Man quiche

I'm calling this "man quiche" because it is not a delicate as quiche but just as tasty. And the best part is it's completely open to personalizing with whatever ingredients you prefer. This recipe was inspired by this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's blog.

What you need:

5 eggs

1/2 cup milk, half and half or whipping cream

1 can potatoes

1/2 onion

1 can Rotel tomatoes and chiles

salt and pepper 

other spices - I used dried basil and Lawry's Seasoned Salt

cheese (you'll need about a cup - I used monterey jack)

1 tablespoon butter

What you do:

Dice onion. Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Combine onion, potatoes and butter in frying pan (make sure it has a lid and is oven safe). Cook until onion is done. Add spices. Add Rotel tomatoes. Add cheese. Don't mix. Thoroughly beat the eggs and milk (or half and half or whipping cream). Pour egg mix over the rest of ingredients in pan. Cover and bake for 20 minutes at 300°. Serve and enjoy. Reheats very well (from the fridge) in the microwave.

Cheese Spaghetti al Katy

This is my Grandma Katy's recipe. I rememer her making it for Caitlyn and I when we were little and we'd visit her. I liked it then and I like it now.

What you need:

1/2 box angel hair spaghetti pasta

about 1.5 inches cut off a Velveeta block, cubed

3 cubes chicken bullion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp butter

milk (i forgot to measure ... maybe about a cup or two?)

salt/pepper

What you do:

Prepare pasta. drain. Return to pan. Pour milk into pasta, just under the pasta level (more if you like it soupier, less if you like it thicker). Add Velveeta, chicken bullion, garlic powder and butter. Mix well, and heat on low. When Velveeta is melted, taste and add salt/pepper as needed. eat.

As part of the recipe, I'm plugging Dakota Growers Pasta Co. pasta. Aside from how great it tastes (super good) it's made right here in North Dakota (Carrington, ND to be exact). Anytime we make something with pasta we try to use this kind. Doesn't that look like Corey and I workin' the field, harvesting wheat?

No you say?

Well I think it does.

Peanut clusters

Believe it or not, but I actually got this recipe from a bathroom stall. Let me explain ... at the university where I work, a student organization posts health tips called "toilet talk" on the backs of the bathroom doors. The winter posting featured this recipe as a healthy alternative to cookies. They are so tasty it's hard to believe they are healthier than cookies - and so much easier! Corey and his junk food loving friends even like them – bonus!

stuff:

10 oz peanut butter chips

1/2 cup dry roasted, unsalted peanuts

1/2 cup regular oats, uncooked

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

what to do with the stuff:

Microwave chips in bowl until melted, stir a few times while melting every 30 seconds or so ... or they will burn ... not good. Add remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly. Wash your hands. Firmly roll into 1 inch balls. Let cool on wax paper (makes about 20 clusters). Eat. Write me a comment and let me know how you like them :)