Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

I find it incredibly revealing to look at the statistics on the blog from time to time. Especially what people search for and what recipes they are looking for. Consistently, over the year, two different categories rate the highest. The Mac & Cheese recipes and Lemon Meringue Pie . Now, personally I do understand the desire to create a great Lemon Meringue Pie but Mac & Cheese is just so... well so easy, right? I am not really sure how to interpret this. We are talking literally way over 10,000 (ten thousand) hits during the year on Mac & Cheese recipes! I would tend to think that simply put many people are looking for the simple, easy, and good recipes with which they can eat and feed their families without too much bother and fuss. And many of these people are simply not chefs and cooks, and want an easy way to make good food. Which is something I suspected for a very long time. But I may be reading the statistics in a way I want to see them, however, nevertheless the fa...

A few days ago I posted a real quick Macaroni & Cheese recipe, Quick Baked Macaroni And Cheese . Today we are going to use this same approach for Lasagna. Now I know for the Lasagna purists out there, this is almost something to cause you to ban Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen from ever being mentioned again. After all, a good Lasagna, made correctly is often a work of art. But remember, no one has to know how quickly you put this together, nor do they have to know that you did not sweat your guts out in a hot kitchen. And for all you singles out there, it makes a GREAT impression on your date you are cooking for. (Just put away the beeper and cell phone and pay attention to the date at the dinner table!) O.k. this one we will call the Quick Baked Lasagna, and believe it or not it takes less time then the Quick Baked Macaroni And Cheese! Quick Baked Lasagna The first thing you must remember is not to be daunted by the word, lasagna. Whenever that name comes up, coming from New ...

Some food combinations always seem to spurn a million different recipes. Macaroni & Cheese is certainly one of them. At Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen , we have quite a few Mac & Cheese recipes ( click here to view them .) So once again I am going to return to this recipe, quick and easy, no messing around, no fudging around, and something that can feed a few people in about 90 minutes. And also certainly something that will last in your fridge for a few days. Quick Baked Macaroni & Cheese Ingredients: One box or bag of Pasta noodles, in a any shape you like them and can be spinach pasta as well. 2.5-3 cups of grated cheese - any type you like (or you can mix some different ones.) 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil or butter Utensils You Need: Pot to boil the noodles Colander - (a metal or plastic container with a perforated bottom, for draining and straining foods.) Oven ready dish to bake the Macaroni and Cheese Directions: Boil the macaroni in water until soft. (Usually 10 min...

Nancy sent this one in a while back....she was reading our macaroni & cheese recipes posted already . This one she writes: This is the very best and the fastest, easiest mac and cheese recipe I've ever found. I don't remember where I got it...I know it was many years ago, but I'm betting you'll love the ease and creamy flavor or it.. I guarantee it! This is very quick, easy and makes a very creamy dish with lots of flavor. Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients: (Yield: 4-6 servings) One 7-oz. box of elbow macaroni 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teas. salt Pinch of pepper 2 cups of milk 2 cups (8 ounces) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (You can buy already-shredded cheese in supermarkets) Dusting of Paprika Directions: Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over med. heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk. Cook and stir until thickened. Stir in the che...

A new commenter appeared today and posted a recipe for Macaroni & Cheese in the recent entry of the recipe by our insane cook Paula, for Macaroni & Cheese . I posted that comment of course, but I am going to put the comment here in full as yet another recipe for Macaroni & Cheese. This was posted by Almost Vegetarian and you can check out her blog by clicking on the link. I obviously have an affinity for anyone who describes their blog as: One woman’s struggle to find food that is good and good for you while enjoying a laugh or two along the way. So here you go with Mac & Cheese from Almost Vegetarian : I have an even faster recipe for mac 'n cheese, if you like (and, sometimes, when dealing with kids, fast makes all the difference). Boil a package of noodles - macaroni or shells or something of a similar size - to al dente. In the meantime, shred a package of the best quality, extra sharp cheddar you can find (this is a simple dish, so quality makes all the differ...

Paula sent in this incredibly simple recipe for Macaroni & Cheese . Ingredients: 4 cups Elbow Macaroni (cook according to package directions) 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 3 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup sour cream 4 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces 1 cup milk Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and, while still hot, add the Cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese if desired. Simple. One star for difficulty. One thing I would add here. Lightly cover the bottom of the baking bowl with just a touch of Olive Oil. Macaroni & Cheese is a very well liked dish in our house. However, you can get fairly complicated with its creation if you wish to. Meaning adding different spices, cheese and/or different types of pasta sauces and experimenting with a whole range ...

This one was submitted by Paula from the US . A great way to sneak healthy vegetables into the kids. Ingredients: 1 Box Elbow Macaroni 1 Block of Monterey Jack 1 Block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese 1 Bunch of Broccoli (you may substitute frozen broccoli florets) ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese 4 Tablespoons of Butter 1 Tablespoon of Butter 2 Cups Low Fat Milk 2 Teaspoons Red & Black Crushed Pepper 1 Tablespoon Seasoned Bread Crumbs 2 Tablespoons of flour Breadcrumbs Directions: Cook macaroni according to directions on package. Drain the macaroni rinse and set aside. Shred both blocks of cheese (Monterey Jack and Sharp Cheddar) into one bowl and set aside. Steam Broccoli in steamer for 10 minutes ( until fork tender) if you do not have a steamer you can use a 4 quart pan with water. Place broccoli in pan with enough water to cover the broccoli. Put heat on medium and cover pan for 15 minutes. Check with a fork for tenderness. Drain off water. Chop broccoli into small pieces. Set aside. In a 2...