Back to Nature Organic Shells and Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese {TASTE TEST & GIVEAWAY}

It's a GIVEAWAY  and it starts today!

We will have THREE winners for a gift package similar to the one shown here, that way all of you can hold your own taste test on this Back to Nature Macaroni & Cheese.

We took the Taste Test Challenge put on by Back to Nature. We love Macaroni & Cheese, any kind, any day, so we never get sick of trying a new brand. We have many favorites already listed here on my blog, check out all our Macaroni & Cheese Recipes some homemade and some straight from a box, but now we got to try a new one in this Taste Test Challenge.

Starting TODAY and only while supplies last you can receive a $0.75 off coupon at www.coupons.com, make sure to hop on over and grab a coupon.

Giveaway Rules: To receive an entry please leave a COMMENT and do at least one of the following to be included in the drawing. (If you are already a follower or facebook fan, then please do #1 or #2).

1. Share this Giveaway with your friends on FACEBOOK. (you can do this by copying and pasting the permalink onto your facebook page, so your friends can have a chance to WIN too!)

2. TWEET or BLOG about this Giveaway (and then leave the URL in the comments).

3. "LIKE" MOMS CRAZY COOKING on facebook & make sure to leave a message on our wall!

4. Become a FOLLOWER of MOMS CRAZY COOKING

That's 4 easy ways to WIN, Good Luck!

This giveaway is open to US residents only and must be 18 years or older.

Winner will be selected via a random drawing on Saturday, September 22, 2012. Winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

Back to Nature is providing the products for this program at no cost to me for review,

the opinions in this post are entirely mine.

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #77 (COPYCAT RECIPES) and Panera Bread's Stove Top Mac and Cheese

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #77

(COPYCAT RECIPES)

Panera Bread's Stove Top Mac and Cheese

My daughter has always LOVED Panera Bread, so when she landed her first job at Panera Bread, she was in heaven (yes, same daughter who loves to make sandwiches). She equally loves PB Mac & Cheese and what do ya know they even post the recipe for their amazing Mac & Cheese, the story is unbelievable, how one chef went all around the world to taste different mac & cheese recipes to come up with this amazing taste and flavor. This is my daughter's favorite macaroni and cheese recipe. If you love mac and cheese, I encourage you to try this.

Story from Panera Bread's Web Site

The world didn’t need another mediocre macaroni and cheese. So Dan Kish, Panera Bread^® head chef and former associate dean at The Culinary Institute of America, embarked on what became a three-year quest to create the ultimate version. While traveling across the country, he sampled about 150 versions of this classic American comfort food and tested 30 different recipes, primarily in his kitchen at home. “It’s almost embarrassing how much effort went into this single product,” he jokes, “and for a while I had the waistline to prove it.”

Kish sampled the dish at mom-and-pop diners, church potluck suppers, Texas steak houses, and even gourmet New York City restaurants. One of his most memorable experiences was at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese at Pike Place Market in Seattle. “They make their macaroni and cheese out of curd, and it was great,” he says. “It was inspiring in terms of achieving a very melted yet sharp taste.”

Kish’s final creation (see recipe the below or sample it any Panera Bread bakery-cafe) actually turned out to be pretty simple. It’s made from a blend of white Vermont cheddar and white American cheeses, plus a little cream and butter. The Vermont cheddar delivers the tang, while the white American supplies the wonderful consistency. Also key is the rigati pasta that Kish selected. It resembles a miniature snail shell, having one end that’s open, another that’s pinched close, and tiny ridges across its surface. This serves to nestle the cheese sauce in every nook and cranny.

Panera Bread's Stove Top Mac and Cheese

found st Smells Like Home, originally from Panera Bread

16 oz pasta shells

4 tbsp butter

1/3 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups milk or heavy cream

4 oz white American cheese, chopped or torn into pieces

8 oz extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp Frank's hot sauce 

In a large stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and has started to bubble, whisk in the flour; cook for 1-1/2 minutes whisking constantly.  Gradually whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook milk mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and bubbles, about 8 minutes.

