Molly's Meringue Kisses

Meringue Kisses

2 egg whites

½ cup sugar

½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300°. Cover cookie sheets with brown paper bags.

Beat egg whites until very still and dry. Add sugar slowly and continue beating until mixture holds its shape and sugar is dissolved. Mix in chocolate chips.

Drop onto cookie sheets

Bake for 25-30 mins.

Cool on sheet for a few minutes before removing

Makes 2 dozen

Royal Icing

Royal icing - http://beeinourbonnet.com/2011/03/basics-of-sugar-cookies-and-royal-icing/

Mom's Tomato Soup

Originally from: My Mom!!!  The best Mom in the whole UNIVERSE! :D

Ingredients:

2 quarts water
3/4 cup rice
Small can of tomato sauce
1 chicken bouillon cube
Salt to taste
Pat of butter 

Directions:

Bring water to boil, add ingredients.  When rice is soft, soup is done.  Orzo or other small noodles can be substituted for rice or it can be half rice and half noodles

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: Now I don't really like Tomato Soup, but my kids do, so there you go.  However, I did have a bowl, and I have to say it is pretty good.  You know, if you like tomato soup!  Great with grilled cheese! :D

Egg Nog Cookies

Originally from: https://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/25merrydays/?banner=Kroger&origin=25mrydys#calendar/rumglazed-eggnog-cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg, plus additional for sprinkling
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks


Glaze:
• 1½ Tbsp. dark rum or 1½ tsp. rum extract
• 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. corn syrup
• 1½-2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Whisk flour and ½ teaspoon nutmeg in medium bowl. Beat ½ cup butter and sugar in large bowl at medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, until blended. At low speed, beat in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; roll into two logs. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice dough ¼” thick; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until pale brown. Cool completely on wire rack.
3. Meanwhile; beat rum, 1 tablespoon butter, milk and corn syrup in large bowl. Slowly beat in 1½ cups of the powdered sugar, adding additional powdered sugar to desired consistency. Spread glaze over cookies; sprinkle with nutmeg; let stand until set.

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: These cookies were good, moist and tasty, yet not overpowering.  Especially with the icing.  Without the icing, I think they would be a bit on the bland side.  It's important to put the dough in the frig for 2 hours.  And in between slicing and baking, I put the dough in the freezer.

Chocolate Pretzel Slice Cookies

Originally from: https://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/25merrydays/?banner=Kroger&origin=25mrydys#calendar/chocolatepretzel-slices

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup pretzels, crushed*
• Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Whisk flour, cocoa and baking powder in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl at medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.
2. At low speed, slowly beat in flour mixture. Beat in pretzels. Divide dough in half; roll into two logs. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice cookies ¼” thick; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Lghtly sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire rack.

*To crush pretzels, place in resealable plastic bag and crush with flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: These cookies were good.  Very good, even.  But not *amazing*.  Maybe I'm being unnecessarily hard on this recipe.  After all, it is very simple and quick to make.  The slicing is easy, though my cookies end up not being perfectly round.  The dough itself is amazing.  So tasty.  The cookies were tasty and moist.  I will likely make them again.  This time, I needed to use flat pretzel bits because that is what I had available.  But, next time I would use regular pretzels to crush.  I think the consistency would work out better.

Polenta Casserole with Green Chiles

Originally from: https://keviniscooking.com/polenta-corn-green-chilies/

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow polenta
2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 tbsp butter
2 cups low-fat milk
1 cups Chicken stock
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1½ cups corn kernels
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.In a large saucepan add the butter, garlic, chicken stock, milk, cumin and bring to a boil. Be careful this does not boil over, it's quite the mess. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Bring back to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 12 minutes, stirring constantly so as to not stick. This will sputter, be careful.

2. Next, stir in the cheese, green chilies, corn, cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly to incorporate completely.

3. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Pour polenta mixture in. At this point you can let cool down and refrigerate if prepping ahead for later use.Bake until polenta puffs up, about 25 minutes if not chilled, or 30 minutes if chilled. Cut into squares and sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top as garnish.

4. Serve with roasted pork, grilled chicken or meat of your choice

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: I used cilantro. I used more chilies because my can was 7 oz instead of 4.5 oz.  I did leave a couple tablespoons back in the can so that the chiles were not overpowering. But... They were. So next time only 4 oz.  Or less.  Plus, in general, I do not like to stir nonstop for 12 minutes.  I guess I am just lazy, but I get tired! Also, I thought the polenta looked pretty amazing at 6 minutes. I was ready to eat it then! I liked it more moist, versus the drier end product after 12 minutes of heat plus baking. So, less chiles and less cooking.

Crisco Chocolate Chip Cookies - Chips Ahoy

https://topsecretrecipes.com/nabisco-chips-ahoy-copycat-recipe.html

Sugar Cookies

Originally from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sugar-cookies-recipe-1914697

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. 

Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: These cookies came out good. I'm not a huge sugar cookie fan, but they were necessary since I was decorating them with royal icing with a friend. The dough rolled out nicely from the frig, and they have an as expected sugar cookie taste. They were moist despite being baked the day before. I would use this recipe again for Royal icing cookies. 

 

Pina Colada Recipe - Deb

Pineapple juice, coconut cream, fresh lime juice maybe get 3, rum, ice, and frozen pineapple chuncks

 And I get shredded coconut and toast it up a little and then put either honey or agave on the rim of the cup and dip it into the toasted coconut

 I squeeze about 1/2 a lime to a full lime depending on how sweet the pineapple is.

Biscuits with Eggs in the Cutouts

Originally from: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/ricotta-chive-biscuits-with-baked-eggs

Ingredients:

1/2 cups (about 11 7/8 oz.) soft winter wheat self-rising flour (such as White Lily), plus more for dusting

1/2 cup (4 oz.) salted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

3/4 cup whole buttermilk, chilled

1/4 cup ricotta cheese, chilled

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons salted butter, melted

1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Cholula)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 475°F. Lightly dust a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with flour. Set aside.

Step 2

Place flour in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut cubed butter into flour until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Stir in chives. Chill 10 minutes. Whisk together buttermilk and ricotta. Using a fork, gently stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture just until incorporated.

Step 3

Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet. Press into a 10- x 6-inch rectangle. Fold in half so that short ends meet. Repeat procedure of pressing dough into a 10- x 6-inch rectangle and folding 3 times. Press dough into a 10- x 6-inch rectangle. Using a 2 1/4-inch round cutter, cut 4 evenly spaced circles from dough rectangle, leaving at least 1/2 inch between circles. Carefully remove dough rounds, leaving dough rectangle intact. Place dough rounds on edge of sheet pan beside dough rectangle. Bake in preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 4

Break eggs into circles in biscuit rectangle. Return to oven, and bake until egg whites are set, 6 to 7 minutes.

Step 5

Brush biscuit rectangle and biscuit rounds evenly with melted butter. Drizzle evenly with hot sauce, and sprinkle with parsley.

Hot Mama Grade: TBD

Hot Mama Notes: I royally screwed up this recipe. I was substituting regular whole wheat flour for self-rising, but... Then I forgot to add the extra 1.5t baking powder per 1c of flour. And the salt. Oops. So basically, even thought this recipe looks amazing, it tastes awful. Like a brick. :(  Maybe next time. :/  I did successfully substitute for the buttermilk, 1T vinegar plus 1c regular milk.

Chocolate Waffles

Originally from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24141/chocolate-waffles-i/?internalSource=amp&referringContentType=amp%20recipe&clickId=amp_directions

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon milk

Directions:

Preheat waffle iron. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa. Stir in milk, eggs and butter until mixture is smooth.

To make the sauce: stir together softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Sauce should be fairly stiff.

