion

8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 roma tomato, diced

¾ cup frozen peas

1 jar prepared Alfredo sauce

2 T. ranch dressing

1 ½ cups shredded Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain.

In a skillet, cook the bacon pieces over medium heat until cooked through and crispy. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook a few minutes more, until vegetables soften.

In the pot you used to cook the penne pasta or a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased casserole; cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves 6

September 10, 2011: Easy Ramen Alfredo Recipe

Today we laid our dear, sweet, thoughtful, kind Christian sister, Ruthalie Heffner, to rest. She is now at peace in Heaven with the Lord. I miss this dear lady a lot! Although she was 96 years old, she was sharp as a tack and had a memory much better than my own. I'm just thankful she didn't have to suffer; after waiting for all of her family to arrive, she went home with Jesus the night of September 4th. RIP Ruthalie.

I ended up making my husband’s favorite Kansas City sirloin steak marinade recipe again just to make him happy (since he thinks I experiment in the kitchen far too often) and found myself with another stray package of plain ramen noodles. I did a bit of sleuthing online and was absolutely astonished to find literally hundreds of recipes that use ramen noodles. I never thought about it before, but they can really be used just like any other type of pasta.

Kansas City sirloin steaks, mushrooms in garlic and shallot vinaigrette and cheesy ramen noodles.

Since I had half a jar of leftover prepared Alfredo sauce in my fridge, I just boiled the noodles for about 5 minutes, drained them, and added the sauce. You could also add Velveeta for a quick and easy mac and cheese recipe or toss them with spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.

So there you have it – one of the quickest, easiest side dishes I’ve ever shared with you!