Remove sauce pan from the heat and by the handful, stir in the cheeses allowing all of the cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more. Stir in the mustard, salt, and hot sauce. Return the sauce pan to the heat and stir in the pasta. Be sure to stir up the sauce from the bottom of the sauce pan and thoroughly coat all of the pasta with sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through. 

This week's theme is: COPYCAT RECIPES

Please only link recipes with our theme!

If you are a regular to THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky party, then link-up we're excited to see what you made this week. If you are new, please just follow our simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don't feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!

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This Week's Cravings Upcoming Linky "THEMES"

Here is a complete list of the past and what's coming up next on THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS!

April 23 - Picnic Recipes

April 30 - Mexican Dishes for Cinco de Mayo

May 7 - Mother's Day Brunch or MOMS Favorite Foods

May 14 - Egg Recipes

Your hostess for this party are: Tina from MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Nicole from The Daily Dish and Kristi from Veggie Converter. We host this theme linky party every Monday (and the party stays open all week long)! We hope to inspire you to make something with our theme or get an old post notice by linking it up to the linky party below. 

The LINKY PARTY is opened ALL Week!

PLEASE do not link more then 3 recipes per week.
This week's theme is: COPYCAT RECIPES
Please only link recipes with our theme!


This week's theme is: COPYCAT RECIPES
Please only link recipes with our theme!

CPK Kids: Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

If you are a Macaroni and Cheese lover, then this post is just for you. Not only do I have a copycat recipe of the famous kids California Pizza Kitchen recipe, I've also recapped all of MOMS CRAZY COOKING Macaroni and Cheese recipes for you.

There is never a shortage of Macaroni and Cheese in our house (I think it may need it's own category here on MOMS CRAZY COOKING: Macaroni & Cheese). We have a few go-to recipes like our Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese that we all love. I am always finding new recipes that I just cant resist or must make for my kids (like this Crab Macaroni & Cheese for my twins who LOVE seafood or this spicy Pepper Jack Macaroni and Cheese). My son however loves Kraft Macaroni and Cheese from a box and CPK kids Macaroni and Cheese is his ALL-TIME favorite (so I try and get creative like this Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with Sweet Potatoes or Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Cheater Recipe) and now I bring to you the recipe that Justin says is almost like California Pizza Kitchen's Macaroni and Cheese. (I am so glad I found this on the web)

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese (copycat recipe from CPK)
recipe found at Babble - The Family Kitchen

18 oz. velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pound fusilli pasta, cooked

In a large pot, melt the cheese and whipping cream together over medium heat. Stir in the pasta. Serve immediately. (Can you believe it's really that easy?)

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #60 (MACARONI & CHEESE) and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese "Cheater Recipe"

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party

MACARONI & CHEESE

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese "Cheater Recipe"

Chrismas Celebrations got the best of me! And I forgot to post this on time! SO SORRY! We had a lovely Christmas and now we are preparing for all of our family to come from out of town for a big wedding this Friday! (I better get up and clean my house ASAP... I will be hosting my cousin and his family of four here from Washington)! But, before I go I wanted to share an amazing "cheater" recipe. It takes that AMAZING Blue Kraft box and makes it even better! I LOVE KRAFT MACARONI & CHEESE.

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese "Cheater Recipe"

recipe source unknown

1 box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (make as directed on box)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1/4 tsp Cheyenne Pepper
6 to 8 Ritz Crackers
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350. Make box of Macaroni & Cheese as directed. Then mix the finished Macaroni & Cheese with the sour cream and 1/2 cup of Cheddar Cheese and Cheyenne Pepper. Crush the Ritz Crackers and then mix with the melted butter. Pour Macaroni and Cheese mixture into an 8x8 baking pan. Cover with 1/2 cup cheese and ritz cracker mixture and bake for 20 minutes.

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This Week's Cravings Upcoming Linky "THEMES"

Here is a complete list of the past and what's coming up next on THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS!

