Soup Weather Is HERE!

It finally feels like Fall and I am so glad! I have been missing soups and it is so hard to eat a steamy bowl of soup when it is 98 degrees outside. Last night I made (decaf) Pumpkin Lattes for everyone and we all enjoyed them. The kids were squealing as they drank their "coffee." I used canned pumpkin puree and had half a can leftover-assuming I would just make another batch another day it was saved. Come lunch time today all I wanted was soup-it didn't matter what kind but I HAD to have soup! Then I remembered the pumpkin! My creative juices started flowing-though not as much as I was salivating. The concoction I came up with is both delicious and wholesome, it is also low calorie (until you start dipping saltines into it...) it also is not overpoweringly pumpkin-y like many pumpkin soups I have tried in the past. Right now the kids are diving into theirs, Elijah took a break to spoon feed Addie and complain that she got food on "his" rock and roll shirt-from when he was a baby. I made half of the recipe below for myself, Addie, and Elijah (who had just eaten a pb&j also). This should make about 6-8 side servings or 3 good size main dishes, For around $4 maybe less.

Easy Peppered Pumpkin Soup

6 carrots -or more if you wish -diced or sliced

1/2 stalk celery-diced or sliced

1/2 small yellow onion-diced

2 bouillon cubes (I use "No-chick'n")

1 15oz can 100% pure pumpkin puree

Cornstarch (for thicker soup)

Pepper

Place carrots, celery, onion, and bouillon into a medium to large sauce pan. Add just enough water to cover veggies. Bring to boil then simmer until veggies are tender. At this point I mashed some of the veggies with a whisk so there weren't any large chunks-but not completely I like some chunk. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk in well. Add a dash or 2 of pepper. If soup is too runny put 1-2 tsp cornstarch in about 2 Tbl COLD water and mix well, then add to hot soup and bring back to low boil. Once placed into serving dishes sprinkle on more pepper. We ate ours with saltines. Enjoy!

Some stores sell a frozen "mirepox blend" which is carrot, onion, and celery- here it is 88 cents-though fresh is always better!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Yawn, I have been lazy...or overworked. I never find the time to keep up on here anymore, I'm sorry. I know so many of you enjoy laughing at my days, so here is a quick laugh and a recipe (sorry it has to do with poop, yeah I know it doesn't go well with a recipe).

A few days ago Addie walked up to me in the process of going number 2, I asked if she was and and she replied "poop" then went and got the potty chair-better late than never? The following day I saw "the look" and asked if she needed to go poop-we haven't been potty training her up to this point. She immediately ran to the bathroom and brought the potty out, then began undoing her diaper, then went-YAY! Later that day she pointed to her hiney and said "poop" stripped down then, again, ran to the bathroom and fetched the potty chair. She set it down and was instantly distracted by daddy's laugh from the other room. She paused and watched him for a moment then headed back to sit down on her throne-but wait! Who ids that cute thing in the mirror? She climbed up on a bench and began dancing. Naked. In front of the mirror. Then pooped. While dancing. In front of the mirror. So it looks like we have a ways to go as far as distractions are concerned, but I will enjoy her desire to be potty trained-unlike her 3 1/2 year old brother who just last week went back to underwear!

Now, forget about the poop, on to the recipe!

When my husband asked for theses this morning and I Googled recipes I wasn't happy with any, so I winged it.

Pumpkin pancakes

2 1/2 c flour (I used white whole wheat)

1 Tbl baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp clove

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Combine dry ingredients, then add;

1 15oz can pure pumpkin puree

2 Tbl flaxseed

2 Tbl oil

1 Tbl molasses

2 cups soy milk

1/4 water -more if batter is too thick

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Stir well and cook like a pancake. If you need more instruction on that part I am sure there are tutorials ;)

Enjoy!

Dalmas! What You Have Never Heard Of Them?

