I will take that as a compliment!

For those of you who know me well you know it is a dream of mine to write my own cookbook.

A little history some of who do know me might not know about me.

I won my first and only ribbons in 4-H for two recipes at the age of I believe 10 for coconut macaroons and deviled eggs. The ironic thing about that is my mother won with the same recipe for macaroons at about the same age in 4-H and we never thought about it until years later. The funny thing is neither of us can remember ever using that recipe again after winning each of those awards! I don't even know where it is. However, even though I do not use a recipe for my deviled eggs they are a request when I am going to be bringing food at any of my social gatherings!

That was just a little background on how long I have been cooking. My Mother is a very patient person in the kitchen when it comes to learning! Every question I had she answered, every mistake I made she could tell me why, every time I needed to know how to do something I had never done before I could go to her and she was my answer.

While I still rely on my Mother when I get in a bind or need a question answered I have gotten a more adventurous side in my later years! I will now try something without a recipe just because I know those flavors will compliment each other and will work together.

So many people are so afraid to go out on a limb like this! It constantly amazes me how people ask me, "Well how did you come up with that?" or "How did you know that was going to taste good together?" to which my answer normally is "I didn't know it was going to taste good?" or "I came up with it because I wasn't afraid to try something different?"

My motto is if it doesn't work the way you tried it don't do it that way again! Nine times out of ten even if I don't like the way it turns out everyone else does and it gets eaten but I still change the way I do it the next time! That is all about learning to be a "good cook"

Something else some of you might not know about me was I was able to cook full meals from scratch by the age of 13. When I say from scratch I mean fried chicken, homemade cornbread, peas from freezer to table, buttermilk cakes that would make your hurt yourself or someone else trying to get to another piece, the whole nine yards. This is just a short list.

 I had supper ready every day by the time Mom and Dad came home from work and keep the clothes clean and the house as kept as I could. I was never asked to do this I just did. I also kept my homework done and my grades at  more than a passing level sometimes higher, I wasn't that huge a fan of some aspects of school. The appreciation of school came with later years.

Why did I learn to do this at such a young age other than having a willing teacher? Because I loved to cook and still do! I hope and pray this is a love that never goes away! It is a very strong passion of mine and I hold being known as a "good cook" in very high esteem! While I still have not realized my dream of producing a cookbook Mother started me on my way a couple of years ago for Christmas she made me a binder with pages in it to divide my recipes up and cards for me to record new recipes. So it is still a work in progress and still a dream.

Today however I received what I consider to be a very important compliment!

While I am not professionally trained as a chef and most likely never will be my cousin Justin is. We had our family Christmas today on my Father's side of the family and I chose to carry macaroni and cheese, a cheesecake pecan pie, and brownies (my uncle Lenard's favorite).

Justin's wife Misty is the one who issued the compliment. I didn't hear it but I heard about what she said from two different family members!

She wanted to know who made the mac-n-cheese and asked for whomever it was to give the recipe to Justin so he could make it in the restaurant!

This friends took me a little aback!

I told my aunt Martha that I would have to tell him what I used because there was no way I could tell the amounts with as much as I had made for today. All I could do was tell him how to make it for a crowd!

See I do a great deal of my cooking by taste and memory so when it comes to giving someone a recipe I have to really pay attention the next time I make it and measure things out so I can tell them how to make it properly. This can be really hard for a cook that is a cook by taste or memory. This is also what I run into for recipes to but in the cookbook.

But having her say she thought her husband needed to serve mac-n-cheese just like mine in a restaurant made my day!

Let me see if I can give you a list of ingredients if you need to make mac-n-cheese for about 25 people I guess is what this would serve, maybe less if there isn't as much food as we had today to surround it. lol

Three packages store brand mac-n-cheese with the pouch cheese not powder
I jar of processed cheese
I stick of butter
3" chunk of Velveeta cheese cubed
2 cups sour cream
1 lrg can evaporated milk
little salt
little pepper
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheese for topping
I put in Mrs. Dash Herb and Garlic JUST A DASH
Disposable 4" deep metal pan with lid

Cook the macaroni until it is a little over done

(if it needs to be drained you can or you can turn it off before it is actually done and let it absorb some of that liquid. This is my preferred method.)
Sauce:
Start by melting a stick of butter in a sauce pan that is big enough to hold about 4 cups of liquid or more for stirring room. Once the butter has started to melt you can start adding the Velveeta cheese. Let that start to melt as you begin adding in the pouches of cheese from the mac-n-cheese. Add some of the milk to make it a little more smooth and then add in the cheese from the jar. You may not need the entire jar, I used about half the jar. Let that get well mixed and then add in the seasonings and more milk. If everything is well combined add the sour cream and rest of the milk and stir until all are blended and everything is warm.
Place pasta in a metal pan and evenly distribute over the length of the pan. When the sauce is ready you can poor it over the pasta. Use a fair amount at first, mix and then asses as to whether you will require the entire cheese mixture. I had a little left over. This is good in Mexican casseroles too or Chicken Cheese Spaghetti!
Sprinkle top with grated cheese and cook in a 350 degree oven until the cheese on top has started to melt and the pasta has heated through. About 30 minutes. Do NOT let the edges start to brown because that is cooking too long and the pasta will no longer be as cheesy as you want. Serve hot!