January 2 - Let's Get Healthy (Healthy Meals & Snacks)

January 9 - Comfort Food (Soups & Casseroles)

January 16 - CHEESE LOVER DAY... any cheese recipe

January 23 - Homemade Pies (Dessert or Meals)

If you are new here browse around some past weeks at THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS and you'll see why we are having so much fun and we invite you to link up too. Your hostess for this party are: Tina from MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Angela from Big Bear's Wife, Nicole from The Daily Dish and Kristi from Veggie Converter. We host this theme linky party every Monday (and the party stays open all week long)! We hope to inspire you to make something with our theme or get an old post notice by linking it up to the linky party below.

If you are a regular, link-up we're excited to see what you made this week. Just follow our simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don't feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!

The LINKY PARTY is opened ALL Week!

PLEASE do not link more then 3 recipes per week.
This week's theme is: MACARONI & CHEESE
Please only link recipes with our theme!

This week's theme is: MACARONI & CHEESE
Please only link recipes with our theme!

Pepper Jack Macaroni and Cheese: Thanksgiving Feast 2011

I found this recipe way before my blogging days, I was doing a facebook page called "Cooking Everyday for a Year and Sharing My Recipes". That one year adventure lead me to so many new recipes, it was so much fun and it's what ultimately lead me to start this blog. During that time we were on a quest to find a perfect Macaroni & Cheese recipe that my family loved, this however is NOT that recipe (I still have to share our FAVORITE-FAVORITE Macaroni & Cheese recipe made from scratch) This recipe came as just an added bonus  that we found along the way. It's so different and it has an awesome KICK, so make sure you like spicy. If you love Pepper Jack Cheese then this is for you (just FYI the kids usually don't like it much). This can be the adult macaroni & cheese and you may need to make a separate dish for the kiddo's (try this Easy Macaroni & Cheese we served last year for Thanksgiving). And can you believe this cute little "Turkey" pasta I found. We have a World Market that always has unique pasta, but you can sometimes find it in grocery stores and other specialty stores. It's so fun to use!

Thanksgiving Feast

Turkey with Apples & Butter

Olive Garden Bread Sticks; Copycat Recipe

Pepper Jack Macaroni & Cheese

Crash Hot Potatoes from Pioneer Woman

Grandma's Baked Corn Casserole

Cranberry & Sausage Stuffing

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce from Pioneer Woman

Grandma's Pumpkin Bars

Pepper Jack Macaroni & Cheese

recipe source unknown

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups Pepper Jack Cheese, divided

1 can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk

1/3 tsp black pepper

1/2 cups broken tortilla chips

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a casserole dish. Cook macaroni in a large sauce pan according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to saucepan. Add cheddar cheese, 1-1/2 cups pepper jack cheese, evaporated milk and black pepper. Stir until melted and combined. Pour into baking dish. Combine remaining 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, tortilla chips and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and sprinkle over top. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes covered, uncover and bake for additional 10 minutes until lightly browned.

Four-Cheese Baked Penne

I probably do not need another pasta recipe. But I can't help myself this is my number one thing to eat. I have my few favorites that I make over and over again G'ma's Simple Spaghetti, Goulash, Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce, and Homemade Lasagna, but I am always look at new pasta recipes and cutting them out of magazines like they are going out of style. This recipe below is no different, it was cut from the Taste of Home Magazine and yep it was delicious! I LOVE cheese, I just wish my body would love it as much as I do. The recipe was fabulous, the taste was scrumptious and now I have another favorite pasta.

Four-Cheese Baked Penne

adapted by me originally from Janet Elrod (Taste of Home Magazine)

4 cups uncooked penne pasta

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic minced

1 (8 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp pepper

1-1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook penne pasta according to directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, continue cooking for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, rosemary, pepper flakes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cook for 15 minutes.

Drain penne; add to sauce. Stir in 1/2 mozzarella cheese. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish coasted with cooking spray. Top with Parmesan Cheese and the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

One Year Ago Today: Apple and Craisin Chicken Salad

Mac and Cheese Bites: CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE

CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE #1
Macaroni and Cheese

This is the very first post of this brand new cooking challenge. If you are interested in learning more about it go here to the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE information tab. But, what it is, is that a group of exclusive bloggers come together one day a month and make the same recipe. And YOU CAN JOIN TOO! Just click on over and join the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE, next month we will be searching for the ULTIMATE Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Come on and join us... but now onto this month's challenge MACARONI and CHEESE.

