Southern Comfort Macaroni and Cheese

Need a hug? Bring it in. Need to talk? I'm all ears. Need to cry? My shoulder is ready. Need to emotionally eat? I've got you covered....nothing says love like food. Especially Southern comfort food. Food celebrates everything and comforts anything. New Baby-bring food. Death in a family-bring food. New home-bring food. Broken heart-bring food...and booze.

Simply put, food is my love language. If my boys are coming home for the weekend to visit, I like to have their favorite foods available so they can fill up their bellies and take home the rest. From Chicken Enchiladas, deviled eggs, pumpkin bread to macaroni and cheese. Doesn't matter what it is. It's my way of saying I love you, I've missed you, I want you to leave happy and I want you to come back and visit your family! Hint, hint Ryan and Matthew.

I'm not a world class chef and don't pretend to be (although I would LOVE to have my own cooking show and MAYBE I've pretended to host my own cooking show a time or two..."Kat's Kitchen" just sayin'). But I am a world class home cooking Mama. I'm someone who loves to cook and bake ALL the things that are supposed to be bad for you, AKA comfort food.

Food that smells like a long warm hug, chewy like a good conversation, spicy enough to make you cry happy food tears, all of it fulfilling your emotional needs. Yup-that's my style. And that's probably why I'm over weight too. But that's for another blog post (thyroid-I'm blaming it all on the thyroid).

So for those of you I can't reach over and hug. For my boys who don't visit home nearly enough. Here is my way of saying I love you, one of my favorite recipes: Southern Comfort Macaroni and Cheese.


             Southern Comfort Macaroni and Cheese

Preheat Oven to 375

Ingredients

1 pound medium cut elbow macaroni and cheese noodles

8oz sharp cheddar cheese

8oz monterey jack cheese

1 pound block of Velveeta cheese (store brand works fine too)

1 1/4 cups whole milk

2 large eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

1 stick of unsalted butter

Optional

*I like to add a can of drained rotel to my macaroni and cheese-my boys like the heat*

*Crumbled up bacon taste amazing with this too*

Instructions

Spray a 4 quart baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Boil noodles, rinse, drain-set aside

Shred the cheddar cheese and jack cheese-mix together-set aside

Pour milk into a large saucepan and warm over medium heat

Cut Velveeta into chunks and add into saucepan

Cook on medium heat and stir often until melted

Remove from heat-set aside

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and lightly whisk

{Temper the Eggs: tempering prevents eggs from scrambling in the hot cheese sauce}

Scoop out some of the hot cheese sauce and slowly add it to the eggs

Continue to whisk the eggs and cheese until well combined

Add half of the elbow macaroni noodles to the baking pan

Season with salt, pepper and optional ingredients

Slice thin layers of butter and spread them around the top of the noodles

Sprinkle 1/2 of  cheddar/jack cheese combo over the noodles

Ladle 1/2 of the Velveeta cheese sauce over that

Repeat the layers of noodles, seasonings, butter, cheeses and Velveeta sauce

Cook at 375 degrees uncovered for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned

Enjoy!!

(recipe adapted from Deep South Dish)

Products I Love: Ayesha Curry Bacon Grease Can

Ah, Bacon. The sizzle, the crackle, the smell. Just the smell of bacon makes gives me all the feels. The smell of bacon brings back childhood memories of camping, my Mom cooking in the kitchen on a Sunday morning with the smells of fresh coffee and pancakes lingering in the background. Bacon is a comfort food we can all appreciate.

And I like to save my bacon drippings for other added flavor and seasoning. If you've never saved your bacon grease but want to start, make sure you strain the bacon grease with a cheese cloth and then transfer it into an air tight container. After you transfer your bacon grease into an air tight container make sure to put it into the refrigerator. Storing your grease in the refrigerator can actually stay good for up to 1 year! But you never want to store the bacon grease with bits of meat because it can turn rancid with a few weeks. So strain that bacon grease!

