Saturday, November 6, 2010

gratitude day 5

Today’s gratitude: Lego’s. Lego’s kept the little man happy while I was getting dinner ready, a dinner that was frankly doomed from the start. :) Lego’s are just his deal lately. He can build and tear down and start all over again. His little imagination runs wild. And mommy might get down on the floor and build with him too. :)

A few of you asked for recipes, so I thought I would share what we had for dinner last night, to which the crock pot gets thanks. Roast beef, baked mac and cheese, green beans, and a praline pumpkin dessert. Probably not healthy, but good, tummy warming, comfort food, with left-overs for the rest of the weekend. The roast beef was cooked in the crock pot with a packet of Beefy Onion Soup mix and about 1 cup of water.

Baked Mac and Cheese from Emeril

baked mac and cheese

^ fresh from the oven

Serves 4 to 6

  • Coarse salt
  • 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
  • 3 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar (6 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
    1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni 6 minutes (it will be undercooked). Drain. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium and add bacon. Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon mixture to a medium bowl. Add macaroni and stir to combine.
    2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and evaporated milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and cheeses; mix well. Add macaroni mixture and stir well to combine. Transfer to an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish or 2-quart gratin dish. With a spoon, gently spread mixture to form an even layer. Bake just until sauce is bubbling at edges, 12 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Praline Pumpkin Dessert from Betty Crocker

pumpkin bars

^again, fresh from the oven

my favorite pan

^and baked in my favorite pan :)

  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 box yellow or spice cake mix (I recommend yellow)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • Whipped cream, if desired
  • Or serve with the wonderful seasonal ice creams, like cinnamon
    1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan. In medium bowl, beat pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice with wire whisk until smooth. Pour into pan.
    2. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with pecans. Pour melted butter evenly over top.
    3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes.

    What are you grateful for today? thanks for stopping by!

  • 12 comments:

    Amanda L. said...

    Coming in a little late to the party, but love the posts you're doing for November. Today I am grateful to have Saturdays to spend relaxing with my hubby and little one....staying in our pajamas if we want......cuddled up watching football or a good movie. And I'm thankful you shared the Pumpkin Praline recipe.....I know of one dish I will be making for Thanksgiving this year :)

    craftymom205 said...

    I am thankful for time to spend creating even if it is short.

    PatsyB said...

    I am thankful for this blog! You have made me stop and look around at the things I take for granted. I am also thankful for that mac and cheese recipe! Solved my dilemna for dinner!!

    Bonita Rose said...

    oh my both those recipes sound yummy .. thks for sharing Kimberly!

    Bev J. said...

    Legos reminded me of Fisher Price. Looking back to when my girls were small FP was the go to for them-the bus, schoolhouse, airplane with all the wee people and a tree house but not sure it was FP. Kept them busy for hours along with GI Joe, Jane and and Johnny West-they liked those better than Barbies!!

    Bev J. said...

    Oh, forgot to add that Hallmark has the FP bus and I think schoolhouse ornaments this year. One of my daughters collects them so need to get them bought for her.

    DeniseLynn said...

    Thankful not only for a chance to sleep in a little this cold Saturday morning but also for the nice cozy bedding I have. With 2 blankets made by my mom and pillow cases made by my grandma I was snug as a bug. It was a bonus that my 5 year old slept in too and my 8 year old played quietly, not disturbing the sleep we really needed. Such blessings today! {Thanks for the fabulous looking recipes ... oh yum}

    whitneymaryann said...

    Had the delight of visiting with our college sophomore granddaughter who made a surprise trip home with her roommate. We're blessed to have our children and grandchildren no more than four miles away.

    Liz said...

    Wow! Legos! Now that brings back memories! My son loved Lego and had a good sized box of them. (Wonder where they went to...)They seem to never go out of style as my three step-grandboys love them too. Today I simply thank God for every day that I arise out of bed pumping air. When I look around, there are many, many things (and people) to be thankful for.

    Patty from FL said...

    Your dinner looks yummy!

    I am grateful that we have a home to live in, unlike the people in Haiti who are living tents.

    Melody (lacyquilter) said...

    That dessert sounds yummy. I love all things pumpkin.

    Liliana said...

    These receipes look so yummy! TFS.

    This food makes me grateful for being able to feed my family 3 healthy meals each day. Thank you God. I know there are so many w/o food, especially children. God please provide for those.

    Blessings.

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