This recipe is best when you use fresh cheeses, not the pre-packaged varieties.  For a spicier meal, use Pepper Jack instead of the Parm.

Topping-

• 1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
• 4 T. butter
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• a few dashes of paprika

Melt butter over medium-high heat, add salt and paprika. Add panko and coat thoroughly with butter. Stirring frequently, heat until toasted, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mac and Cheese-

• 1lb. box of macaroni noodles 
• 2 eggs
• 2-12 oz. cans of evaporated milk (Do not use fat free evaporated milk, it will not give the same result and seriously, when you see how much cheese is in this, who are you kidding using fat free milk anyways?)
• 2 tsp. powdered dry mustard
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Tabasco
• 16 oz shredded sharp cheddar
• 8 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz. finely chopped Velveeta
  (All 3 cheeses should be combined into one bowl and tossed evenly with each other)
• 8 T. unsalted butter (note: see step 4 below)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine cans of evaporated milk, eggs, mustard, salt, pepper, and Tabasco in a bowl and whisk together until ingredients are well-combined and eggs are completely beaten. Set aside. Be sure to do this before you boil the pasta because the eggs will need time to acclimate so they are not cold when being added to the pasta. You do not want the eggs to become scrambled eggs once added to hot pasta.

3. Boil pasta in salted water for the time given by the al dente instructions on the box.

4. Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot. Toss with unsalted butter until coated. If this is going to be eaten in one sitting, you can skip the butter. The butter helps seal the pasta and keep the leftovers from getting mushy from sitting in cheese sauce in your fridge, but if it’s being eaten in one sitting this is a non-issue. 

5. Give evaporated milk mixture a few extra whisks and then add to pasta with half of cheese, stirring over medium to medium high heat until cheese is melted. Add remaining cheese and continue stirring until thoroughly melted.

6. Transfer to a large baking dish and top with toasted panko. Bake on top rack of oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If you use a disposable foil pan, place a cookie sheet underneath it while baking so the bottom doesn’t burn.

The best recipe that the boyfriend and I make together, or actually, the only time we can survive together in the kitchen, is when we make our homemade BBQ sauce.  I have tried so many different store varieties over the years, but this one is so much better!  I love to put it over left over meats from the crock pot after shredding them for an incredible sandwich the next day.

Wet Stuff

Mix in a large bowl:

3 - 24 ounce bottle of ketchup (catsup)
Use the plastic ones, we will refill after making sauce.

Fill with hot water, swoosh around and dump contents into bowl.
Folks have asked: HOW MUCH WATER? Fill all three bottles, and dump all into 'Wet Stuff'
(For original recipe use Grapette from Wal Mart- see 'additional notes').

Pour in plain ole cheap vinegar. "THE" recipe calls for just less than a quart, do not sweat this. Try cider vinegar for a less tart taste.

Put "wet stuff' in a LARGE pan, put heat on "high"
by the time it is approaching a boil, you will have "dry stuff' prepared.

Dry Stuff

(Since you dumped the wet stuff out of the bowl, why not use the same bowl!)

Into bowl, dump:

1 - 4 ounce can of chili powder
1 - 4 ounce can of black pepper
1 - 4 ounce can of garlic salt (SALT, NOT garlic powder!!!)
1/2 cup - sugar (is the ORIGINAL amount, why not TRY that, and adjust to your very own taste after 'brewing')
1 - small Tabasco (anywhere from 1 to 4 ounces..start with about 1 oz...you can 'play' to taste after whole mess is completed.
1 - small mustard (size of an apple, just regular ole smear on a hotdog yeller mustard)

Stir
...btw, easier to put the mustard in last, and just swirl around till it looks like chocolaty brown tar.

Simmer

Dump all this stuff into pan on stove now approaching a simmer if you have been quick, and if you rinsed out the catsup with HOT water

stir enough to make it evenly liquid...bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer.

30 minutes, (stir fairly often to avoid sticking).. during which the vinegar will bring sweat to your forehead, and tears to your eyes...think ventilation here.

Finish

That's it.

Remove from heat, pour back into bottles you saved, unfortunately, you will have an excess of sauce, so use it or find another container.  This is why I save my left over Ketchup bottles!

You now have a LOT of sauce. I always do, and find it MOST welcome as a gift.

BTW, there is no need to refrigerate your sauce supply, even if you inhabit hot and humid southern climates! Apparently mischievous microbes refrain from causing problems in gratitude for being immersed in this tomato based necter, or are immobilized by the ingredients rendering them deliciously inert.

