4 Cheese with Bacon Mac

Ingredients:

• 1 box (1lb) cavatappi or macaroni
• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon onion flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 8 slices American Cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Coat a 3 quart broiler safe baking dish with nonstick spray
• Cook your pasta and drain
• Cook bacon in a medium saucepan until crisp
• Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain
• Pour off all drippings except 2 tablespoons
• Add butter to bacon drippings
• Whisk in flour until smooth
• In a thin stream whisk in milk
• Stir in onion flakes, salt and pepper
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes
• In a large bowl toss together cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella
• Remove milk mixture from heat, whisk in American cheese and 1 1/4 cup of cheese mixture
• Toss bacon in with remaining cheese mixture
• In pasta pot combine cooked pasta and cheese sauce
• Pour half into prepared dish
• Sprinkle with a generous cup of cheese and bacon mixture
• Repeat layering
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
• Increase oven temp to broil and broil 3 minutes until top is lightly browned.

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this was delicious. it made so much. we had tons of left overs. it was good as a main dish but my husband would have preferred it as a side!

Thick and Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

(the mac and cheese is actually more yellow than the picture makes it look)

Ingredients:
1 can Campbell's condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/2 soup can of milk
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 c bread crumbs
2 tsp butter, melted
2 c cooked, hot noodles (elbow noodles recommended)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Boil water. Cook noodles. Drain.

3. In a 1qt baking dish, mix soup, milk, pepper, and noodles.

4. In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and butter. Sprinkle on top of noodles.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
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This recipe was delicious. It was like a good ol' southern mac and cheese. This only makes 2 cups though which was perfect for just my husband and I so you may want to double the recipe.

Jalapeno Popper Dogs

Ingredients:
8 Hotdogs
8 Buns
2 jalapenos
8 slices of bacon
2 tbsp butter
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 rounded tbsp flour
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c shredded pepper jack
3/4 c shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
Optional Toppings: sliced jalapenos, mustard, onions, tomatoes, chopped deli pickle

Directions:
1. Place hot dogs in simmering water to plump and heat through. Can be grilled too if you like them crispy.

2. Fry bacon in a skillet. Set out to drain.

3.While the dogs heat, place a pot over medium heat. Melt butter then add peppers and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to liking. Cook 2-3 minutes then sprinkle with flour and cook for 1 more minute. Whisk in milk and let thicken. Melt in cheeses, stir constantly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

4. Put dogs in bun add a slice of bacon. Top with cheese sauce and optional other toppings!!
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This meal was way too good to be true. I toasted my buns in the oven under the broiler for the extra crisp. Also don't be in a rush to add the cheese to the milk mixture. The milk needs to thicken. Mine was a little running but all tasted the same going down!!

Jalapeno Chicken Bacon Kabobs

Ingredients:
chicken breast, boneless and skinless, chopped
jalapenos, sliced
bacon, cut in half
cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Place jalapeno on top of chicken.

2. Wrap bacon around both jalapeno and chicken.

3. Insert kabob stick to hold bacon secure around chicken.

4. Place kabob on grill chicken side down. The bacon doesn't have to touch the grill. The heat will cook it through.

5. Turn kabobs every 2 minutes until chicken is done.
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These were very easy to make and tasted great!! It can feed a lot of people too. 3 chicken breasts was plenty for 3 of us. We had some left over.

Turkey Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 bag of mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
1 box of whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 chopped green onion
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 large jar of spaghetti sauce

Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil and add noodles.

2. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

3. In a large frying pan, mix turkey, onion, garlic salt, and black pepper. Cook until turkey is brown.

4. Once noodles and meat are done, lay a layer of noodles on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Spread sauce over noodles. Then layer with the meat and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat until it is layered to the top of the dish.

5. Place in oven for 45 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I leave mine uncovered which leaves the top layer crispy. You can cover it with aluminum foil if you don't like it crispy.
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This is one of my husbands favorite meals. It is also a fairly inexpensive meal and feeds a group of people.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp cold water
1/3 c. splenda*
1/3 c soy sauce
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

*I used splenda as the sweetener because it has zero calories and makes the meal a little healthier. Can be substituted for 1/4 c regular sugar.
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This meal was very tasty and required a little bit of time just because you have to brush the sauce on every 10 minutes but it was worth it. The chicken is really tender when its done. I served it with home made fried rice!!

Garlic and Cheddar Chicken

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 to 4 ounces sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, diced thinly or grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
6 to 8 Chicken thighs, skinned
2 to 3 cloves chopped garlic
3/4 cup plain or seasoned bread crumbs
cooked brown or white rice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Saute garlic in margarine for one minute, then remove pot from flame to prevent burning. In a bowl, mix breadcrumbs and cheeses.

3. Dip chicken pieces in margarine mixture, then coat with breadcrumb mixture. Place in a baking dish (if any garlic margarine mixture is left, pour over the chicken).

4. Place in the oven and bake chicken for approximately 1 hour, then shut off the oven and let it sit in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

5. Serve with rice or wide noodles that have been mixed with the pan drippings and bits of cheese from the bottom of the dish.
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This one is a MUST try. It was easy and so tasty. The rice mixed in with the drippings is what helps make this dish too.

Chicken Fajita Tostada

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breast (skinless and boneless) Chopped
1 can pinto or black beans
1 c onion, chopped
1 c green pepper chopped
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1/2 T dried Cilantro
1 T olive oil, divided
8 Corn Tortillas

Directions:
Brown chicken in 1 T olive oil, and remove from pan.

Add bean, vegetables, and garlic to pan and saute.

Add chili powder, cilantro, and chicken back to pan and simmer for 5 min.

Spray frying pan with pam or wipe with a little oil. Place tortilla in pan. Flip occasionally until a crispy.

Place on a plate and pile on chicken mixture. Top with sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and salsa if desired.

Nurtrition:
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 124.0
Total Fat: 4.3 g
Cholesterol: 34.2 mg
Sodium: 174.1 mg
Total Carbs: 6.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g
Protein: 14.7 g