To create even more flexibility in the kitchen, I cook Mac n Cheese in the Slow Cooker.  This is a recipe I’ve used for years, and while I continue to test new slow cooker mac ‘n cheese recipes, this one is always a crowd favorite.  Plus, you can set it and forget it and let it cook while working on everything else. I started making this when all the older kids were little, but everyone always eats it - not just the kids.  

Slow Cooker Mac ‘n Cheese
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 16oz macaroni
• 1 12oz can of milk
• 1 ½ cups regular milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup melted margarine
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Pepper to taste

 
PREPARATION:

• Cook and drain macaroni. Set aside
• Mix the next 7 ingredients together.
• Place the cooked macaroni in a greased slow cooker (a 3 Qt or 4Qt size is perfect)
• Add the cheese mixture and stir to blend well
• Cook for 3-4 hours on the low setting.

 

Roasted Beets with Feta and Walnuts
 
They key to making this a time saver for you is to buy the pre-cooked beets in the produce section.  To make this recipe I used 2 boxes of the pre-cooked beets.
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 packages of pre-cooked beets
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• ½ Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup of chopped walnuts
• 2 T chopped chives
• 8ounces of arugula

 
PREPARATION:
1.   Wash, dry and place the arugula into a large serving bowl.
2.  Slice the beets into quarters, or round slices as per your preference, and place them on top of the arugula.
3.  Crumble the feta on top of the beets, and sprinkle the whole bowl with the walnuts and chives.
4.  Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a zig-zag pattern across the top of the salad, and serve.
 
 
These next two items are relatively easy, so that frees up time for two more time intensive items:  Ratatouille and Mashed Potatoes. Both just take a lot of time cleaning, peeling, slicing, etc…  The ratatouille was made much easier by using my mandoline, which also made all of the slices perfectly even. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com:
 
Disney’s Ratatouille
INGREDIENTS:

• • 1, 6oz can of tomato paste
  • ½ onion, diced
  • ¼ cup minced garlic
  • 1 T olive oil, and 3 T olive oil (divided)
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 small eggplant, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow squash, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 T mascarpone cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 
PREPARATION:
1.  Preheat oven to 375F.
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2.  Spread tomato paste in the bottom of a 10 x 10 baking pan (note: I used an 8x8 pan and it worked just fine).

3.  Sprinkle with onion and garlic, and stir in one T of olive oil and water until thoroughly combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Arrange alternating slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper, working from the outer edge of the dish and working concentrically towards the center. Overlap the pieces slightly to display the colors.

5.  Drizzle the vegetables with the 3T of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover vegetables with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside the dish.

6.  Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are roasted and tender. Serve with dollops of mascarpone cheese.

For mashed potatoes, I rely on the tried and true classic Basic Mashed potatoes recipe from allrecipes.com.
 
Basic Mashed Potatoes:
 
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds baking potatoes (I prefer Yukon golds)
2 T butter
1 cup of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
 
PREPARATION:
1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes, and then drain. (note: I peel and pare my potatoes first. I don’t like skins in my mashed potatoes, and paring them helps them to cook more evenly).

2.  In a small saucepan, heat the butter and milk over low heat until the butter is melted. Using a potato masher or an electric beater, slowly blend the milk mixture into the potatoes until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 
Tips:  
​1.  I get the water started before I start peeling the potatoes. By the time I’m done, the water is usually ready.
 
2.  After I drain the potatoes, I return them to the pot.  I add the milk/butter mixture in there and use the hand mixer in that same pot.  Them I put it in a different dish to serve it.  But this cuts down on making another unnecessary dirty bowl in a very busy kitchen.
 
Stuffing:
There are a lot of great stuffing recipes, but if you don’t have the time I strongly recommend the stuffing from the Honey Baked Ham company.  Get two of them. But if you do want to make it from scratch, here’s my favorite recipe for Basic Bread Stuffing from New York Times Cooking.

What to do with an abundance of Basil in your summer herb garden (and seriously it’s like Little Shop of Horrors – it’s a huge basil plant!). Well, homemade pesto of course!
 
There are a ton of pesto recipes out there, so I decided to start with a very simple, basic one by Florence Fabricant with NYTCooking.  I also saved a pretty jar from some olive tapenade which made the perfect vessel for my beautiful pesto (see photo).
 
 
​

Basic Pesto
 
INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
• 2 Tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

 
PREPARATION

1. Combine basil leaves, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely minced.​​

​Avocado toast has become my new favorite breakfast. Or lunch. It’s healthy, delicious, simple to make, and simple to dress up. This is a nutritious meal in under 5 minutes.

There is basic avocado toast. And then there all the ways you can personalize it. Much like tacos, the options are endless.  I like to use various ingredients like microgreens, cherry tomatoes, bacon, jalapenos, chives, radishes, spinach, arugula, red pepper flakes, onions, salmon, goat cheese and dill in a variety of combinations. But you can really just use anything you have on hand.

Step 1:  Toast your bread.  You can use any type of bread, and I prefer thick cut white bread.  But crusty bread or whole grain can make it even healthier.

Step 2: Cut, scoop and mash the avocado in a small bowl. A fork works great for this.

Step 3: Add to the mash. For this, the basic mash, I suggest using a squirt of lime, salt and pepper, and maybe some cilantro. Mix it up well.

Step 4: Spread the mash on the toast. Give it another pinch of sea salt and Voila!

Step 5 is Optional: some people like to add egg to the top of the toast – sunny-side up, poached, or even hard boiled. This definitely helps to give you a bigger dose of protein to get through the morning.

Additional Flavor Option Ideas:
cheese and chives, salmon and dill, salmon and dill and goat cheese, pico de gallo, bacon and tomato, or bacon and tomato and lettuce.