I love to use this ADORABLE bacon grease can by Ayesha Curry. You can get yours on Amazon Prime for $11.55 Click on this link to order yours: Ayesha Curry Bacon Grease Can other colors are available but at different prices.

Save your Bacon Drippings using this adorable can! Click on link above!

I just love this little bacon grease can, it's way cuter than using a coffee can and it's air tight, just what you need! Plus, when digging through your refrigerator, you always know where your bacon grease is thanks to Ayesha Curry's super cute design on the front. 

So with that said, Christmas is coming up and I know some of you have Mama's that still use bacon grease like I do. So why don't you gift your favorite bacon loving Mom with this Bacon Grease Can from Ayesha Curry sold on Amazon

Still not sold on saving your bacon grease drippings? Check out these 8 uses for bacon grease! Enjoy!

Meatloaf Veggie Burger

My family loves a good meatloaf, and so do I. Meatloaf is my go to recipe for company coming over and for a welcomed fall meal. But have you ever had meatloaf as a hamburger piled high with roasted root vegetables? Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all don't know food love until you've had these. My Mom used to make these when I was a little girl and here I am now making these for my family. This is a recipe I hope my children will grow up loving as much as I did. And this is a great recipe for anyone on a budget or new to cooking, too. Simple, easy and cheap.

Meatloaf Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 packet Beefy Onion soup mix

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg

Extra ketchup for smearing

1 large russet potato

1 bag carrot chips or 2 carrots for slicing

salt and pepper for seasoning

hamburger buns optional

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, using  your hands (yes, just like Mom used to do)

Mix ground sirloin, beefy onion soup mix, water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and egg 

Tear off 6 sheets of aluminum foil for wrapping meatloaf patty 

Form meat into 6 hamburger patties

Place each meatloaf patty onto a sheet of foil

Add additional ketchup to the top of meatloaf patties, smearing it across the top of the patty

Cut your potato and carrots into slices (not too thick because it takes longer to cook through)

Generously add potato slices and carrot slices to each meatloaf patty

Veggies should be over flowing, you want a bunch, trust me.

Season with salt and pepper to your liking

Wrap each meatloaf patty and its veggies in the foil sheet 

and poke a few holes in the bottom of the wrapped patty for ventilation and to let fat drain out.

Place wrapped and poked patties onto a lined cookie sheet 

Bake in over for at least an hour 

After an hour let the patties sit for a few minutes to cool off

Opening up patties straight from the oven could burn you because of the steam, so please use caution.

Put meatloaf patty on a bun and pile on your veggies from the same foil pouch

Top with ketchup or mustard or pickles or nothing at all....its so delicious any way you have it!

Best served with fries of any kind (I personally like sweet potato fries!!).

And wash it down with a sweet tea.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf Veggie Burger

My family loves a good meatloaf. And so do I. Meatloaf is my go to recipe for company coming over and for a welcomed fall meal. But have you ever had meatloaf as a hamburger piled high with roasted root vegetables? Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all don't know food love until you've had these. My Mom used to make these when I was a little girl and here I am now making these for my family. This is a recipe I hope my children will grow up loving as much as I did. And this is a great recipe for anyone on a budget or new to cooking, too. Simple, easy and cheap.

Meatloaf Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 packet Beefy Onion soup mix

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg

Extra ketchup for smearing

1 large russet potato

1 bag carrot chips or 2 carrots for slicing

salt and pepper for seasoning

hamburger buns optional

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, using  your hands (yes, just like Mom used to do)

Mix ground sirloin, beefy onion soup mix, water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and egg 

Tear off 6 sheets of aluminum foil for wrapping meatloaf patty 

Form meat into 6 hamburger patties

Place each meatloaf patty onto a sheet of foil

Add additional ketchup to the top of meatloaf patties, smearing it across the top of the patty

Cut your potato and carrots into slices (not too thick because it takes longer to cook through)

Generously add potato slices and carrot slices to each meatloaf patty

Veggies should be over flowing, you want a bunch, trust me.

