mama's macaroni and cheese casserole recipe

MAMA'S MACARONI AND CHEESE CASSEROLE RECIPE

A hearty, home-made family favorite for week-end lunches, after school appetites or as a great side-dish to an evening meal.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. - Macaroni or Penne Pasta
2 cups - Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups - Mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup - Parmesan cheese, grated
1 large - Green pepper, finely diced
2 medium - White onions, finely diced
3 tbsp - Butter
2 tbsp - Flour (white, all purpose)
1 1/2 cup - whole milk
3 tbsp - Olive oil
3 tbsp - Garlic, minced
1 tsp - Salt
1/2 tsp - Black pepper
2 tbsp - Parsley flakes

Preparations:

MACARONI (Or PENNE) PASTA:
Pre-cook per instructions on box or package, drain, run under cold water to stop cooking, drain, then set aside.

ONION, GARLIC & GREEN PEPPER:
Sauté in olive oil until tender and transparent. Set as side to cool.

WHITE SAUCE:
In a sauce pan, on medium heat, melt the butter, add the flour, combine and stir constantly with a whip for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of milk, whipping until the sauce begins to cream, add another 1/2 cup milk, repeat. Add the last 1/2 cup of milk, stirring until the sauce is bubbly and creamy, about 5 minutes. Don't walk away from the stove and let it burn...keep stirring! Remove from heat.

COMBINE:
In a huge mixing bowl, combine all of the prepared ingredients, except 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses. Pour the mixture into a rectangular glass baking pan, 10"X15" and 2" deep, or similar casserole baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the mixture with the remaining cheeses.

BAKE:
In a pre-heated oven at 350° F, bake the casserole for 50 to 60 minutes, or , until the cheeses have melted, the mixture is bubbly and the top begins to brown.

GARNISH & SERVE:
Remove the pan from the oven, garnish with parsley flakes, let cool for 10 minutes. Serve the entire dish at the table for guest to help themselves with or plate individual portions into bowls with other vegetable sides. Serve with toasted, generously buttered slices of your favorite bread.

ALTERNATIVE PREPARATION:
Add the cheeses to the white sauce to make a cheese sauce, then pour over the macaroni and vegetables in the baking dish, or, combine all ingredients and then place into the baking dish. Bake per instructions above.

barbeque chiken pizza "southwestern"

BARBEQUE CHICKEN PIZZA "SOUTHWESTERN"

A tangy pizza of grilled chicken and roasted red peppers with Monterrey Jack cheese

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. - Olive Oil
2 - Boneless chicken breasts, skinned.
1 Tsp - Chili powder
1 Tsp - Garlic powder
1 - Yellow onion, medium diced
1 - Green pepper, medium diced
1 Cup - Your favorite barbeque sauce
1 Cup - Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Guacamole
Sour cream
Pico de Gallo

Preparation:

Prepare a 15oz. ball of pizza dough. Find a pizza dough recipe.

Cut the chicken breasts into lengthwise strips, (or "fingers"), about the same width as the thickness of the meat. Season with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

Add chicken; sauté, turning 1-2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. (Optional: grill chicken & roast peppers on a charcoal grill).

Stir in chili powder and garlic powder.

Add onions and bell pepper; cook and stir an additional 1 minute or until vegetables are tender.

Pre-heat oven to 425°F.

Lightly oil a 12" diameter pizza pan. Roll out the dough ball with a rolling pin into a 13"-14" circle and center it in the baking pan and neatly trim or dimple crimp the edge of the crust.

Par-bake the dough shell at 425°F for 6 to 8 minutes or until very light golden brown.

Arrange the combined chicken topping evenly over the partially baked crust. Drizzle the barbeque sauce over chicken, then sprinkle with the cheese.

Return the pizza to the oven. Bake an additional 14 to 18 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 6 to 8 servings. (Option: Add barbeque sauce to chicken in pan after browning.) Serve with individually portioned sides of guacamole, sour cream or Pico de Gallo.

Also, try shrimp as a substitute for the chicken. Bon Appetit!

jack o lantern pizza recipe

Jack-O-Lantern Pizza Recipe

This recipe makes 2 - 12" Pizzas.

Ingredients:

1 can - Black olives, sliced
1 - Medium onion, diced
1 - Green pepper, sliced into strips, or shapes, IE: stars, crescent moon, etc.
1 - Red Holland pepper, sliced into strips, or shapes, IE: nose, eyes, lips, etc.
3 cups - Cheddar, mozzarella or Provolone cheese, finely grated
3 cups - Your favorite pizza sauce
Assorted other vegetables to taste

Preparation:

Roll two, pumpkin pizza dough balls out into two, 13 in. diameter circles and pan on to two 12 in. pizza pans. Curl over and flute the dough edges to form the crusts.

Sauce each pizza with 1 1/2 cups of the pizza sauce and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups each of the cheddar cheese, or combinations of cheeses.

Get creative making jack-o-lantern faces on the pizzas with the toppings!

For example: Use the green pepper strips for eye-brows and ears, use the black olives slices for teeth, mouth and eyes, and use the onion bits for hair, mustache or beard!

Let the kids join in making silhouettes of owls, witches, the full moon, and more!

Add more color and shapes with cut-outs using pimentos, roasted red peppers,
yellow and orange Holland peppers, broccoli flowerets, pepperoni slices, etc.

Bake the pizzas in a pre-heated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes.

Carefully remove from the oven when cheeses are bubbly and browned, and crust edge and dough bottom are golden and crunchy.

Carefully slide the pizzas out of their pans and on to a cutting board. Let them set and cool for five to ten minutes. (The cheeses retain the heat for quite a while.) Please make sure all has cooled down before cutting and serving pizzas fresh from the oven!