Truffles and purses

There is a bowl of cream cheese, whipped cream and chocolate at home waiting for me to make them into truffles.

I have every intention of getting them done tonight. We will see how that goes.

There are also two large pieces of jean material and green canvas that are waiting for me to whip them into a sling bag by Friday.

I also must pack to go back home to Indiana. Alas, I am not going to be getting my necessary 8 hours of sleep this week.

Consider yourself warned.

The Blue Box Lies

The macaroni in the blue box is lying to you. This homemade macaroni will ruin any future experience with boxed macaroni. Be prepared, once you have had it, you won't go back.

Not Blue Box Macaroni

20 oz. elbow macaroni (16 oz. if you are planning on baking it)

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

3 c. (24 oz.) 4% cottage cheese

Put cottage cheese in a food processor and run until smooth.

1/2 c. butter

Melt butter in a large sauce pan (large enough to fit 4 cups of liquid, plus 4 cups of cheese)

1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Keep the saucepan on medium heat. In small amounts, stir in flour, garlic salt, pepper, and salt. Use a whisk to mix it to get all the lumps out.

3 c. half and half cream
1 c. milk

Mix the cream and milk in a separate bowl. Over medium heat, adding about a half cup at a time, add the mixture to the saucepan. Again use the whisk to keep it smooth before adding more liquid. After it has all been added, bring to a boil for 2 minutes or until it is thickened. Make sure to keep stirring to keep it from burning.

4 c. (16 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Turn the heat off and add the shredded cheese to the saucepan, mix until melted. Transfer the cottage cheese from the food processor to a large bowl and add the sauce to the large bowl. Mix well.

When I make this recipe, I drain the macaroni, add it directly to the sauce, and serve. I use a large metal bowl to mix everything together. The bowl has a lid so I can put it in the fridge and just portioned it out when I am hungry for it.

If you like baked macaroni, mix the sauce and noodles together in a bowl and then transfer to a greased 9" x 13" pan.

1 c. dried bread crumbs
1/4 c. melted butter

Mix butter and crumbs together and sprinkle over the top of the macaroni.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees till it is bubbly.

I originally got this recipe from Taste of Home, but I have altered a few things and used magic to remove all the calories...

Store Bought(en) Biscuits

I love biscuits, especially the fluffy buttery ones. Therefore, I will share with you a fantastic recipe I found. They turned out just like the Pillsbury Grands kind in the tubes. Or, as those in the Amish community say, they taste store boughten.

Store Bought(en) Biscuits
(makes about 9 large biscuits)

2 c. flour
4 t. baking powder
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt

Mix the first 4 ingredients

1/3 c. cold butter

Cut butter into the dry mixture

3/4 c. cold milk (buttermilk or sour milk works too)

Stir milk in till it forms a ball

Roll out dough to one inch thickness.

Use a cookie cutter or floured glass to cut out biscuits.

Grease a cookie sheet, place biscuits on sheet.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or till they start getting brown.

Make sure to eat them warm and put lots of butter on them. I am pretty sure that takes out all the calories and fat. And yes, this fits right in with my new workout routine.