Do it this way the first time, later, you may substitute Grapette, for the water (seriously)!

Coupons.com

Just in time for grilling season!  Don't we always love when companies shower us with coupons right at the time we need them!

I love a good meatloaf sandwich, but first I have to make sure there is enough leftover for one after the way everyone devours my this one!  Typically I just use ground beef, about 3 lbs!  Here is my list of ingredients.

3 lbs ground beef
3 eggs
(Personal favorite is to add diced onions and green peppers - I add a lot!)
5 tablespoons of ketchup and of mustard
2 tablespoons of Worcester sauce
1 tablespoon of Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1 tablespoon of Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
Half a loaf of bread
Half a pound of American Cheese
Milk

Adding the first 7 ingredients together, mix well in a large bowl.  I then dice up the cheese and mix well into the meatloaf.  Cube up the bread and pour over the top of the mix.  Add about half a cup of milk over the top of the bread cubes, making sure to get as many of the bread cubes as possible damp to soaked through.  Add a little more milk if it appears too dry.  Remix the meatloaf making sure the bread cubes are well spread throughout. 

The secret to a good fluffy meatloaf is to pack it loosely in the pan, not to hard pack it which makes it very dense.  Just enough to give it a good shape!  I cover with aluminum foil and because of the drippings and extra oil generated from the cheese, I like to put the meatloaf pans in the oven inside another pan so that it doesn't burn and smoke on the bottom burner when the juices spill over!  I usually do 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Here's some coupons to help defray the costs!

Great place to find more printable coupons besides smartsource!

One of my favorite warm weather soups is Gazpacho!  The easiest way to put this all together is by dicing fresh tomatoes, green and red peppers, scallions or red onion and cucumbers. Stir in an appropriate amount to your liking of each of the vegetables, sprinkle salt over everything so that it draws out the liquid while it sits for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

The secret lies in the remaining ingredients which make up the liquid part of the soup.  My favorite way is to to keep it more like a salad than a soup and also a little on the spicy side.  I use Campbell's tomato juice to make the soup like broth.  I then add a couple of teaspoons of Mr. Olive diced jalapeno peppers!  To finish the broth, I add to taste Cider Vinegar and Oil to give it the zip and I garnish with chopped cilantro!  Unbelievable flavor!  Don't hesitate to leave this recipe a little thicker as serve as an awesome pico de gallo!

Here's a coupon from Campbells for you to try somthing a little different as it's for their vegetable juice!  Might give this receipe a whole different flavor!


Click HERE for this coupon and many more from Campbell's!

Hi Everyone!

Looks like I have the opportunity to take a week away for the Memorial Day period!  Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday period!  Be back soon!

Below is the link to some great pasta coupons!  Perfect for the macaroni salads for this time of the year!




Click HERE for the coupons!

With the Oscar Mayer coupon and the Ronzoni coming up this week, it reminded me of a fun meal to make for the kids.  All you do is thread dry spaghetti through hot dog chunks and boil until the pasta is done!  Coat with Ragu Cheddar Cheese pasta sauce and enjoy watching the kids figure out how it was done!

Be sure to check out the complete article at Woman's Day for 9 other great hot dog ideas!  Click HERE for the link!

It's the season to get the grill fired up!  And if you live in a neighorhood where there is a slight breeze, what better way to get the neighbors going with the smell of Oscar Mayer Angus hot dogs!  Here's the link to the coupon, and if you want to be nice, you can share it with them too!


Click HERE for the link to Oscar Mayer hot dogs!

One of the most requested appetizers from my list is Bacon Deviled Eggs!  Usually I need to make two dozen eggs worth just to get through the day.  Being so simple to make, following the right cooking method of the eggs, they peel easy and mix up quick. 

The first step is to store your egg cartons on their side in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  This helps to center the yolk for a more even final piece.  Boil water in a large pot and then put in the cold eggs.  I use my steamer basket to get them all in quickly.  Bring back to a boil and then remove from heat letting sit for about 10 minutes for ex-large eggs.  I then remove the steamer basket from the pot and quickly submerse them into another pot of ice water.  The colder the water the better that the membrane doesn't stick to the shell, making it a nice easy peeling egg!

Slicing the eggs in half and removing the golden ball, I then use the beaters with about 1 to 2 cups of Hellman's, French's mustard, salt, and pepper.  All to get the creamy taste we all love so well!  After returning the creamy sauce to the center of the eggs, I refrigerate them for about an hour.  Just before serving, I sprinkle with Hormel Real Bacon bits and wait for them to disappear!

See posts below for coupons that can be used for this meal also!

