Homemade Mac N Cheese

Who doesn't like the classic taste of Mac n Cheese? Brings back childhood memories for me! Plus you can soup this up any which way you want. Here I'll give you a simple recipe for a run of the mill mac n cheese. Once more I tend to come up with these recipes with whatever I happen to have on hand. This time I found myself wanting to cook something quick after a VERY long work day! With my mom gone (since I am currently back home for a stent) I had to fend for myself! Poor me, right? haha. Well, I decided for a simple, quick meal of mac n cheese. So here's what I did!

Leftover Medley

Well...doesn't sound appetizing but really this recipe can be whatever you make it! I hope that people who happen to read my blog will share with me their own left over medley creations for others to try! The school year for me is winding down and that means that I will soon be embarking on a new journey in my life path. This means another change as I am packing up my stuff and moving from good ol Pittsburgh back to Ohio! Within the next year I hope to again be moving to my own place with a steady job, but we'll keep posted on that! :)

Well one thing I've always grown up on is the concept of leftovers! I'm sure other people have done the same. If not dinner/lunch leftovers its the hassle of 'oh my gosh I'm moving or going to be gone and NEED to get rid of some fresh food before then!' It's a shame to waste fresh food! My mom has always been great at throwing together bits and pieces of fresh things left in the fridge that just aren't enough to make a good full meal by themselves. Well, I learn from the best it seems!

Shrimp Alfredo

I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture of this one, but I decided to try another homemade feat based off recipes I found online. I still had leftover shrimp from my shrimp and rice so I defrosted it and decided...well ya know what else tastes great with shrimp? A good Alfredo! So, I hunted down what was in a homemade alfredo sauce and modified it to my own needs. So here is the result of my tasty creation. I added a little spice to it since we all know I enjoy a good spice!

Warm Pasta Salad

Growing up a quick and simple dish to take to picnics or just have for dinner was a pasta salad. In the summer time my mom was great with making delicious cold pasta salads that would just hit the spot! of course I could just eat the salad as a main dish, which I often did, but a perfect side for it despite hot weather was always cheesy garlic bread! Well, seems that I'm running low on groceries and a quick trip to a local farmers market brought home some fresh green peppers and basil foccata bread, and I had some fresh tomatoes and onions on hand. So I had to figure out something to make for dinner. After all, a girl's gotta eat! Raiding the cupboards I realized I also had some pasta and seasonings I could use, so I pooled my resources and decided to do my own take on my mom's pasta salad to make a delicious warm dish (though it could also be eaten cold and taste just as delicious!)

Baked Ziti

My dad may not like moving away from his staple foods of hearty meat and potatoes, but if you can create a hearty italian dish he will usually enjoy it. I've given you the recipe for spaghetti and meatballs, one that my parents even like, but what other dishes could there be? Well, there is always twice baked spaghetti, but that can get boring. So, what about another pasta dish? My mom has always said go ahead and create! Another favorite dish of ours was my mom's lasagna! So delicious and ooey googey cheese, but I was never one to like cooking with the lasagna noodles. So, one day I decided to make a sort of ziti goolash. if I don't want to use lasagna noodles, why not some other noodles we happened to have on hand. Really I should probably call this Baked Penne, as I usually use penne noodles, but you can substitute the noodles for whatever kind you enjoy! It's a relatively simple meal and packed with cheese! which I quite enjoy =D

A Classic: Meatballs and Spaghetti

A classic dish that most people have had in their lives. Everyone seems to make it a bit different. Meatballs are always good, and I remember always loving the smell of them when my mom cooked them. We'd always have enough for dishes such as the classic Spaghetti and meatballs, or delicious meatball subs! Yum! Either way meatballs are fun, yummy, and easy to make! I actually found a quick recipe from online as I couldn't remember what all my mom put in the meatballs, but I did adapt it! So here is my take on homemade meatballs for a spaghetti dinner! Just be sure not to be afraid to get a little dirty and hands on because I mix the meatballs with my hands! =D