All the cool people are doing it! Like Italians and Greeks...and stuff.Dalmas are stuffed grape leaves. Stuffed with what you ask? I'm getting there. We all know the benefits of grapes and wine :) so you can imagine the benefit of eating the actual leaf-go ahead imagine, because there are more than I am going to list. Things like reduction in edema, heart healthy stuff, and only about 2 calories per leaf. Traditionally they would be stuffed with a rice mixture usually containing meat of some sort. Lets just say that when I made them they were gone almost instantly, and I thought I had made enough for a few days-silly me! First of all, where do you find this oddity? I found it at HEB I am sure some Kroger's carry them but I did not find them at the one near us-though I can not seem to find most forms of healthy food there so I am not surprised. Second, prior to making these you will need to do 2 things cook rice (I use whole grain), and blanch the leaves.
To blanch the leaves, remove the amount you will be using-what the heck use the whole jar. Gently un-roll them and lay them out, then place them in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Don't stir just let them be. Carefully remove them from the water and let the leaves cool while you prepare the rice mixture.
Here it goes-Im sorry I dont measure things when experimenting
Zingy Dalmas
Cooked Rice approx 3 cups if you are using the whole jar of leaves
Lemons 2 (reserve 2tsps juice for later)
Italian seasoning
Garlic pepper
sauteed garlic and onion (optional)
olive oil

Mix the seasonings to taste into rice. zest one lemon and mix that in as well. Then squeeze in some good ol lemon juice, again "to taste". Add onion and garlic if using.
Then comes the hard part-rolling! You will use 1-2 TBL of the rice mixture per leaf. Place the mixture in the center of the leaf then fold the side closest to you over the rice. Press down gently to pack the rice snuggly, then fold the sides over (right and left side) then roll forward till it is a snuggly wrapped dalma. Why is this hard? You will find out for yourself once you start, but the leaves tear easy! They are pretty small when finished-about the size of a womans thumb. Place in container and use remaining lemon juice and olive oil to drizzle over dalmas to keep moist and add an extra zing. The reason I do not use salt is that the dalmas come in a salty brine, if you were to be so fortunate as to have fresh leaves you will want to A. blanch them longer, and B use salt.
Use hummus to dip them in-but that is a whole post in itself! So for now I will recommend the Sabra brand-the original, roasted red pepper, and roasted pine nut are all great-oh and the roasted garlic.

Black Forest Cake -Part 2

So now you have your 2 layers of cake, what else will you need?
1 can Cherry pie filling-extra cherry
1 batch icing, buttercream (recipe follows), whipped cream icing, or sour cream icing
optional: maraschino or fresh cherries and chocolate shavings for decoration.

Place your bottom layer of cake on serving platter. Pre-ice layer with a very thin layer of icing. Put 3/4 can of cherry filling on top leaving 1/2 inch around edge free of cherries. Top with second layer. Pre-ice second layer. This will prevent crumbs from getting onto the final layer and give it a cleaner look. If you'd like you can make the icing a little on the thin side for pre-icing then add more powdered sugar to thicken it up for the final icing. Next spread the final layer thickly onto entire cake and sides and smooth out. Top with chocolate shavings and remaining or fresh cherries. If you Google images of Black forest cake there are photos that will put my cake to shame-I suppose I will just have to make another cake just to make it pretty like theirs and get a decent photo sometime! ;) Store iced cake in fridge.



Butter-cream Icing
1/2 cup butter (or Earth-balance)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered/confectioners sugar
1 Tbl milk or soy
Beat until smooth! Store in refrigerator.

As promised! Black Forest Cake -Part 1

One of my favorite cakes! Apparently no one in Texas has heard of this delight, so I will share with you the very easy recipe!
First you make a chocolate cake in 2 round or square pans, you can use your favorite recipe or use mine which follows. My recipe is a version of "wacky cake" which was made during the depression when people could not afford milk and eggs. I have tried similar recipes that I did not like at all, I tweaked it some and came out with this delight. I made this chocolate cake for Elijah's birthday party and it was a hit. In my opinion it holds up much better than box cake-it isn't super crumby- which is great for when you cut it up. Enjoy the fact that it is cholesterol free too!
I have only made this in a square pan and it made one, nice, thick cake so I would recommend doubling it for a layered cake.