I don't have a picture to go along with this but when all was said and done and there were two different dishes of macaroni present my pan was half empty!

If you happen to have questions about this recipe just post a comment and I will try and answer everything I can. It's Good! and as I always say "You'll See I Promise!"

It ' s 10 pm do you know where your icing spatula is.?

When just a little while ago you were up to your elbows in batter for cupcakes and cakes, you now search drawers and cabinets for the one tool to finish the job! Your kitchen is a mess, the stove top now needs a good cleaning but the cakes and cupcakes are all done and cool and screaming for their ICING!
Yes I could use a piping bag and tip for the cupcakes and I shall but to make quick easy work of the cakes I need my spatula!
As I search thoughts of how someone has hidden the object I seek begin to surface. Not only that but the tune to a very popular Christian based cartoon with vegetable characters begins to play! The tune was a little different. It went a little something like this;
Oh where is my spatula? Oh where is my spatula? Oh where Oh where Oh where Oh whereeeeee is my SPATULA? Characters exit stage right.
Before I had a chance to launch into the next tune of loss from a long running and also very popular TV show taking place primarily in a corn field where someone is lost and a loved one is search in, I found the spatula!
Antics over and all songs sung the cakes are iced and ready for the eager hands of the best group of kids I know! Boy Scout Troop 27 of The Louisiana Purchase Council!
The things we aunts, moms, dads  and other volunteers do for the youth of America! However, time spent molding these young men is never wasted!
Time has proven that Boy Scouts of America produces leaders! If you are curious just look into the backgrounds of some of our Nations presidents! Well since some of you never will I decided I will give you that background myself. This information comes straight from the website I list below. To list a few I will begin with the names of presidents you are sure to recognize then a bit about Roosevelt and how he basically brought the Boy Scouts of America into the White House if you will. The list of presidents you will recognize who were scouts; George W Bush, William H Clinton, George H W Bush, Ronald Reagan, James E Carter, Gerald R Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Truman and last but certainly not least we have Roosevelt. Here is a little commentary on what he did with his time as a scout leader.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945


President Roosevelt was the first to enter the White House with a record as an active Scout leader. He was president of the Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1934, hundreds of thousands of Scouts assembled to hear President Roosevelt’s broadcast appealing for help for the needy. They responded by collecting nearly two million articles of clothing, household furnishings, and other items for disadvantaged families. When FDR died in 1945, he had a 24-year record of service in Scouting.

“As one who has been interested in Scouting over many years, it has been most heartening to have so many evidences of the practical values of Scout training. We must remember that next to active military service itself, there is no higher opportunity for serving our country than helping youth to carry on in their efforts to make themselves physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight, and prepared to help their country to the full in time of war, as well as in time of peace. We must make sure that those volunteer agencies, which are supplementing the church, the home, and the school by providing programs that will help equip the present generation to cope with life problems in the difficult days ahead, are maintained to their maximum capacity and effectiveness.”

I am proud to take even a small part in Scouts and also proud to say that our family boasts five generations of Scouts under the same pack number 27! I don't know of many families who can say they have a history in Scouts with the same number going back that far! Not only do we have that history but my sister married into a family that her husband is now a second generation Cub Master and has now moved to Scouts as his boys have gotten older and is now an assistant Scout leader. Not only does he play an active role there but my sister does as well. They are there rain or shine and so are their two boys who will soon be 12 and 13. We all hope they both stick with it long enough to make it through to Eagle Scout level as this is such a prestigious honor held by only those who take it seriously and who know its importance!
While I may not play as much of an active role as my sister and BROTHER-in-law...I do have a shirt with al the proper patches (the required uniform) and am a registered member of the Boy Scouts of American. I make sure I keep my status up to date and do whatever I need to do to assure that if I am needed I can be called upon at any moment to show up and help wherever I can.

I encourage you if you have boys to get them involved with this organization! There are so MANY great values they learn that I couldn't begin to explain how it could profoundly change their lives and mold who they become. Never was a smarter parent that becomes an active part in their child's life! God gave your those children trusting you would take care of them! It is your job to trust he knew what he was doing trusting you and also trust him to guide you in the way that you should go in all that you do with your family and your lives.  *steps down from soap box*

If you want to take part in Scouts or have your boys take part contact your local troupe for more information. Or go to www.scouting.org.

If there isn't a troop in your area maybe that is where you are being called to serve? There are young boys out there everywhere who need positive role models to follow! Many youth in America come from broken homes and have no comparison or a male figure. You could possible become that guide in this very important way!