This recipe is one of my favorite dishes made by my grandmother.  It’s simple, it’s easy and it’s tasty.  And, eating it reminds me of dinner with her and my Pap on random Sunday evenings.  I’d be hard pressed to say whether I’d rather her make this or her “macaroni and the cheese.” 

I normally hate recipes that don’t include exact measurements, but this is one that doesn’t need cups or spoons. 

Ingredients:

1lb of ground beef
1 green pepper
half of a medium onion
1 jar of pizza sauce (15 oz)
1 jar of tomato paste (the really small size)
1 jar of tomato sauce (about 15 oz)
2 cups (or more) of mozzarella cheese
half a box of elbow macaroni

Brown the hamburger, pepper and onion, and boil the macaroni.

Mix together with the pizza sauce, tomato paste and tomato sauce and a handful of cheese. 

Put half of the mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Add a layer of mozzarella cheese.

Add the rest of the beef and macaroni mixture.

Top with the rest of the cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350.  Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and a slightly brown. 

Enjoy!  Grandma always serves it with wheat bread and butter!  Can’t get too many carbs, we say!

PS.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder or red pepper flakes to taste!

Baby girl turns 1 in three months and two days. 

‘scuse me while I recover from the whiplash of  THREE MONTHS AND TWO DAYS.  Who gave her permission to grow up? To walk around furniture, crawl on all fours, say da-da, try to clap and feed herself? 

While at some moments I want to cry over the pace of her first year, (I assume the next three months will go as rapidly as the first three), I also want to throw her a kick ass first birthday party! 

There will be presents.  There will be lots of hugs and kisses.  There will be a super sweet outfit with adorable shoes (duh).  And, there will be cupcakes. 

Sunday, I started my quest for the perfect cupcake recipe with a lemon cupcake with cream cheese frosting mentioned by Beth Anne on Twitter and then sent to me by Mrs. Lusher.  (Who says Twitter is a waste of time??)  The cupcakes were tasty.  Light, citrusy and refreshing.  Perfect for a summer picnic for grown ups.  But for baby’s first birthday party?  In late September?  I’m not so sure. 

So, my search continues.  And this is where you come in.  I’m asking (pleading, begging) for you to send me your favorite cupcake recipes.  I have three months to try them out, while trying not to gain 12 pounds.  So, send me your best cupcake recipes.  Difficulty level should be easy.  If it involves a double boiler, I’m in trouble.  You can leave them in the comment section or send an email to notmommyoftheyear@gmail.com.

Keeping in line with the summer picnic theme of this week’s Momma’s Munchies tour, this recipe is perfect for a backyard BBQ or 4th of July party.  I did not do the lemon curd part (remember – double boiler stuff intimidates me), instead I did a lemon cream cheese frosting, mixing together 1/2 a stick of softened butter, a block of softened cream cheese, 4 cups of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 

Someone once told me that in every relationship it’s never 50/50.  At any given point, one person is giving more to the relationship that the other.  At best?  It’s 60/40.   And the key to successful relationships is that the pendulum sways so it’s not the same person always giving a little more. 

But in the interest of fair play, I promise to give you a few of my favorite recipes every Monday. 

Today’s recipe is one of my favorite dips.  It was handed down to me from a friend who had one of those “how to make restaurant dishes at home” cookbooks… or maybe she found it on the Internet.  I dunno.  But it’s super easy and tastes almost exactly like the Queso Dip from Chili’s.  The biggest difference is that it’s not being served to you by a college waiter who asks you if you want another Margarita. 

I make this for football parties, picnics and when I just want to be nice to Craig.  Enjoy! 

(Almost) Chili’s Queso Dip

16oz Velveeta cheese
15oz Hormel Chili without beans
4tsp Chili powder
2tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Cayanne pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1C Milk
1 TBS Lime juice
 
Stir it all together over medium low – medium heat until the cheese melts and it gets warm. 

Transfer it to small crock pot or serving dish and serve with chips.