A new FAKED Mac & Cheese

Who doesn't LOVE Mac & Cheese?
Tyler (my youngest with severe Autism) calls it "Kitty Crap Dinner" That is how his mind processes "KD Kraft Dinner"! It is cute.
Well, the packages have gotten smaller and they are not even joking a smidge about that expiry date!
So, as my boys got older, we ate less and less because I needed to buy MORE AND MORE. One box no longer did the trick, needed 3 or 4 for a meal... 2 at least per casserole! I just stopped buying it. Too rich for our cheap ways.

A few weeks ago, a friend got me into a deal for some pasta. Came out to about 40 cents a bag. SWEET! And with Cheddar cheese soup on that week for 99 cents a can, I stocked up.
Tyler was moody, having a rough night and wanted "Kitty Crap Dinner".
Uh oh, don't have any.
He asked again.
I said "How about Grammie style Mac and Cheese?"
I was a little panicked. No milk, no bread crumbs, no.... oh ya! I HAVE CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP! He agreed to "Grammie style Mac and Cheese" and off to boil a bag of pasta I went. This pasta is big ol' fat elbow macaroni. It is kind of like a curled rigatoni more than an elbow macaroni but, it is good. While it was cooking, I mixed a can of soup with a tablespoon of butter and some water, just a couple of tablespoons worth. When the pasta was done, I drained it, mixed it in the pot with the cheese sauce and tasted it.... tasted like the Velveeta cheese and sauce we used to buy when I was younger. It was pretty decent! Ya I will make it again but... now the real test... I served it with ketchup to Tyler.
HE. ATE. IT.
I win.
Yay!
Now he asks for it all the time, about once a week and we no longer buy KD.

Ty's FAKED Mac and Cheese!
500g (one pound) of Elbow macaroni (or Rotini or Rigatoni, heck use what you have on hand!)
1 can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup*
1 or 2 tablespoons of Butter
*If you want it creamy you can add a second can of soup! Still makes it cheaper than 4 boxes of KD.

Cook your pasta.
In a small pot on medium low heat, mix soup can contents with a couple of tablespoons of water and 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter, stir and heat thoroughly, no need to hard boil! Drain your pasta, add it to the cheese soup mix, stir well and serve!
Makes 4 decent sized servings.
If you are really feeling cheesy, add some shredded cheddar on top! 

I will add some recipes later on that this is now the base of! The boys and I have used it as a replacement for all of our KD casseroles lately without disappointment!
Happy Faking!
~Christina

Sometimes you need some holiday help....

So here are some contests I have found this morning to possibly help you out :)

Good Luck All!

Sobey's Holiday Helpings

Extreme Couponing Canada

The Reebee App is my new favorite app for my iphone! It is all your local flyers on your phone! (I have yet to use it for price matching but will try soon)

You can get the FREE app here https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/reebee/id558297215?mt=8
and don't forget to like them on Facebook! Reebee
OK so hopefully you can win some stuff but back off from that $2500 Sobey's gift card.... It's gonna be mine!!!!!

Happy Contesting!

Trick them again! Cereal "cake" for the picky ones.

I like to save money and make cool stuff.
When we lived up north the grocery store close by was (still is) a little pricy. I needed Rice Krispies for the kids group night and I was not going to pay $7 for a little box. No freaking way! I came home with 3 bags of marshmallows and no cereal. WTH was I gonna make with those 99 cent marshmallows?

I opened the closet and I had honey combs, granola and about 2 cups of frosted flakes. Screw it, I am calling it cereal cake! Oh, I was a creative lil momma and didn't even know it! Here I am 12 years later and my kids will eat any cereal! Even Raisin Bran because of that cake.

You know how to make rice krispie bars right? Same recipe but any other cereal.
I use:

1 bag of mini mashmallows
1 tbsp margarine
1 box of cereal.

Microwave the marshmallows in a safe bowl, on med power, add the margarine half way through and in total I think I melt for about 90 seconds? But it depends on your microwave. Just keep an eye on it.

I take it out, add cereal BUT I put margarine on the wooden spoon so it doesn't stick as bad to the spoon! Then I coat a lasagna pan in margarine (just a bit) and my hands as well so I can flatten the mixture in the pan!
How is this healthy? I can make this with Multi Grain Cheerios, Honey bunches of Oats, Raisin Bran, heck any cereal and kids will eat it! Remember it is the NAME of things that freak them out. If you call it "Cereal Cake" rather than Raisin Bran bars they will probably eat it. They like cereal and they like cake and you want them to get more fiber in their diet... WIN WIN!
Yes, you can do this GFCF if you get the ingredients at the health food store (done it!). Enviro Kids cereal works well in this! 

Combos my guys love:
(The boxes are around 400 grams)

1/2 box frosted flakes, 1/2 box puffed wheat

1/2 box raisin bran, 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (I have used sweetened carob chips too), 1/2 box rice krispies

1 box of honeycombs,  1/2 cup of dried fruits chopped (pineapple and apples are what I usually have on hand)

1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup choc chips, 1 box of cheerios

Get creative! Mix it up, dried fruit, coconut, chocolate bars cut up for a special treat (Just a note... Banana chips are a little tough for this recipe but, I have a use for them later on in one of my posts.).