Perfect Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
6 Tbl cocoa powder-I recommend Hershey's Special Dark YUM!
1 tsp baking SODA
3 Tbl vegetable oil or canola oil
3 Tbl applesauce
1 Tbl vinegar (dont worry you cant taste it)
1 tsp almond extract(or vanilla)
1 cup water/milk (true "wacky cake" uses water-I use soy-you can use cows milk)

Pre heat oven to 350. Mix together dry ingredients. Then make 3 holes in the mixture. Put the oil and applesauce in one, vinegar in another, and extract in the last. Then pour the water/milk over it all and stir. I am not really sure if doing it in that manner makes a difference but all of the recipes I found for "wacky cake" did that. Grease a round or square pan. Then bake-I honestly do not know how long I baked it-until it smelled good and a fork stuck in the middle came out clean...about 34-40 minutes. Sorry I am so bad about that. I do everything by feel not by rules. Note* if you dont like dark chocolate use 4Tbl of the traditional Hersheys cocoa powder.
The picture shows the cake once I cut it up and "pre-iced" it before I put rolled fondant on for Elijah's Train Cake.

Perfect Better For You Pancakes

I was given a recipe or vegan pancakes a while back it was good, but the end result was dense and not fluffy, so I played around and these turned out great! My kids and I ate them without out any topping of any kind, because they were so yummy we didn't need butter or syrup to add flavor! Surprisingly the applesauce and cinnamon dont give of a strong flavor so you can still add other fruits...or chocolate to create your favorite pancakes. Or add diced apples and extra cinnamon :)

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used whole grain white today)
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar(not packed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
Combine in a large mixing bowl.

1 1/2 cups original soy milk (or Almond milk)
2 Tbl ground flax seed

Mix together in a small bowl and let sit about 2 minutes (no much longer though.

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbl canola oil

Add everything to the dry ingredients and stir well. Cook up in your favorite pancake way! My favorite is with margarine (Smart Balance Light) instead of non-stick spray. Use about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake for best results, and lip once bubbles appear on top o pancake.

Instant Results & Black Bean-lette Tacos

I was so excited to see instant results over the last two days! First thing we noticed was after breakfast, we normally eat the recipe below with eggs instead of beans, and cheese on top-those are thee only difference in recipe-and feel weighed down after ward and my tummy feels yucky. Yucky in a way that has always been "normal" to me. We had more energy, I wasn't almost in tears wanting a nap, or falling asleep on the couch while feeding Addalene. My favorite change? Flatter belly!!! Instantly! I am used to my belly swelling up through the day and by the end of the day I look like I am expecting, that did not happen! When we woke up this morning-easier than we have in a long time-my belly already appeared smaller! Good bye belly, I wont miss you!

Black Bean-lette Tacos

Makes: alot, or about 9 tacos...maybe more

2 medium red potatoes chopped in 1/2 inch cubes

cooking oil (about 2 Tbl)

1 small yellow onion-chopped

1/3 cup corn -I use frozen

1 medium tomato chopped

1 can black beans -drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans

cilantro (optional)

cumin and salt to taste

corn tortillas (lard free)

In a saute pan put just enough oil to fry potatoes.* Begin browning potatoes and once they begin to brown toss in chopped onion. Stir frequently. After about 3 minutes add corn, once it thaws add chopped tomatoes. Once potatoes are thoroughly cooked add beans and cumin (about 1 tsp) and continue cooking and stirring until the beans are heated through. Heat up tortillas (for corn tortillas, wet them before putting them on a hot pan and then they wont fall apart as you eat them). Scoop in the filling and enjoy!

*If you prep ahead you can bake the potatoes with less oil.

Update* I forgot to mention that everyones sinuses have "suddenly" cleared up. Elijah, who almost constantly has a runny nose, has not had one in the last 24 hours! Bobby and I have noticed a difference as well, Chloe says she hasn't noticed a diference, but I cannot vouch for what she is eating at school.(she will be taking meals starting tomorrow-but she does have free will)

Bread To Love On

This bread is buttery, smooth, crispy but not crunchy, slightly chewing and great for impressing uh- I mean entertaining. Eat it by itself, with dipping oil, on a sandwich, or even as pizza. It is rather inexpensive to make and you should have the ingredients in your cupboard already! It may sound like a lot of work, however, your actual working time it around 15 minutes, and it will taste like you slaved over it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I am trying not to right now, Bobby asked me to save some for him.