Season with salt and pepper to your liking

Wrap each meatloaf patty and its veggies in the foil sheet 

and poke a few holes in the bottom of the wrapped patty for ventilation and to let fat drain out.

Place wrapped and poked patties onto a lined cookie sheet 

Bake in over for at least an hour 

After an hour let the patties sit for a few minutes to cool off

Opening up patties straight from the oven could burn you because of the steam, so please use caution.

Put meatloaf patty on a bun and pile on your veggies from the same foil pouch

Top with ketchup or mustard or pickles or nothing at all....its so delicious any way you have it!

Best served with fries of any kind (I personally like sweet potato fries!!).

And wash it down with a sweet tea.

Enjoy!

Golden Graham S'Mores

Happy Labor Day Y'All!! Today I wanted to share with you a recipe given to me by one of very best friends, Angela Howell. Angela gave me this recipe in 2008 and its a recipe that her Mom used to make for her when she was a little girl. She gave this to me the year I married Mark and became a Step-Mom to Ryan and Matthew. This recipe is so decadent with chocolate and just the right amount of sweetness! Perfect for a BBQ, a camping trip or a slumber party! Easy to make and easy on the wallet too.

Golden Graham S'Mores

Ingredients

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3 TBSP butter

2 Cups chocolate chips

1 TSP vanilla

3 Cups mini marshmallows

1-12 oz pkg Golden Grahams cereal

1 cup white chocolate chips (melted)

Grease 9x13 pan

Heat corn syrup, butter and chocolate chips to boiling, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Put cereal in a large mixing bowl.

Pour chocolate mix in and toss cereal and chocolate until well blended.

Make sure cereal is coated.

Fold in mini marshmallows, 1 cup at a time.

Press s'mores into greased pan using buttered spatula or spoon.

Drizzle 1 cup of melted white chocolate chips on top.

Let it sit for an hour

Then cut into squares and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. 

Then cut again and remove from pan and put on a serving plate. 

ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

My guilty pleasure is buying magazines at the grocery store. It can be anything from Southern Living, At Home Arkansas, Women's World, People...you name it, I've probably thumbed through it and took it home because I just had to have it! This new magazine from Taste of Home is great for fall cooking and busy schedules "Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soups".  I'm so glad I picked up this little gem  because I'm already loving all the food & drink recipes that I see. And I don't know about y'all, but I am so ready and excited for fall!! I am itching at decorating our home with pumpkins and leaves and lighting candles and sipping cider....I'm ready, are you?! 

Today's recipe comes from page 100 of the slow cooker section. By the way, the magazine is on news stands until October 10th.  But I must tell you, as we all do, I changed it just a tad bit. My son, Matt, loves pulled pork but with more of sweet sauce. So I added a 1/2 cup brown sugar to the sauce. Feel free to add what you want too, make it your own! If you like it spicy, chop up some jalapenos and add to it! Add whatever your taste buds desire!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 boneless pork loin (4lbs)

1 can (14 1/2oz) beef broth

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, divided

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce, divided

1 cup ketchup

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup prepared mustard

10 kaiser rolls, split

Cut roast in half and place in a 5 quart slow cooker.

In a small bowl combine broth, 1/3 Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup hot sauce.

Pour over roast

Cook,covered, on low for 8-10 hours, or until tender

Remove roast, discard cooking juices.

Shred pork with 2 forks.

Return pork to slow cooker

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, mustard and remaining Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Pour over pork and mix well. 

Cook, covered, on high 30 minutes or until heated through. 

Serve on split rolls with slaw, pickles and sweet tea!!

Enjoy!

Busy Days & Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

Is it me or did summer just flown by? It feels like it just began and already its over. I miss the lazy days of summer and this summer has been anything but lazy.

