Mama Parker's healthy Mac-n-cheese

Mama Parker's Mac-n-cheese

Have you ever had that homemade Mac-n-Cheese that just melts in your mouth and leaves you saying "Blue box who"!  This recipe will!  Plus it is loaded with fresh veggies, so it is good for you (kind of) too! 

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons salted butter
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk ( I use almond milk, but you can use regular milk)
• 2 cups shredded Velvetta Sharp Cheddar cheese (we don't like regular Velvetta)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup cauliflower puree
• 1/2 carrot puree
• 2 heads of broccoli, cut, and steamed
• 1 box elbow noodles

Directions:
1. Boil pasta according to box directions and drain water off.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, and stir in flour over medium heat.  Stir in milk until mixed well.  Bring to a slow boil and simmer until thick. 
3. Stir in cheese and continue to stir for 4 minutes, remove from heat.
4.  Stir in Vegetable purees, and pour over pasta. once mixed thoroughly,   stir in Broccoli and serve!

You may not use all the cheese sauce, but, if you like it dripping with cheesy-goodness, go ahead, we won't judge!

My kids LOVE this, and ask for it EVERY meatless Monday dinner!  Its great for even picky eaters!
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Mama Parker's Favorite Recipe Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mama Parker's Favorite recipe

Are you ready for the best chocolate chip cookie EVER, the chewiest cookie EVER?  This cookie recipe is the ONLY one that my cookie purist will eat! 

Serves: 24 Large Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 c butter, softened
• 1/2 c shortening
• 1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bag mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 bag semi-sweet chips

Instructions

1. Mix butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Add egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
3. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix together.
4. Mix dry ingredients slowly into wet ingredients and blend well.
5. If the dough is crumbly, stir in water 1 teaspoon at a time until it just holds together. The dough should not be sticky.
6. Add in chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
7. Using ¼ cup measure, scoop out dough and form into a ball. Continue until all dough is balled. Approx 24 cookies.
8. Place dough in the freezer for 2 hours or up to 3 months (this is great, because then you only bake what you want, and don't have all those delish cookies lying around just begging to be eaten, speaking from experience here).
9. Place frozen cookie onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 min.
10. Let cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet, then move off to finish cooling on baker's racks.

Tips for perfect cookies, cook on flat cookie sheets, not one with sides.  Make sure that it is not shiny metal (cookies brown faster on these), and make sure that your oven racks are set in the center of the oven!  Also I have found that using cold ingredients (chocolate chips, vanilla and eggs) make for better cookies, but always make sure that the butters, and shortenings are room temp!  :)

 

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