Focaccia Bread

1 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3-3 1/4 cups All purpose flour

2 teaspoons active yeast

Tuscan Herb Olive Oil (Below)***(see substitution)

I use a bread machine on the "dough" setting for the hard work. Otherwise use the knead, rise, knead, rise instruction found somewhere on the web. When the dough cycle is finished, remove from pan onto lightly floured surface. Knead 3 times, squish, squish, squish. Place a clean towel over it and let it sit for 15 minutes. After that, turn the over to 200 and let heat up for a minute or two, while it is heating stretch push and pull the dough into approx a 10x15 inch rectangle and place on greased baking sheet. Turn oven off and cover loaf with towel, then place in warm oven for 30-45 min. Remove loaf and preheat oven to 375. Poke holes all over top with your finger and brush herbed olive oil over top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with dipping oil, or great for Caprice sandwiches, even homemade pizza!

Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 Tuscan Herb Dipping Spice (at HEB Central Market)

Combine and let sit for 20 minutes. Wans't that just so hard? If using an unsalted dipping spice add a little to taste. Store in a glass jar at room temperature for, well, a few months ;)

***I recommend getting the dipping spice, however, you can substitute with fresh herbs, or Italian seasoning, garlic pepper and a little salt. The spice only costs about $1.50 per 1/3cup, the trouble is finding it! It is by the bakery in little baggies at HEB.

For a fantastic sandwich spread (not that the oil isn't fabulous on sandwiches) replace olive oil with real mayonnaise and refrigerate 1 hour before use.

Caprice Sandwiches

Focaccia Bread (one loaf makes about 8)

sliced fresh mozzarella (2 oz per)

fresh basil leaves (8big leaves per)

tomato slices (1 Roma per or 1/2 medium)

Tuscan Herb Olive Oil (or the mayonnaise)

slice a square of bread in half, drizzle oil or spread mayo on halves, then layer basil leaves, cheese, tomatoes, and more basil.

Last Minute Entertaining

This super easy recipe I have made a few times when we have had unexpected company and they usually had no idea I was doing anything other than going to get a drink of water, each step only takes a minute and can be spread out. Most of the ingredient you can keep on hand for when you need it, or just have a craving. For a little more "scratch"ness, I added the recipes for homemade whip cream and graham cracker crust.

2 cups milk

1 large box instant chocolate pudding (6serving size)

1 tub whipped topping thawed (or 2 cups homemade whip cream)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 graham cracker crust

put chocolate chips into graham cracker crust and heat in oven at 250 for about 10 minutes, remove from oven and spread melted chips on bottom of crust, freeze for 30 minutes. While its freezing mix milk and pudding mix together, let sit for 5 min then add in half whipped cream, stir well then pour into pie crust, spread the remaining whipped cream on top and fluff with spatula.

Graham cracker crust

1 cup crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 c melted butter

Press all ingredients into bottom of un-greased pie pan.

Whip cream

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar

Place in blender and blend til thick

Or use a hand mixer in a tall bowl and beat til thick

For a thicker whip cream (for decorating) add 1/2 pack of plain Gelatine, following directions on package

Dumplin's namesake!

I always assumed everyones favorite dish would be the harder ones to make. Bobby's favorite dinner is Chicken and Dumplins, and I assumed it was just him. Until my family came to visit from Tennessee, my brothers one request was Chicken and Dumplins! Seriously? I make a mean European Mocha Fudge Torte, and a Garlic, herb, and cheese stuffed chicken (Chicken Bundles of Love-as they are known in our family) that is to die for (it is how I got my husband after all)...but Chicken and Dumplins was the only request! I was glad though seeing as I was feeding 8 instead of the usual 4. When my mom left she even asked for the recipe! Most of my recipes come from my moms book, so I was pleasantly surprised. This recipe is so good we nick named Addalene Dumplin'! One of the best parts is the way the soup turns into more of a gravy, yum!

