Family Project Continues

Of course I can't do anything half-hearted so not only am I compiling the recipes that we ate as we were growing up but I am making as many of them as I can so I can have the pictures to go with them. Names that I am calling myself right now are: overachiever, martyr, exhausted, and crazy (feel free to pipe in with any additional ones you can think of). :)

Many of the things we ate were not elaborate by any means... they were simple and easy to make. My dad likes things simple. He was a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Nothing fancy, weird and no foreign foods as this was going WAY too far out of his comfort zone. Over time he fell in love with Chinese food and Taco Bell (or as he calls it "the Taco Bells) but that is the extent of his foray into eating ethnic foods.

Here are the family recipes that I made this week:

*warning: the French Toast recipe is unlike any you will have seen before!!! There are NO typos in the recipe!!! YES it really calls for pepper! DO NOT put syrup on this French Toast!!!


Homemade Maccaroni & Cheese
(my great grandmother's recipe)

5 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
6 cups uncooked macaroni
3/4 cup milk
pepper
cooking spray

Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain. While macaroni is cooking set oven at 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour 1/2 of the cooked macaroni into the baking pan and spread evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with 2 cups of the cheese. Sprinkle on some pepper. Layer on the rest of the macaroni and top off with the rest of the cheese spreading it out to cover the macaroni. Sprinkle on more pepper. Pour the milk over the macaroni so that it spreads out over the bottom of the pan (it will keep the macaroni moist as it bakes). Put in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly crunchy on top.

Serve with ketchup (sounds weird to some but is very good!).


French Toast

5 large eggs, beaten in wide bowl
1/4 cup milk
1/4- 1/2 tsp pepper (according to taste)
slices of bread (white or wheat according to preference)
cooking spray

Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium heat on the stove and spray with cooking spray. While pan is heating up mix together the eggs, milk and pepper. Spear a slice of bread with a fork and dip it in the egg mixture covering both sides of the bread with it. Place it in the frying pan. Add more slices of bread covered in egg mixture until frying pan is full. Flip to the other side when it has browned on one side. Brown the other side and remove from pan. Continue cooking slices of bread covered in egg mixture until the egg mixture is all gone. French toast is good served with ketchup or with Spaghettios.


Don't knock 'em till you try 'em!!!