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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Apple Snicker Salad

I absolutly LOVE this "salad". It's super easy and delish! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Kristy and slighty modified it.

4-6 Apples
4-6 (or 7 or 8) Snickers
Cool Whip 1 tub

Cut up the apples into bite size pieces and put into a bowl. Here is where Kristy and I do it differently, I just cut up my snicker bars into lots of different sizes, and Kristy freezes hers then smashes them up, both work. And I don't use a full tub of cool whip either just enough to coat everything well.
This recipe is very flexible with the amount of ingredients you want to use depending on how much you want. I would do 5-6 apples for a normal size. I like crisp apples, like pink lady, but any apples will do. The same goes for the snickers, it just depends how much you want. I like a lot. I use around 5 snicker bars.

Dressed-Up Bacon Mac and Cheese

I got this recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dressed-up-bacon-mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html. Can't go too wrong with Rachel Ray! I thought it was good! I couldn't find grated asiago cheese, so I did the provolone and an Italian mix. The next time I did it I left out the provolone, did the italian mix, cheddar and pepper jack cheese. Just try whatever cheeses sound good to you

Ingredients
Unsalted butter, for greasing
8 ounces macaroni
2 1/2 cups cold milk
4 ounces provolone cheese, coarsely grated
4 ounces aged Asiago cheese, coarsely grated
2 large eggs
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
3 slices white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
3 strips bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart shallow casserole dish. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain; transfer the pasta to the prepared casserole dish along with 1/4 cup of the cold milk. (This will cool the pasta and prevent it from becoming gummy.)

Meanwhile, mix the cheeses together in a small bowl. Beat the eggs with 1/4 cup of the milk in a medium bowl. Add the scallions, bread and half of the cheese to the egg mixture; set aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until just brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon salt; cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining 1 3/4 cups milk and 3/4 cup water to the skillet. Bring to a boil, whisking until thick. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining cheese. Add the sauce to the macaroni; stir to combine.

Crumble up the bacon and add it to the egg/bread mixture. Spread evenly over the pasta. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven; let sit 5 minutes before serving.