Crazy Easy Mac and Cheese

So the other day at the grocery store, they had pork shoulders buy one get one free.  Great deal! So on Monday morning, I put my pork in the slow cooker with plans to have pulled pork for dinner.  Usually while I’m at work, I’ll brainstorm some ideas for what else I’m going to have with whatever meat I thawed out…but on this day I was stumped.  We had just had mashed potatoes for dinner the night before and I didn’t want to do potatoes two days in a row….and rice didn’t seem like a good choice.  Then suddenly it hit me, MAC AND CHEESE.  We had pulled pork and mac and cheese at our wedding, so clearly it’s a household favorite haha

Normally I like to make mac and cheese and then bake it to get it crispy, but I wasn’t going to get home until kinda late and I wanted something that would come together fast! I kinda just threw this mac and cheese together (in 15 minutes, no lie) and it turned out SO GOOD.  So I’ll let you guys in on the recipe…really nothing fancy.  Just simple, easy, and DELICIOUS.  I used earth balance vegan butter and almond milk to cut down on the dairy, but you could totally use any kind of butter or milk that you’d like!

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Chicken and Dumplings

People love to say that things are “old family recipes”…but in this case, that’s actually true. My grandma grew up on a farm in North Carolina where she learned how to cook traditional Southern food.  One of the recipes that kind of became her signature dish was her chicken and dumplings.  She made it for my mom during her childhood and when my mom got older, she had grandma teach her how to make it.  Once my mom had her own family, she would make it for us for special occasions.  Both my dad and I requested it for every single birthday! It was and still is our absolute favorite meal!

My grandma taught me, my mom, my sisters, and my cousin how to make it.  Thankfully, she also kept her hand-written recipe card for it in the house as well.  After she passed away, my grandpa dug out the recipe and made it for himself when he was missing her 🙂 He said it wasn’t as good as when she made it, but it was “pretty darn close.”  This dish has always been near and dear to my whole family because it was such a beloved part of our childhood…but now that my grandma has passed away, it’s become even more comforting and special 🙂

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