Creamy Sausage Mac 'n Cheese

Need a super decadent quick fix? This is it! Mac 'n cheese in and of itself is a crowd pleaser in our house, but this is SUPER hearty and equally as yummy! It's creamy and oozy with out being overly cheesy. Use it as the main dish, or maybe just a side at a summer time barbeque!

You will need:

- 1 (8 oz.) brick of cream cheese softened

- 1 lb of your favorite link brat or cheddarwurst (I used Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar)

- 3-4 cups grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it)

- 1/2 - 1 cup milk (depending on how thick you like your sauce)

- 16 oz. elbow macaroni pasta

- 2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp garlic powder

Begin by putting the pasta on to boil. While pasta is cooking, slice sausage and sauté lightly just to put a nice crisp on the outside edges. Then remove sausage from heat and set aside. In a medium sized sauce pan SLOWLY melt cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salt, and garlic powder into 1/2 cup of milk. Be sure to stir constantly to prevent scorching. If 1/2 cup of milk is not enough for your desired consistency  continue adding milk a few tablespoons at a time. Once the sauce has melted through and is completely blended and lump free, remove from heat. Pasta should be cooked by this time. Drain pasta thoroughly and add cheese sauce and sausage to your pasta. Mix well. Allow a few minutes for sauce to set and serve.

Yield: 6-7 servings

Lazy Tuna Noodle Casserole

That's right, I'm so lazy I'm not even going to post a picture! (Actually, my computer went ka-put this last week so I'm doing this post from my phone.) I started nannying about two weeks ago and the affects of having 3 times as many children running around my house all day finally caught up with me. So I did one of my favorite quick fixes. It was fast, yummy, warm and relatively no clean up! **For more quick fixes check out the '"Fast" Food' tab.

You will need:

- 6-8 oz wide egg noodles (boiled and drained)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 (11 oz) cans Cream of Chicken soup
- 3 (5 oz) cans of Tuna (drained)
- 1/3 cup Italian dressing
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese (we like ours CHEESY so I usually use 2)

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. In a medium size casserole dish (I use a deep 2 qt CoringWare) combine all ingredients except noodles and cheese. Mix well. Then carefully, so you don't mess them up too bad, stir in prepared noodles. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes and then serve! Simple and includes all the food groups!

Shepard's Pie

Now, before I get a million emails about this not being "authentic" shepard's pie, I will say "yes, that is ground beef and NOT the traditionally used lamb" and "yes, that is cheese on the top". With that being said, this is seriously good, old fashioned comfort food at its finest! Perfect for a chilly winter night!

You will need:
-1 lb ground beef
-2 cups of grated cheddar cheese (I love using white cheddar)
-1 (15 oz) can beef broth
-1 cup (fresh, frozen, canned) corn
-2 cups fresh or 1 (15 oz) can green beans
-2 large raw carrots
-1 small onion
- 4-5 cups mashed potatoes (prepared to your liking)
-2 TBS onion soup mix
-2 tsp garlic powder
-1 pinch oregano
-1 tsp celery salt
-3 TBS flour

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a 4 or 5 quart stock pot brown ground beef with onion soup mix. Drain off excess grease. In the same pan, add beef broth, garlic, oregano, celery salt, and chopped vegetables to the ground beef. Allow mixture to simmer on medium high heat until vegetables, carrots imp articular, are tender. (You should be preparing on the side, or already have your mashed potatoes prepared to your liking and set to the side.) Reduce heat on vegetable mixture to low-medium heat and whisk in flour to thicken sauce into a gravy. You must whisk quick and add flour slowly. Remove from heat. Allow to sit for a minute of two, to allow sauce to thicken. Then take beef and veggie mixture and spread in the bottom of a large glass casserole pan. Spread evenly. Then evenly spread your prepared mashed potatoes across the top of the mixture. Be careful not to "mush" the mashed potatoes down into the veggie mixture. Then sprinkle your grated cheese over the top of your mashed potatoes. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted. And presto, a not-so-traditional-but-just-as-yummy shepard's pie!

Yield: 7-8 servings

"Better-Than-A-Manwich" Sandwich

My husband LOVES sloppy joes! Unfortunately, I hate canned mix especially when I have to pay $1.00+ per can so I didn't used to make them a whole lot. But after a year or so of fiddling with recipe I think I have done it- the PERFECT sloppy joe! Its sweet and spicy and makes you wanna lick your plate!

You will need:

-1 lb 80/20 ground chuck
-1/3 cup chopped yellow onion (I use Walla Walla sweets. Shout out to the good ol' Columbia Basin.)
-1 roma tomato small chop
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp taco seasoning
-3 TBS ketchup
-3 TBS your favorite BBQ sauce
-a drizzle of Tapatio hot sauce (Tobasco has a different flavor so I'm not sure how it will work)
-a drizzle of Kikoman teriyaki
-buns or bread for serving

Brown beef with the chopped onions, tomatoes and the drizzle of teriyaki on medium high heat. Drain off grease. Add dry seasonings and stir for about a minute. Add sauces, stir and remove from heat. Wait about 3 or 4 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Serve on your favorite bun or between two slices of bread. Its quick, cheap and AWESOME!

Yield: 4 sandwiches