Yellow Squash Mac 'n Cheese

This is a great way to sneak veggies into your kids' dinner.



Ingredients:

2 c. macaroni
1/3 c. magic mix
1/2 c. water
1 c. yellow squash puree*
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika

1. Boil macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, combine magic mix and water in saucepan. Whisk rapidly over medium heat until it starts to bubble and thicken. (If you don't keep whisking, your flour will start to cook and you'll get chunks.)
3. Add squash puree, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and seasonings.
4. Stir until the sauce is smooth and cheeses are melted.
5. Stir in macaroni and serve warm. (You could also stir in diced tomatoes.)

*Yellow squash is, as my aunt calls, yellow zucchini. To puree it, cook it by either steaming it (healthier) or boiling it. When it's tender, stick it in a blender and puree it.

In other funtimes, if you serve with beets, you can write your name on your plate with the corner of it.

Recipe from Everyday Food Storage.

Magic Mix

This recipe is a base for many other recipes. I found it on the blog Everyday Food Storage and she uses it in many of her other recipes that I'm trying out. So you'll probably see it in some of the recipes I post on here.

Ingredients:

2 1/3 c. powdered milk*

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. (2 sticks) room-temperature butter or margarine (not spread!)

1. Combine powdered milk, flour and butter in a large bowl. (I highly recommend a KitchenAid or the like. Use the beater attachment. Looks like a giant whisk.)
2. Mix until it has the same texture as cornmeal. (Start slow and build up speed lest you end up with powder all over your kitchen.)
3. Keep mix tightly covered in the fridge.

*This is for non-instant powdered milk. It's the stuff you can get at places such as the LDS canneries. If you use instant powdered milk like you get at the grocery store, you'll need to double the amount of powdered milk. You can tell the difference because non-instant has the same texture as flour whereas instant powdered milk are in tiny little balls.

Recipe from Everyday Food Storage

Food Storage

I've recently started to research food storage. Specific to this blog is my attempt to use food storage in cooking, so that I can a) know how to cook with food storage when the time comes and b) be able to rotate through my food storage. So any recipe that uses at least one food storage item will be tagged with "Food Storage Rotation." Enjoy!

Banana Bread

1.5 c. flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 egg (or 2 T. powdered egg + 1/4 c. water)
1 c. mashed bananas (3 medium)
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cooking oil (or 1/4 c. pureed navy beans)
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. (If using powdered egg, add here.)
3. Make a well in the center. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, combine the egg, bananas, sugar, oil, and lemon peel. (If using powdered egg, add water here.)
5. Add egg mixture to dry mixture.
6. Stir until just moistened. Batter should be lumpy.
7. Fold in nuts or chocolate chips.
8. Spoon into prepared pan.
9. Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.
11. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. (But I never do.)