Creamy Ham 'n' Macaroni

So I was looking for a recipe to make with our ham leftovers. Brian wanted me to find something with noodles and cheese. It didn't take long before I stumbled across this little gem! Cathy, you may be especially excited because this is a Taste of Home recipe. AND, I finally subscribed to their magazine. Got it for $4 for one year!

We really liked this one a lot. So much in fact, that I made it again 2 days later and will portion it out and freeze it so that we can enjoy it again in a couple weeks. :) I also like that most of the ingredients were already in my pantry! The only thing I didn't have was the Parmesan cheese. I also only changed one thing which was  adding some crumbled Ritz crackers to the top before baking.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Creamy-Ham--n--Macaroni

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese, ham, Parmesan cheese and macaroni.
• Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Thai Peanut Chicken

I've been getting a little bored of our standard Stir-Fryday recipes, so I started branching out and looked for a Thai style peanut dish. This was one of the first results that came up in a search, and I LOVE IT! I can't wait to make this again! In fact, I'm even looking forward to tomorrow night when we have it again for leftovers! The only thing I might do differently is double or triple the sauce as was suggested by other reviewers who had tried this.

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I actually used about a 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes. -LD)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Combine the rice and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. (Or just cook in your steamer/rice cooker - LD) In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is golden on the outside, about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium, and add green onion, broccoli, peanuts, and the peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until broccoli is tender, and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.