Just make this and cut it up, wrap 'em and put them in the lunch box. Announce that there is cereal cake in their lunches! They will love it and you have saved a few bucks (32 bars for about $5 rather than 8 small bars for $2) plus you have outwitted them yet again! And really that is what it is all about right? lol 

Just a thought:: Search online or in the flyers for a coupon or two to get the cereal for next to free :) Save more $$$!

Saturday Baking Project... Tie Dye Cake!

We have had a LONG weekend. Yesterday was a PA Day so the boys were home. So today I got on Pinterest early and found some baking ideas that seemed easy. 
A lot of the ingredients, I didn't have so, I kept searching. VIOLA! I found this blog called EasyBaked and started searching through her posts, ohhhhing and ahhhing at the gorgeous pictures and then I saw it. The Tie Dye cake!
Oh I knew I had enough stuff to make my own version!

You can get the recipe for this awesome creation on EasyBaked! 
These were our results!
I used the Wilton Cake Decorating colors for the batter (I never have actual food coloring in the house thanks to a mess with it a few years ago!). I had sky blue, lemon yellow and terra cotta colors. The kids said it looked like melted crayons lol
We separated the batter into 3 bowls and mixed each color, I poured the colors into the pan and swirled them with a toothpick.

32 minutes at 350F and POOF magically we had a super cool cake :) 
I let it cool and then mixed the leaf green coloring with Betty Crocker cream cheese icing. It's pretty good! The boys really liked it (Ty has had 5 pieces so far! That rarely happens!) So, you can say this recipe was Autism Approved! :D
 

Now, to try one from scratch again, maybe? 
I know I will be checking out and trying more recipes from EasyBaked soon!

BOGO Starbucks.... YES!!!! Nov 15-18 only (2012)

Oh you know what my FAVORITE Christmas/Yule/OMG IT'S NOVEMBER activity is? The annual Starbucks Holiday Drink weekend! Yesterday it started... and today, tomorrow and Sunday between 2-5pm when you buy ONE Holiday fave, you get the second one FREE!

I load the kids in the car, we motor across town to Starbucks and we load up on peppermint mocha lattes, caramel apple tea (made with apple juice!) and eggnog lattes, steamy good hot chocolate (even can be made with soy milk!), chug 'em back and plan out which drink we will get the next day! 

Yes, friends, we are Starbuck geeks! One of my favorite gifts is the VIA packs in my stocking (Santa puts them there!) so Mommy can survive the week between Christmas and New Years! 

So who else is going to Starbucks this weekend? 
What are you gonna get? I had the Peppermint Mocha Latte yesterday, I am thinking Eggnog or Creme Brulee today :)

Here is the beverage list so you can drool... I mean decide before you go lol

Faked Crab Cakes

The blogger app on my iPhone ate my post :( I will re-add shortly! (I have disciplined the phone... It is in time out)




The finished product :)

I didn't take a FRIGGIN picture!!!

I am sorry.
I haven't forgotten about you. I just get busy with Autism and crafts and life... I have lots to always share, I just forget.
So, what did I forget to take a pic of?
My SUPER awesome new casserole!!!

The other night I made a good ol' fashion bone in ham (it was delicious and I got a pic of THAT!) but, holy leftovers Batman! I had to think fast and get creative on Sunday afternoon! All I could think was "What the hell am I gonna make with left over ham that these guys will eat?"
I googled, I found nothing. I went through my Pinterest and nothing. I was standing in my kitchen thinking... "Ok girl, you got tons of food... something has to go with...." There it was. 3 boxes of Kraft Dinner Sharp Cheddar.
"Oh, casserole? Yes? Ok ok don't get too excited, it will turn to fear! what can go in this casserole?"
I opened the fridge, there was the ham, out on the counter it went.
Then the block of cheddar, yup we need that.
What else? What else? And there it was. Like the foodie angels pushed it forward saying "USE THIS!!!"
Frank's red hot sauce.
Ah ha! Casserole of AWESOMENESS in the making!!!!

Indigo's NO PANIC leftover Ham Casserole
3 boxes of Kraft Dinner Sharp cheddar
2 cups of leftover ham (I used a lot you probably don't need this much)
1 cup of shredded cheese
a dozen shakes of Parmesan Cheese

I cooked the mac and cheese according to package directions and made it up like you would to eat it BUT I poured in 1/4 cup of Frank's Red Hot Sauce! Stirred like a mad woman! Then I poured the mac and cheese into a lasagna pan... made it all even and feeling like Paula Deen! lol I diced up the ham and sprinkled it on top and then sprinkled a BUNCH of shredded cheese! MMMMM It looked good! but, what else can I use??? Do I have parm cheese? Oh hell yes I do! SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! I shook some parsley flakes on top, popped it into the oven at 350F for 30 minutes and VIOLA! Dinner was served! I got 6 thumbs up (2 from each kid) and only one serving as they devoured it!
Absolutely going to make it again (and again and again... you get the drift lol)

Hope this inspires some creativity in your kitchen!