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot with hard sauce.

Hot Mama Grade: B

Hot Mama Notes: These waffles are very heavy and a bit dry. The taste is okay.  Instead of making the sauce, we used maple syrup. I used self rising flour which includes 1.5t baking powder per cup of flour, so I only used an additional 0.25t of baking powder. I think I will look for a more moist and light recipe.

Meagan's Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef
1/4 c chopped onion
1/2 t garlic powder
~3 T Dijon mustard
1/2 c ketchup
1/2 c BBQ sauce
3 t brown sugar (optional)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown ground beef and drain. Mix all other ingredients together and stir into the browned meat. Voila!

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: This is a nice and easy sloppy Joe recipe. I added a little more to it, as my friend uses only Ketchup, BBQ sauce, and mustard, eyeballed.  I think the other items are a good addition. I consulted the below all recipes recipe. I used dried onions and garlic. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24264/sloppy-joes-ii/

NYT Beef Stew (non-crockpot)

Originally from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4735-old-fashioned-beef-stew

Ingredients:

¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound beef stewing meat, trimmed and cut into inch cubes
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup red wine
3 ½ cups beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef and toss to coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef a few pieces at a time; do not overcrowd. Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; add more oil as needed between batches.

2. Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.

3. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Add broth or water if the stew is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle among 4 bowls and serve.

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: I needed a non-crockpot recipe for beef stew, since it was 3p when I realized I needed to cook stew meat (oops). This recipe is very highly rated. I have to say, it's rather a lot of work. Much more than I'm used to given that I usual do beef stew in a crockpot. The advantages of this recipe are that vegetables come out much better than in a crockpot (not mushy) and that you don't have to start cooking it in the morning. The disadvantage is that that it is a lot of cooking. Lot of browning of meat (I don't usually do that, and it is messy and takes a while since I used 2 lbs of meat). I had to set timers to remember to put in the different vegetables at different times. I thought it was good, but not fantastic. Some of that probably had to do with me not having the correct ingredients and having to substitute (double oops). But, I needed to cook the stew meat on that day, so I was stuck. I didn't have any red wine (I used a dry white) or beef broth (I used a bit more wine and water instead). That is probably why it didn't taste great, only good. The meat was a little bland, so I needed to use more seasoning. I also didn't directly double the recipe since I didn't have the correct ingredients anyway. I'm not sure I would make this again as I think a crockpot is much easier (set it and forget it!), despite really enjoying the better texture of the vegetables. Still, this recipe helped me out of a bind, and it is tasty despite the lackluster substitutions I had to make!

Overnight Frig Oatmeal Yogurt Parfait

Originally from: http://fruits.com/tropical-overnight-oatmeal/
As originally seen in the Costco Connection magazine.

Ingredients:
•⅔ cup old fashion oats, uncooked
•⅔ cup non-fat milk
•⅔ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
•⅛ tsp ground allspice
•1 cup fresh Del Monte Gold® Extra Sweet pineapple chunks
•1 medium Del Monte® banana, sliced
•2 Tbsp sliced almonds

Directions:
Mix oats, milk, yogurt and allspice in two bowls or glass jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, add pineapple, banana and almonds.

Hot Mama Grade: B-

Hot Mama Notes: I made this recipe with a cream & yogurt mixture that I had leftover from Pioneer Woman's Blueberries & Cream Yogurt recipe. I think it will be even more delicious since that recipe is made with heavy whipping cream, plain yogurt, and brown sugar. I halved this recipe to make sure I liked it. My trial will be ready tonight! :) I plan on putting in strawberries, blueberries, and slivered almonds, since that is what I have available. I don't care for bananas much, but fresh pineapple would undoubtedly be delicious. Next time! This sounds like an amazing yogurt parfait.

