Recipes for Braces

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of dried macaroni
• 1 egg
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons) of butter
• ¼ cup of flour
• 2 ½ cups of whole milk
• 2 teaspoons of dry mustard
• 1 pound of grated Cheddar
• Salt
• Seasoned salt (if desired)
• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook macaroni pasta until slightly firm. Drain and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, beat an egg. In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Make sure not to let it burn. Pour in the milk, add the mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick, for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
4. Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Again, stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt, and the pepper. Add any additional spices if desired. Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
5. Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (while it’s still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish. Add extra cheese if desired and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Enjoy! Credit to Ree Drummond.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast (to save money I suggest you skin and de-bone the chicken yourself)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 large eggs (you will need the whites from 2)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs (no substitutes)
• 4 tablespoons salt
• 4 teaspoons pepper

Directions:

1. Pound chicken breast until about 1/2 inch thin, then season with 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper. (Chicken must be flattened to cook evenly.)
2. Use leftover salt and pepper to season flour.
3. Separate egg whites and yolks from 2 eggs. Place leftover egg yolks and 1 whole into a bowl to make egg wash.
4. Whip egg whites until frothy (watery, not stiff like meringue).
5. Coat chicken in egg whites, then with cornstarch.
6. Marinate for 15 minutes.
7. Coat chicken in flour.
8. Coat with egg wash.
9. Coat with panko.
10. Refrigerate for five minutes.
11. While chicken is in fridge, pour 1 1/2 tbsp of oil into heavy bottom sauce pan. (Deep frying is not suggested because you’ll overcook your chicken, and you don’t want the panko to absorb too much oil.)
12. Heat oil to 350.
13. Cook without overcrowding the pan. Enjoy!

* If not serving right away keep in warm oven.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice

Directions:

1. Add soy sauce, sugar, and orange juice into a saucepan on medium heat.
2. Mix cornstarch and cold water together in a separate bowl.
3. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan, stirring constantly.
4. Sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.

Ingredients:

• 5 large trumpet mushrooms
• 1 shallot
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T butter (I prefer Danish Creamery butter for all of my cooking)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 T Italian parsley

Directions:

Heat oven to broil. Wash and dry mushrooms. Cut mushrooms lengthwise . Heat sauté pan (must be oven proof. Add oil and butter till melted, add shallots, garlic, salt and pepper, ½ chopped Italian parsley and mushrooms. Cook for 15-20 minutes and stir occasionally. When softened, place skillet into broiler for 5-10 minutes till golden brown. Garnish with Italian parsley.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of Chevre (goat cheese). You can use cream cheese too, but there is a nice consistency with soft, light spreadable cheeses
• 2 slices of lox (wild if possible, but sometimes it’s not always accessible)
• 1 lemon wedge
• Fresh dill
• 1 T caper
• 2 thin slices of red onion
• 1 slice of wheat toast

Directions:

Toast bread, thinly slice red onion, spread generous amount of chevre on toast, layer with lox, add capers, red onion, squeeze lemon juice and garnish with dill. Serve with latte or brewed coffee.

Credit: Dr. Kim Morita – Follow her on Instagram: thymesensitive

Ingredients:

• 6 Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies
• Vanilla ice cream or mint chocolate chip ice cream
• ¼ dark chocolate almond bar
• Mint sprig

Directions:

Take ice cream out of freezer to soften for 10 minutes. Crush 4 cookies to a rough crumble. Mix into slightly softened ice cream and re-freeze for 15 minutes. Use knife to chop dark chocolate almond bar; save the rest for a snack. Spoon ice cream into a bowl, sprinkle dark chocolate pieces over top, garnish with 2 thin mint cookies and mint sprig. Enjoy!

Credit: Dr. Kim Morita – Follow her on Instagram: thymesensitive

These cookies are a twist on the traditional gingerbread man! Make them at your next Halloween Party for an unexpected, delicious treat.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup butter or margarine (softened)
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 3 cups Gold Medal™ all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 container of 1 lb Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting

Directions:

1. Beat brown sugar, butter, molasses, and egg with an electric mixer in a large bowl. Turn to low and beat in flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves.
2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, gather into a ball, and press into a flat disk. Wrap with plastic wrap, refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
3. Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. On lightly-floured surface, roll dough until it is about ¼ inch thick. Cut with floured 4-5 inch gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Reroll dough and cut additional cookies.
4. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until no indentation remains when touching the center. Remove the cookies and place on cooling racks. Let stand for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and foil seal from frosting container to microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Spoon frosting into re-sealable food-storage plastic bag and seal. Cut off a tiny corner of the bag and twist above the frosting. Squeeze to pipe the frosting in a skeleton design of your choosing.

Credit: Betty Crocker

Check out the below recipe for a great tasting holiday treat. Remember not to bite the candy cane until it is melted, otherwise you can risk breaking your brackets!

Creates 12 hot chocolate mixers

Ingredients:

• 12 full-size marshmallows
• 12 candy canes
• ½ cup melted semisweet chocolate (white or milk chocolate)
• ½ cup crushed candy canes

Directions:

1. Place a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface.
2. Line up marshmallows and stick miniature candy canes into the middle of each marshmallow.
3. Dip into melted chocolate, sprinkle with crushed candy canes and set onto parchment paper.

Let chocolate harden and enjoy by dipping into a cup of hot chocolate for a sweet peppermint delight!

In order to create a pineapple jack o’ lantern there are a few steps to make it happen.

First begin by slicing out the center of the pineapple. Use a spoon and or your hands to scrape the pineapple remnants.

Once the pineapple is hollowed out you will then rinse out the pineapple with water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Now the carving begins! Once you are done with the carving then put a small candle in the center for added affect.

*Credit to Crista for the idea!