We were very busy over the summer by making friends, playing a lot and taking some family time to do some traveling and camping. However, we have been so busy that dinner is usually late and quickly put together. I started thumbing through my cookbooks to find something quick and easy for dinner and something that I knew my family would chow down on and eat at a more normal time. Plus with school now session this recipe is great for the busy nights of after school activities!

In a new cookbook purchased at my favorite little shop, Euna Maes in Springdale, "The Southern Pantry Cookbook" by Jennifer Chandler is a simple recipe for "Slow Cooker Cola Chicken." The picture looked good and I just happened to have all the ingredients, so I gave it a try.

Y'all, this chicken was so tender, it kept falling off the bone as I was trying to put it on a serving plate. Hence, no pretty photo of my chicken. The chicken was moist and it had that smokey BBQ sauce flavor that we all love but at the end you could taste a little bit of the cola. So yummy!! Plus my family ate at a normal time, I barely had to do anything to make it, the ingredients are cheap and I didn't have to stand outside in this unbearable heat to grill or heat up my house to cook in the kitchen.

Enjoy!!

(Sorry I have no photo of my end result, again, it kept falling off the bone, so it didn't look as pretty)

Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

Ingredients

4 split, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 pounds) or any cut of chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1 lemon, quartered

1 (18oz) bottle barbecue sauce

1 (12oz) can cola (not diet)

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a slow cooker AKA crock pot. Add the onion and lemon. Pour the barbecue sauce and pop AKA soda over the top.

Cover and cook and low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for about 4 hours.

*You will need at least a 3 1/2 quart slower cooker for this recipe.*

**Slow cookers cook best when the lid remains tightly in place. Opening the lid often will require additional cooking time.**

Enjoy!

S'mores Rice Krispie Treats

Need an idea or two for camping with the kids?  These are so good you'll have to give them away to prevent yourself from eating the whole batch! Y'all, these are that amazing!!

S'mores Rice Krispie Treats 

Ingredients

• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 4 tablespoons butter
• pinch of salt
• 4 cup rice krispies cereal 
• 3/4 bag chocolate chips
• 4 graham cracker sheets
• 18 large marshmallows
• 
  
• In a large pot, combine the mini marshmallows, butter, and salt. 
• Warm over medium heat until everything melts together. Stir often.
• Stir in the rice krispies, and remove from the heat.
• In a large baking pan or dish, line the bottom with the graham cracker sheets
• Press the rice krispie mixture flat onto the graham crackers
• Top the rice krispie mixture with the chocolate chips and gently press down.
•  Next, cut the large marshmallows in half and add them over the top.
• Broil the marshmallows until brown (about 4 minutes, as you can see I went a tad over that-keeping it real people:)

Enjoy!

Here are more fun S'mores recipes for you to try! Add the rice krispies for an even more delicious treat!

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Eating meatballs in this family is like eating your veggies. It's a must. We have meatballs at least a few times a month and its pretty much my go to when I have to feed a crowd.

These are great served in crock pot full of spaghetti sauce or on their own. Put them in a zip lock baggie for a quick high protein treat, or eat them on a sub smothered in sauce and mozzarella cheese, or even served them on top a pizza and wash down with a cold beer! These are simply delicious and you can't go wrong any way you choose to eat them! 

Enjoy!

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Ingredients

2 slices sourdough bread

8 oz ground turkey

3-4 Italian sausage links (casings removed)

1 cup minced onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 TBSP milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 cloves minced garlic

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parcment paper

Process bread in a food processor

Combine crumbs, turkey, sausage, onion, basil, Parmesan cheese, milk, salt, pepper, garlic and egg.

Mix well, go on, get your hands in there and get dirty! 

