1 package (16 oz) hot dogs
2 cups uncooked corkscrew pasta
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups 1% milk

1. Slice hot dogs into bite sized pieces; set aside.
2. In large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to saucepan.
3. Stir in hot dogs, cheese and milk.  Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.

Tips/Tricks/Notes

I LOVE this recipe!  It is so quick and so easy, and brings back memories of being a kid!  My only tip for this recipe is to do with the amount of milk.  I found the pasta ended up a little more runny then I would like.  Next time I will probably put a little less then the 2 cups of milk, but not too much less.

Also, I wanted to share with everyone my camera/picture experiment.  I've been a little unhappy with my food pictures and have been trying to figure out why they aren't as good as others I have seen.  I had Kev bring his camera home from work and took pictures of the pasta with his and with mine.  As you can see in the comparison pictures below, his camera is definitely much better then mine!



















The picture seen above is an actual picture I took of my completed macaroni, it is not taken from the internet or played with in anyway.

Meatloaf:
1 can (10 oz) Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup water

1. Thoroughly mix 1/2 cup soup, onion, egg, beef, and bread crumbs in a large bowl.  Place the mixture into a 13x9x2 inch baking pan and firmly shape into an 8x4 inch loaf.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through.
3. Heat 2 tbsp pan drippings, remaining soup and water in a 1 quart sauce pan over medium heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling.  Serve the sauce with the meatloaf.

Cauliflower:
1 can (10 oz) Campbell's condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/4 cup milk
4 cups fresh or frozen cauliflower

1. Stir the soup and milk in a 2 quart microwavable casserole.  Add the cauliflower.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap.
2. Microwave on high for 8 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender-crisp, stirring once.


Tips/Tricks/Notes

I'll start with the meatloaf because it was a bit of a learning experience.  I had never done meatloaf until today, so this was a first time thing!  I found this recipe in my Campbell's recipe book and figured it would be pretty good since it's called "Best-Ever".  Not to say it's bad, but it's definitely not the "Best-Ever".  I thought something was missing, however Kevin quite enjoyed it.  I'm wondering if anyone can give me tips on meatloaf, something I could add or change about this recipe?  It always throws me off when I'm not into the recipe, but Kevin on the other hand enjoys it!  If he likes the recipe, I am always happy to give it another shot, but I am hoping someone can suggest something that might "spice" it up for me!

If you plan on trying this recipe, my only tip is, when it says "firmly shape into an 8x4 inch loaf", it means FIRMLY!  Maybe it is just because I had never tried meatloaf before, but my loaf definitely crumbled a lot!

As for the cauliflower, I have done this simple recipe many times and not always with cauliflower.  Broccoli of course is another big hit!

The picture seen above is an actual picture I took of my completed meatloaf and cauliflower, it is not taken from the internet or played with in anyway.

Crock Pot Recipe - Fiesta Chicken

2 tbsp oil
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion - chopped
1 large green pepper - chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 small jalapeno pepper - finely chopped
1 14 oz can Mexican style diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano

1. Heat oil in skillet.  Cook chicken pieces until browned.  Remove and drain.  Place onion, green pepper, garlic and jalapeno pepper in skillet and saute until slightly cooked.
2. Add all ingredients to crock pot and stir to combine.
3. Cover; cook on low 7 to 9 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.  Serve on flour tortillas.

Tips/Trick/Notes

When I went shopping this morning I could not find "Mexican style diced tomatoes" so I substituted a Mexican salsa and it tasted great!  We also added some cheese after adding the chicken mix to the tortillas.  The only other note for this recipe is there is a fair bit of prep work - cutting up the chicken and all the veggies and precooking them.  I think next time I will do all the prep the night before so I can just put on the pot and forget about it until dinner!

The picture seen above is an actual picture I took of my completed chicken, it is not taken from the internet or played with in anyway.