Chicken and Dumplin's

1/2 stalk Celery

1 med/small Onion

4-6 Carrots

Garlic (half bulb)

Chives (optional)

Chop/dice all of the above

Chicken

1 ½ Tbl Olive oil or butter

Chicken bullion

Garlic salt to taste

Italian seasoning-A LOT (keep in mind it’s a soup so it takes more seasoning)

Drop biscuit dough (from scratch is best) or a can of biscuit dough (Drop biscuit recipe follows)

Put chicken in a minimal amount of water-so it covers the chicken by about ¼ to ½ inch add olive oil or butter and bullion then boil til chicken is done (the oil and less water keep the chicken from getting chewy or dry). Keep the stock (water) but remove the chicken, add all the veggies and if necessary add more water so all the veggies move can freely. Add Italian Seasoning and begin boiling while chopping or shredding chicken, add chicken back to soup and continue boiling until the carrots are tender. Taste and add garlic salt as needed (I use Low sodium bullion but I don’t put much garlic salt still-also if using canned dough use less salt because the dough is salty) After seasoning bring to a full rolling boil then drop dough in by spoonfuls slowly (if you go to fast it will cool off the water so it is no longer boiling), after 2 minutes turn over the dumplin’s and let cook another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and enjoy (if you continue to let it boil the dumplins will fall apart)

Drop Buiscuits are yummy with butter and honey, like your great great grandmother made, or use the dough for Dumplins!

Drop Biscuits
1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening or canola oil
1 cup milk

mix all ingredients.
For biscuits drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 8 large biscuits. They are done when the peaks are a deep golden brown.

Good Morning Brithday!

Good morning birthday, I haven’t seen you in a year! July 30 is a day (week) of celebration in our house, it is both Chloe's and my birthday (and according to a sonogram the day of conception for Addie...but that may be TMI-oh well) I was up a lot of the night with a stuffy tossing Addie. Once Bobby got up he made me a giant fresh blueberry pancake and I even used REAL butter! It was delish! Of course Bobby was so groggy at first he couldn’t remember why he was making pancakes, about half way through he came to tell me happy birthday. Once Chloe got up Elijah began galloping in circles around the living room singing “HAAAAPPPPYYY YOU! HAAAAPPPYY YOU!” when he tripped he sat up immediately and said in his deep, manly voice “I’m okay” then began galloping around the room again this time singing “Moon, Moon, Moon”. I have lots to tell about Chloe’s birthday party, it was so much fun, and the least expensive party I have thrown yet! But for now I will leave you with a recipe for blueberry pancakes, these make me smile and hum while I eat-seriously Bobby laughs at me when I eat them, I grew up with bisquick pancakes so when I got the basic pancake recipe I tweaked it (slightly) and here it is-Oh and for those of you who dont know imitation vanilla is NOT the same as vanilla extract, lets just say its like an Elvis impersonator, cheaper and easier to come by, but you can tell its not the real thing

Blu-licious Pancakes

2 cups flour
4 Tbl sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbl melted butter
2/3 cup blueberries rinsed and drained (whole and fresh)

Combine dry ingredients, mix, then add wet ingredients. Stir til smooth. (Its morning nothing complicated, right?) Heat a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons butter in it, at about 75% heat (med-high). If you are going for a healthier meal use a cooking spray on the pan instead. Once hot pour batter onto hot pan using about 1/3 cup batter per pancake. Usually 3-4 will fit on a skillet at a time. Once you see "potholes" appearing evenly across the top you can flip the pancake and cook about 2 minutes until golden brown. Each time you start another set add another tablespoon of butter to the pan. This recipe makes enough for about 5 hungry people! Enjoy!

Spinach Enchiladas

I really enjoyed these, Im not too fond of restaurant style spinach enchiladas, they tend to be greasy and (dare I say) too spinach-y. I found a super simplistic recipe online and went from there adding a few more ingredients. Oh and I cut corners, I dont roll enchiladas, I layer like a lasagna. I use premade tomatillio sauce when cooking with it even though I dont like the pre-made on chips it turns out great when baked.