Use a small spoon to shape turkey mixture into meatballs, dropping them on the lined baking sheet. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts with Candied Maple Bacon

Every now and then I get the urge to go completely outside of my comfort zone and try something new. This morning was one of those urge days. Over the weekend I bought a new cookbook and it has so many delicious recipes, y'all. So far I've tried 3 recipes in this cookbook and all have been very successful! The cook book is "The Southern Pantry Cookbook" and I can already tell it'll be a staple go to in my kitchen. I bought my locally, but you can order one at Amazon by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Pantry-Cookbook-Recipes-Already/dp/1401605214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462978259&sr=8-1&keywords=the+southern+pantry+cookbook

 

This morning I made the homemade pop tarts and candied bacon, however, I used maple bacon. I had already made pie crust in my freezer I needed to use. So my crust is not from scratch but if you have the time, by all means shoot for the stars and make your own homemade pie crust. I hope you enjoy these as much as me and my family did! 

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Filling:

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Toaster Tarts:

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Ingredients for Egg Wash:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper

2. To make brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling: In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour.

3. To make icing: In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Drizzle over pop tarts, serve warm.

4. To make egg wash: lightly beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water

5. To make the pop tarts: Roll out the dough and stack on top of each other and cut into even squares, making sure to keep matching tops and bottoms together. 

6. Separate the top and bottom of each pastry and brush matching sides with egg wash.

7. Spoon one pastry with about 1 heaping tablespoon of the brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling

8. Place matching pastry on top and seal edges using the tines of a fork around all the edges to crimp the dough.

9. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and place the baking sheet on cooling rack. Drizzle with icing and Enjoy!!

Candied Maple Bacon

Ingredients: 

Non Stick cooking spray

1/2 cup finely packed light brown sugar

12 slices center cut  maple bacon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Generously spray a wire baking rack with cooking spray and then place on top of a lined rimmed baking pan. {I used parchment paper for easy clean up.}

3. Place the brown sugar in a shallow baking dish and evenly dredge both sides of the maple bacon

4. Placed bacon on to the wire rack in a single layer with no overlapping pieces.

5. Bake until the bacon is crispy, 20-25 minutes.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Etsy

For the last few years I've had an Etsy shop. I used to make homemade hair bows, and well, I wasn't that great at it...for a beginner I wasn't terrible, but I wasn't great either. {I still can't figure out how to make them just right.}

Then I started to see all these melamine plates and platters all over Etsy and started looking into how to make them. After a lot of trial and error I figured it out and now that's what I've been selling for the past 3 years. My work is nothing fancy or brilliant, it's just fun and different. I recently started to make dish towels and mugs as well {from a printing source, I don't personally make them}.

I don't sell on Etsy necessarily for the money, cause lets face it, you can't rely on that much for income. I kind of do it for a hobby and kind of for a what if dream. What if my work was loved by someone like Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray? And then they put it in a magazine? The what ifs are fun and give me good ol' day dreams that we all need.

Here are some of my works and if you are ever interested in purchasing, please contact me and I'd be happy to design a platter or plate for you....or even a mug or dish towel:)

Blessings!

Biscuits and Gravy dish towel and coffee mug

BBQ Platter

Harvest Personalized Platter

A Best Seller, BBQ Personalized Platter

To order any of my work, please check out my Etsy site: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SouthernSweetys

Country Sausage Gravy

 Delicious Biscuits and Gravy....I don't think you can wrong with a biscuit smothered in a country sausage gravy. I've always loved country gravy. Put a bunch on a chicken fried steak, cover your mashed potatoes with it, dip your french fries in them and don't forget to use your bread to wipe your plate clean...get every last bit of goodness in your belly, cause this stuff 

is delicious.

Country Sausage Gravy

1 roll pork sausage

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

*4 cups whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet or dutch oven, {I don't have a large enough skillet, so I use my dutch oven} fry sausage on medium heat until no longer pink and cooked through.

2. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper all at once. Slowly add your milk about 1 cup at a time. Stir until your gravy starts to thicken and gets hot and bubbly. *If you like thick gravy, use a little less milk. Boil for a few more minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.

See, its that easy!

Enjoy!