Updated: I do not love oatmeal.  I keep trying, but I just don't love it! :/  

Yogurt Cream & Berries

Originally from:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/yogurt-cream-and-berries/

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup Plain, Unflavored Yogurt
1-1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cup) Brown Sugar
Blueberries (or Other Fruit Of Your Choice)

Directions:

First, pour the yogurt into a bowl. Then add the cream. With a whisk carefully stir until combined. It should be nice and thick.

Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top of the yogurt mixture. Do not stir the mixture. Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and tightly seal the edges. Place in the refrigerator for at least three or four hours.

When you are ready to serve, place a small handful of berries (or other fruit) into a bowl or cup. Now, you can either not stir the mixture and have small visible bits of brown sugar in the finished product or you can whisk the mixture until smooth. This is how I like it. Stirred or not, spoon the yogurt mixture over the berries or fruit. Repeat the layers once, ending with berries on top.

Hot Mama Grade:

Hot Mama Notes:

Mom's Pork Chops

I buy the thin cut.  

Whip eggs

Put in pork chops

Then coat both sides in Italian bread crumbs.

Fry both sides until browned then bake on 325 for about an hour

Lasagna with Oven-Ready Noodles (Back of the Box)

Hot Mama Notes: This is a simple and easy recipe that I found on the back of the Fry's brand (Kroger) oven-bake Lasagna noodle box.  I like it because it doesn't require much, and yet the result is fantastic.  Everyone loves it, and it doesn't require a ton of chopping or many different cans of tomatoes, paste, sauce, etc.

Hot Mama Grade: A

Double Chocolate Mini Muffins

Originally from:

https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/05/flourless-double-chocolate-peanut-butter-mini-blender-muffins.html

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium/large ripe banana, peeled
1 large egg
heaping 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I recommend using classic storebought peanut butter, and not natural or homemade because it can be oily or separate)
1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
3 tablespoons honey (agave, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup may be substituted)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
heaping 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips + more for sprinkling muffin tops

Flourless Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Mini Blender Muffins

updated on OCTOBER 1, 2014 by Averie Sunshine.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare mini muffin pans by spraying very well with cooking spray or grease the pans; set aside.To the canister of a blender, add first 8 ingredients, through optional salt, and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.

Add heaping 1/2 cup chocolate chips and stir in by hand; don’t use the blender because it will pulverize them.

Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, drop rounded 1 tablespoon mounds into prepared pans. Each cavity should be filled to a solid 3/4 full.

Sprinkle each muffin with a generous pinch of chocolate chips.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are set, domed, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. That’s a large range with baking time and I find with medium bananas, there’s less batter, the cavities are less full, and 8-9 minutes is about right. With a larger banana or slightly more batter in each muffin cavity, 11-12 minutes is right. For these, I used a large banana and baked 11:30. Due to the mini size and oven variance, watch your muffins closely, and bake until done.

Allow muffins to cool in pans for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until they’ve firmed up and are cool enough to handle. It’s normal for muffin tops to be quite domed in oven but flatten as they cool. Muffins will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I find the muffins get softer over time and taste better on days 2-3 after the flavors have married.

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: I used 2 small ripe bananas. 1 seemed too small. I used 1T agave syrup and 2T honey. These mini muffins turned out great, and I don't even like bananas much. They are definitely super moist. You can that they are flourless, but not in a bad way. A great recipe to take to a potluck, especially where people are gluten free. I used baking cups. I needed to bake the muffins the full 12 minutes. The cups were at least 75% fun, if not a little more.

Granola Bars

Originally from: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-chewy-granola-bars-without-corn-syrup

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars (without corn syrup!)

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter or sunbutter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil (or another oil of your choice)
1 cup oats
1 cup total of any combination of: sesame seeds, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips

Instructions

In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.Remove from heat and add one cup of oats.Choose your favorite combination of coconut flakes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit and mini chocolate chips, to equal a total of ONE CUP. (I just got out my one cup measuring cup and poured in the ingredients until the cup was full.)Pour in and stir well.Spread mixture into a 8×8 or 9×4 pan.Chill for two hours, then cut into bars.

