Easy Mac and Cheese Dinner

Yes, I am on a mac and cheese kick! It's easy and fast... Ok, maybe not the most healthy, but I got the whole wheat noodles, so that makes it somewhat healthy, right? And again, I'm gonna say it again, sometimes you need something fast and easy! ;)

For this, I just added a few extra things to make it more, um, filling I guess you could say! ;)

Most of these things you will have on hand... And if you don't have one of something, don't add it, it's ok! It will still turn out!


Ok, I kinda take that back, if you don't have the milk to make the mac and cheese, then that might be a fail! Know what I mean? ;)


(ok, maybe I stop thinking and just start writing out the recipe?)


Make the mac and cheese like it says on the box

Yummy, cheese fried onions!! :) LOVE Aldi's!!! :)

Then regular too!!! :)

No, I didn't open the can upside down! I should get some money from Del Monte!!! heeheee!!! I just added some Italian seasoning to the tomatoes. I am cheap, so I just add my own spices instead of buying the Italian kind! ;)

There is the mac and cheese ready to go....

Add 1 pound ground beef, 1 small onion

I can diced tomatoes with the Italian seasoning

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir it all up!

Add 1/2 cup french fried onions, I added the cheese ones first....

Put it in an 8x8 baking dish, cover and bake for 30 minutes


When done, sprinkle regular french fried onions over the top and serve! YUMMY!!!!!!! :)

Easy Mac and Cheese Dinner

2 boxes Mac and Cheese (and ingredients to make it)
1 pound ground beef (or turkey) browned and drained
1 small red onion
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian Seasoning (about 1-2 teaspoons)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
About 1 cup french fried onions (can be cheese or regular or both!), divided

Make mac and cheese according to the box. When done, add the ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup french fried onions. Mix all together, place into an 8x8 backing dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350degrees for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining french fried onions and serve!

*You don't have to add that much meat, or omit it if you want.
You don't need to use 1 cup shredded cheese, you can add half that, or add a different kind of cheese.
Also, I used cheddar friend onions inside the casserole and sprinkled regular ones over the top when done baking.
I served this with green beans. It was a HIT!!! We all loved it!! If you double this, you can place half of it in a freezer safe container and reheat when needed! :)

Pizza Crust

Ok, so I didn't think about taking pics as I was making this crust! I was on the phone and in a hurry to get it going, I needed to let it rise for an hour, and yeah, the phone call got me distracted. But let me tell you, this pizza crust was SUPER delish! I like it WAY better the other one I had posted before on here...




Yummy!! :)






This is the veggie one! :oP

It really is easy to make! You just need to make sure to let it sit an hour before you need it! I don't always remember that... ;)


Yummy Pizza Crust

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt (I used garlic salt instead)
2 tablespoons olive oil (I use coconut oil)
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used WAY more, almost 4 cups)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

*Like I said in the ingredients part, I added garlic salt instead of the salt.
I also use coconut oil for EVERYTHING now! But if you don't have or don't use it, then use olive oil.
I also was in a hurry, so I used my good ole Kitchen Aide mixer with the bread hook to mix it all up. It's way better if you do it by hand, but sometimes I gotta cheat, and I did this time! :)
You can also take pieces of sting cheese and wrap it around the crust and have a cheese stuffed crust! :)
If you want, you can also mix up some butter and garlic salt, and then spread it on the crust.
For one of them I put olives, pepperoni, and mushrooms.
For the other one I put, sweet banana peppers, (oh my, boy do those add a VERY delish extra zing and taste! If you prefer a bit of added "hot", try using the hot banana peppers!), olives, red onion, and mushrooms.
I love making pizza, you can add whatever you have on hand! :)

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!! :D