Hurry and head over to La Victoria’s facebook page and ”like” them to print this high value coupon for $2.00 off any La Victoria product.

One of my best and easiest meals that loved by all is also one of the easiest!  I love when whole chickens go on sale for around $.69 a pound!  Rinsed, then salted and peppered, the whole chicken goes into the crockpot.  I then pour over and around it a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and a can of Cream of Celery soup.  Cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours and it comes out so delicious and with an incredible creamy gravy!  Chicken is pulled off the bone with a fork for each person and the gravy is scooped out to be poured over the chicken on a bed of rice.

After the meal is done, the chicken is removed and de-boned.  I then place the chicken back in the crockpot with a quart of chicken stock, diced carrots, peas and diced potatoes.  Cooking on high for about an hour brings out the best in flavor for a chicken stew!



Click HERE for the link to Campbell's page for coupons!

Not sure if everyone has the same supermarket sales in their area, but as us savvy shoppers know, right around the Memorial Day period, those picnic condiments go on sale!  In my area, the Gulden's is on sale for $1.00 each.  This printable coupon is for $.35, so when doubled, my favorite mustard is only $.30 each! 

Click HERE for your $.35 coupon!

I tried something new with the kids and their friends this morning.  I called them breakfast sandwiches, but the kids have decided to call them breakfast tacos... even though there isn't any taco meat in them.  We'll try that one another day!

It was a very simple process for me as I have three 6" frying pans as I'm used to cooking for a crowd.  Heating them all on medium and sprayed down with Pam Olive Oil spray, I poured about 3/4 of a cup of beaten eggs into them.  After the bottoms start to cook, my secret with making fluffy eggs, I put the eggs under the broiler on low and let the tops cook.

Meanwhile, I lay out the flour tortillas and put a slice of cheddar cheese on each one.  After the eggs are done, I place one on each of the tortillas, sprinkle Hormel Bacon Bits on them and fold them over.  They are good to go!  And they do go fast! 

Preparing these a head of time is simple also.  Warming up can be done in an oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes or less than a minute in the microwave!  They freeze well too!

Here's some coupons to get you started!


Click HERE for this and more Hormel Coupons!

Many of Bricks® coupons can be found in one location.  Follow the link below, enjoy and happy printing!!

Bricks Coupon Link

We all love a good movie and Redbox makes it so easy to bring one home at night.  My super shopper teenage daughter is always on the lookout for the free rental codes, so I'll post them here and she'll have them all in one place now!

DVDONYOU - One free rental at Redbox.

DVDONME – Free rental, per one per credit card or debit card.

BREAKROOM – Free rental.

REDBOX – Get a free rental for new customer only.

DVDKROG – Free rental, Kroger only.

DVDATMAC – Free rental, McDonalds only.

DVDATWAG- Free rental, Redbox locations inside Walgreens only.

DVDATSONI – Free Reantal at Redbox locations inside Sonic.

7MBLE2- Free rental, Redbox locations inside Meijer only.

WALMART – Get a free rental at Walmart.

REDBOXHEB – Get a free rental at Heb.

3FSTVL95 - One free rental at Festival Foods.

N6TRWTV - Rent a Blu-ray for only $0.50.

QM4KTX6 – A Blu-ray for only $0.50.

DVDATWEG – Free rental at Wegman’s.

I have recently come across a great product at a great"must try" price!  This week A&P has the Philly cooking creme sauces on sale for $2.00 each.  They also have, at the location I use, a coupon dispenser filled with the $1.50 off, so for a final price of $.50 I decided to try the Santa Fe one.

It was outstanding!  I sliced up some thin sliced chicken breast into strips, seasoned them in taco seasoning and slow cooked them in a little olive oil.  I then placed a few strips on a flour burrito threw in a couple of tablespoons of Ro*tel with extra canned diced green chili peppers and topped with a tablespoon or two of the Philly cooking creme.  Then I rolled it up, burrito style, and baked at 350 for about 20 mins. turning halfway through.  (Baked just enough to make the burrito a little crispy, but before it turned brown) 

Meanwhile I warmed up the rest of the creme sauce and when they were done in the oven I poured some sauce over each one and then topped with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.  It definitely will be on the keeper list!

To help you get started, here's the link to a coupon for $.60 off 2 Old El Paso products!

Old El Paso Coupon

After having to put this blog on hold for a little over a year because of time constraints, I have decided to come back to blogging with a new style!  Instead of just posting coupon deals, I will be blogging more about meals, recipe ideas, funny family stories and life in New England!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!