Hot Mama Notes - Mine are currently chilling in the frig, so I don't know cohesiveness yet, but they taste delicious. For my 1 cup of add-ins, I used approximately 1/2 c milk chocolate chips, and 1/2 c slivered Almonds. There are also a few heath bits thrown in. YUM! No wonder my taste test was so good!! All the chocolate chips melted, though.  Update: These could never be used in hot weather (which we live in!!) as a bar.  They are too melty, even just our of the Frig.  But they do taste good, we just need to eat them with a spoon!

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Lisa's Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

3 c shredded potatoes, drained & pressed
0.25 c butter, melted
12 oz cheddar cheese, shredded 
0.5 c onion, finely chopped
1 - 16 oz carton of small curd cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.  In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter.  Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture.  In a bowl, mix the sausage or bacon (or nothing!), cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese, and eggs.  Pour over the potato mixture.  Bake for 50 minutes in preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.  You can prepare this dish the night before. 


Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: Again, I didn't make this recipe, but my friend Lisa brought it to my potluck brunch.  It was fabulous.  I would totally make this!  I loved it!!!  :)  My picky middle kid did not like the shredded potatoes in the casserole, but I thought it was AMAZING!!  Also, this original recipe calls for sausage, but when Lisa brought it to my potluck, it had no meat.  It was excellent with no meat.  Or, as ever, I am preferential to BACON, so I bet this casserole would be great with bacon.  I am not a fan of sausage, so I probably wouldn't put that in. :)  I really liked the cheesy taste of the casserole.  The cottage cheese really makes it creamy and tasty.

 

Veggie Mac

Ingredients:

3 c Rotini Pasta
1 T Olive Oil
3 t Salt
2-14 oz Broccoli Florets
1/3 c Butter
3 c Milk
2.25 c Shredded Cheddar Cheese
0.75 c Shredded Swiss Cheese
0.5 t Ground Garlic
1/2 red pepper, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 350F.
2. Boil water with olive oil.  Add 2t salt and the pasta. Wait for reboil. Cook until al dente.
3. Cook broccoli in microwave.  Drain any water.
4. In a large saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in the flour and milk.  Whisk until mixture boils and thickens.  Add 1.5 c cheddar cheese, 0.75c swiss cheese, salt, and garlic.  Stir until blended.
5. Add cooked broccoli, red pepper, and drained pasta to the cheese sauce.  Mix well.  Spoon into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Cover with 0.75c shredded cheddar.
6. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: I thought this mac and cheese was delicious!  It was very rich and creamy.  Not super easy to make, but certainly not hard.  I thought the kids would love it, but really only the eldest liked it.  I added a bunch of other things, too.  I added diced ham.  I added cauliflower as well as broccoli, because that is what I had.  I did have red pepper.  All my veggies were fresh and steamed.  I don't like swiss cheese at all, so I believe I used mozarella instead.  Anyway, I really liked this recipe, but I am not sure I will make it again for my family (note that my husband is lactose intolerant, so it's not a really good food choice for the family! :O), but I think I would make it for a potluck.  Maybe just mac and cheese, and not veggie mac, since I wouldn't want the same mutiny I got from my middle kid (WHY ARE THERE VEGGIES IN MY MAC AND CHEESE, MOM?  I AM NOT EATING THIS!!). 

Lisa's Fabulous Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

1.75 c Flour, all purpose
0.5 t  Salt
2 sticks butter, unsalted, diced
2 c Sugar
0.4 c brewed coffee or water
11 oz semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped
1 T Vanilla Extract
4 large eggs
2 c chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:


Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I haven't made this recipe yet, but my friend Lisa made them for our potluck.  And they were FANTASTIC!  I can't wait to make this recipe myself!  I usually prefer easier recipes, but I am willing to work harder for these delicious brownies! :)

Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients:

4 tsp olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 c Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 T tomato paste
1 t Oregano (or mixed Italian herbs)
1 t Dried Basil
Freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls baby spinach salad leaves, roughly chopped
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c Mozarella Cheese, Shredded
1/2 c Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 - 30 oz tub Ricotta Cheese
1.5 - 12 oz pkg Oven Ready (No Cook) Lasagna Noodles


Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
 
2. Make red sauce:

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sauté garlic for 1 minute, followed by onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, zucchini and squash. Gently sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano or herbs and some black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach. Add 2/3 cup water to sauce.

3. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of paremesan cheese, eggs, and basil.  Mix well.
   
4. In a 9"x13"x3" pan, spread 2 cups of meat sauce.  Place 4 sheets of Lasagna over sauce.  DO NOT BOIL NOODLES.  Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over Lasagna.  Top with 1/3 of meat sauce (In my case, this was 2c, 2c, 2c).
 
5. Repeat Layering once.
 
6. Top with 4 sheets of Lasagna then remaining sauce.
 
7. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
 
8. Wrap the lasagna tightly with a double layer of foil.
 
9. Bake at 375F for 55 to 60 minutes or until the lasagna is fork tender.
 
10. Let stand for 10 minutes sealed in foil before cutting and serving.






Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I made this for my bunco group since it fell on Ash Wednesday (no meat!).  I was originally planning to make regular meat lasagna!! (http://hotmamacookbook.blogspot.com/2016/01/lasagna.html)

Instead, my friend Sara sent me the below veggie lasagna recipe.  I looked online for a veggie lasagna, and there were so many choices!  Sara said her recipe was good, so I went with that.  That way I didn't have to pour through a bunch of online recipes.  :)

I looked at the veggie recipe, and I thought it odd that there were no eggs.  I was worried it wouldn't be cohesive enough, so I decided to take the ricotta layer from my regular lasagna (http://hotmamacookbook.blogspot.com/2016/01/lasagna.html), and switch this recipe's ricotta layer to match that.  I also added 2/3 c of water to the sauce, and cooked the the lasagna for 60 minutes covered, as in my original meat lasagna recipe.

There is a LOT of chopping for this recipe, but it did turn out well.  I liked it, and my friends seemed to like it, as well.  I added the same amount and type of cheese from the original lasagna recipe, as well.  More cheese is better, right???? :D  

Since the veggie lasagna recipe said it only served 8 people, and I had 12 for bunco, I decided to double the recipe.  I doubled all the veggies except the yellow squash and onion.  I also did not double the crushed tomatoes, but I did double the tomato paste.  And I added the 1t of dried basil to the ricotta layer, as well. I used my pampered chef stoneware 13x9x2" pan.  It is actually larger than a standard 13x9x2 pan.

I served this lasagna with homemade garlic bread and a mixed salad of spring greens and spinach (with toppings of hard boiled egg, mushrooms, broccoli, cheddar cheese, cucumber dill or ranch dressing).  I liked the lasagna.  I may make it again if I can get motivated to chop all those veggies.  My Mom mentioned I could use frozen veggies, but I don't roll that way!!  A tasty treat! :)



Original Recipe (From Sara B.):

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp oregano or mixed Italian herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls baby spinach salad leaves, roughly chopped
1 15-ounce tub fat-free or low fat ricotta
8-ounces no-cook lasagna noodles
3/4 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and coat an 11 X 7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sauté garlic for 1 minute, followed by onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, zucchini and squash. Gently sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and some black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach. 

Spread a cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with noodles, followed by half the ricotta cheese; add another layer of sauce, followed by noodles and remaining ricotta cheese. Continue with remaining noodles and sauce, ending with sauce. Top with mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 8. 

Per Serving: Calories 303, Calories from Fat 37, Total Fat 4.1g (sat 1.5g), Cholesterol 42mg, Sodium 461mg, Carbohydrate 50.6g, Fiber 4.6g, Protein 15.8g