Taco Macaroni & Cheese

I made this for our lunch today.  It calls for a specific brand of mac & cheese, but I prefer the kind with the creamy sauce (the generic brand is just as good).  The only other thing I changed was that it called for chips to dip in it, but that sounded gross to both of us, so we skipped the chips.  And I ran out of sour cream for mine (Mel doesn't like sour cream).  I ended up only using the Mexi-corn and splitting the corn & beans between the two of us as neither one of us wanted the whole can of either.

Mel's was made with hamburger and almost the entire pack of taco seasoning.  Mine had only about a TBS of the seasoning and made with veggie "sausage."  We used different salsas.  I forgot to add the tomatoes to Mel's before I took the picture, but his is the 2nd picture and mine is below (I added Mel's tomatoes after).  I only used a tiny bit of my salsa because it was too spicy for me, but next time I'll get a more mild brand.  I love salsa in mac & cheese an often add it when I make it, so this was extra good with the other ingredients as well.  (Adding mustard to mac & cheese is really good too!) 

This is very good and very easy to make.  We both give it a 10!  I will make it often!

Smoked Paprika and Vinegar & Dill (Baked) Potato Chips

I made 2 different types of baked potato chips on Jan. 13th.  No recipe, just experimenting by slicing potatoes in the food processor, spicing them up, and baking them at a high heat until a little crispy.  I was going to make a fry sauce as well, but they were so good, they didn't need it.

First, I made them with sea salt & smoked paprika, & drizzled olive oil over them.  These were really good - good & smoky tasting!  Mel gave them a 10, but I'd give them a 9. 

 By the way, I love the smoked paprika (given to me from a friend at work).  It is especially good in chili.

Then I made them with dill, sea salt, and dried onion, drizzled with red wine vinegar & olive oil.  These were our favorite.  They were so very good, easily a 10+ ! 

Mel has requested I make these healthier versions of potato chips more often.  It will be fun to experiment with more flavors! 

Ham & Cheese Brunch Squares

I made this for our dinner last night.  I made 2 different pie plates - Mel's had bacon, and mine had veggie "sausage", but other than that, they were the same.  The recipe called for frozen  toaster hash browns.  However, when we went shopping, I forgot to look for them.  We do our grocery shopping 30 minutes from where we live because the stores are cheaper up the mountain.  Anyway, I had to go to The Family Dollar Store to look for the hash browns (since I didn't want to drive so far just for 1 item), and the only thing they had were mini hash brown rounds.  It would have taken 4 packages to have enough for this recipe.  My only other option was tater tots, so that's what I used for the crust (sorry for the long explanation).  I followed the recipe pretty close, otherwise.  This turned out really yummy, and Mel & I both give it a 10.  Mel already had his leftovers for dinner & I'm going to do the same as soon as I'm done typing this blog!

Taco Stuffed Peppers

I made these for our dinner Tuesday night.  Stuffed peppers seem like an unoriginal thing to blog about, but this is a little different twist.  I got the idea from my supervisor.  Mel's had ground beef cooked in taco seasoning, and mine had vegetarian maple "sausage," but other than that, they were the same.  Mel loved these so much and said they were the best stuffed peppers he has ever had and gave them a 12 out of 10!  The flavor to me was a 10, but I am a wimp when it comes to spice (Mel loves, loves anything spicy), and the diced chilies (in the diced tomatoes) and the Mexican corn made it too spicy for me, so I prefer it w/o the kick.  I created something similar to this in 2010 called "Mexican Stuffed Peppers," http://animalsfaithmiddleearth.blogspot.com/2010/10/mexican-stuffed-peppers.html .  It's hard to believe I've been doing this blog for that long!  Anyway, I'll make Mel's peppers this way from now on, but mine the "usual" way (which is simply minus the diced chilies & Mexi-corn).