Green-alicious Enchiladas
Serves; 5-6 cost; $8 time; 30 min or less

1 bunch, or frozen package Spinach
1 cup frozen hash-browns, or diced potatoes
2 Tbl oil
1/2 cup onion-diced
1/4 cup cilantro-diced
3 garlic cloves-diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
16 oz (2 cups)green salsa/tomatillio sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
12-16 corn tortillas
1-2 cups cheese I used cheddar and jack

Cook hashbrowns in oil with onion and garlic, when browned add cilantro and spinach, cook til wilty and steaming. Add cumin, garlic salt, sour cream, and 1 1/4 cups salsa. Stir well and heat til bubbling. Begin preheating oven to 350.
Spray a 9x9" baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup of remaining salsa on bottom of baking dish and spread across bottom. Tear tortillas into pieces and make a layer on bottom of dish-using 3-4 tortillas per layer, pour 1/3 of spinach mixture over tortillas then 1/2 cup cheese, repeat layers 3 times. Make 1 more layer or tortillas on top pour remaining salsa on top, then remaining cheese. Bake at 350 15-20 minutes.

The original recipe I saw only had spinach, sour cream, salsa, and tortillas, if you are working on a budget or trying to cut the calories-go for it, but all together this is already a fairly low cal dish.
Enjoy, I did! My kids even went back for seconds knowing it was spinach.

Happy July!

July marks the beginning of even hotter days and therefore Chloe doesn't like playing outside and Elijah wants to but no one is willing to go out there to watch him...except the bazillions of mosquitoes! It is also 1 month into hurricane season hear in the tropics of Texas, and that means fantastic thunderstorms, even when the storm hits hundreds of miles away. That said we got buckets of rain this last week...inside the house included. Elijah decided that said buckets looked like great swimming pools for him to take a dip in, and throw Chloe's stuffed fish into.
I hope everyone had a great and safe 4th of July. Here in our wonderfully country neighborhood the fireworks red glares were hitting our tree tops and our roof (couldn't hurt it much more right?)so the kids and I hid in the house blaring music and dancing to dampen the blasting booms. Bobby, having not been traumatized by fireworks as I have, watched the neighbors money burning in the air in 20 beautifully bright colors. -As for my trauma, there are so many bad "4th" experiences to choose from, I don't know where to start...babysitters driving drunk, 3 exploding and hitting me, and something about when I was younger...but I remember cars being chased...-
Right now I am working on a dress for Chloe. We are planning (hoping) to do a Prom theme dinner for our birthday on the 30th (same day for both of us!)The main part of her dress took all of 1 hour, while Addie and Elijah slept, that was 2 weeks ago, and since then I have hardly accomplished anything. I have about 30 minutes to an hour left on it, but as soon as I set up someone wakes up and its time to pack up again! Anyhow I plan to do it at 2am if necessary-just to be done with it. Its Hannah Montana meets Belle and Cinderella. The picture is of Cloe and Elijah climbing on my back as I try to hem and make flounces on the dress.
In honor of Independence Day, I am posting an American classic! Southern Style Mac N Cheese- Disclaimer! not to be eaten on a regular basis! Ultra yummy, however, it is macaroni and cheese...I guess if you are used to eating McD's everyday then this would be a step up in the health department though... Enjoy!

Baked Macaroni cost:$7-12 serves: 6* time:30 min

12oz package spiral or penne pasta
1 1/2 lb shredded cheese-I use a mixture or Mild Cheddar,Sharp Cheddar and Colby Jack (usually)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup heavy cream, half n half, or milk
2 T flour
1 package pre crumbled or 1/2 cup diced bacon
1 can corn-or 1 cup frozen (optional)
4 large garlic cloves -diced
1/2 cup onion-copped
1/4 cup chives
1 tsp cumin
garlic salt to taste

Prepare pasta according to package and add corn, garlic, onion and chives to boiling water (or you can saute them in the butter before making the sauce, I tend to boil them because it takes less time)Drain then pour into sprayed 13x9" or larger baking dish sprinkle bacon over the top (cold is fine). In the same boiling pan on medium heat add butter (saute veggies now if doing so) add cream, seasonings and 1 lb of cheese, mix until completely melted and smooth-if sauce is too tin add flour slowly 1 Tbl at a time and stir til slightly thicker-its cheese it will thicken as it cools...pour over noodles and mix together. Sprinkle remaining 1/2lb or cheeses on top. Broil until browned on top.
*for 2 more servings use a full pound of pasta, dont worry about the rest chances are you wont notice a difference in the cheesy-ness.
There are so many ways to change this recipe up, add green chilies, take out 1/2 lb of cheese, or add tomatoes and olives, have fun with it!