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!

Easiest Chicken Salad Ever!

Its always good to have one or two easy meals up your sleeve (that don't taste like easy meals) for those days when you have a teething toddler, little to no groceries in the house, and a husband who has shot down every dinner idea you have. Can you guess how our night went last night? Ha! This is one of my FAVORITE quick fixes!

You will need:

-1 (10 oz) can of skinless chicken breast, drained
-1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
-1/3 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped
-2 heaping TBS of Miracle Whip
-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
-1 tsp garlic powder
-pinch of black pepper
-pinch of dill weed
-pinch of salt

Drain chicken. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes and serve. Goes great on crackers, tortillas, bread or even as a lettuce wrap!

Yield: 2-3 sandwiches depending on how full you like 'em

"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