I am so excited about starting this and equally excited that we have almost 70 bloggers taking part in this awesome challenge. This is the first month and we are on a quest to find the ULTIMATE MACARONI & CHEESE recipe. All 70 of us bloggers set out into "Blog World" in search of a macaroni and cheese recipe. We all cooked the same type of recipe, and are all posting at the same time. This is so that all of you can see so many amazing recipes for Macaroni & Cheese all in one place, and we need your help to VOTE!

I love reading blogs, I would say it's now one of my favorite past times. I can sit at work all day long and get lost in reading recipe after recipe in blog world. (yes, family business. as long as my work is done, all I need to do is man the phones) I read so many that I just print out recipes I want to make as I come across them because there is no way I would ever be able to find them again, as I click from one to another to another, with each one pointing me to a new and exciting recipe.

For this first challenge I decided that Macaroni & Cheese would be an all time favorite of almost any family and what better way to kick off the Crazy Cooking Challenge then America's Favorite side dish.

Now, I do have my families favorite Macaroni & Cheese recipes already posted here on MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Easy Homemade Macaroni & Cheese & Kraft Macaroni & Cheese with Sweet Potatoes, but the ENTIRE point of this CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE is to look beyond your normal recipes and look out into blog world and find a NEW recipe to try.

I went directly to my cooking file (that extra large box of all the thousands of papers I've printed off. Yes this is it and that new pile on top is just from the last month or so). I went there and looked up Macaroni & Cheese and yep, I had two recipes just waiting to be made, by two awesome bloggers Mac and Cheese Bites from Dinners for a Year and Beyond and Ranch Mac & Cheese from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary, well for no other reason then just picking out of a hat (and just because they were a little bit different then the norm) I choose Mac and Cheese Bites from Dinners for a Year and Beyond.

I came across this blog over a year ago, I have been following ever since and I also am a facebook friend too, funny how we are friends with so many people who don't really even know we exist. Amy is the blog owner of Dinners for a Year and Beyond, and I've gotten to know her only through her, facebook page, her blog and her "about" page. I love her humor and I am always reading on facebook what her newest recipes are for her latest clients, she is a personal chef Eat! A Personal Chef Service. This has got to be the coolest job ever, when I grow up, this is exactly what I want to do, go into peoples house cook lots of meals for them and then vanish. It sounds like so much fun. But for now I will just continue to bake, cook and eat with my own family of 6.

Mac and Cheese Bites
found on Dinners for a Year and Beyond, she adapted from a recipe Food & Wine Magazine

1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups, packed, sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for sprinkling on top
3 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 24-count, nonstick mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking occasionally, for about 2 -3 minutes until thickened. Add cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and stir to melt. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks, salt and nutmeg. Stir in macaroni.

Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of macaroni and cheese into the prepared mini muffin pan. Each cup should be filled to the top. Pack each one down gently. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 10 - 15 minutes. Using a teaspoon, carefully loosen the mac and cheese bites and transfer to a platter to serve.

To make ahead, bake and cool mac and cheese bites. Sprinkle with a little more Parmesan cheese. Package and refrigerate. Place bites on a baking sheet and bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

HELP US VOTE: Yep, this is how we will find the ULTIMATE RECIPE. There is a “LIKE” button on the blog-hop linky party and we want you to help us VOTE for the recipe that you think is the ULTIMATE MACARONI & CHEESE RECIPE. Next Wednesday, I will be featuring the ULTIMATE RECIPE voted on by all the readers.

Mozzarella Pasta

Cutting out magazine clippings is an understatement around my house and well my kids just follow along. So, now when my daughter reads Seventeen Magazine and sees a recipe, she cuts it out and it magically appears on my kitchen counter. I think this means I am suppose to make it. Well, that's how this recipe appeared. A healthy kind of pasta dish for teenagers? I guess? I had all the stuff in house and this is what landed itself on our table for dinner.

Mozzarella Pasta
found in Seventeen Magazine, adapted to our taste

1-2/3 cups uncooked pasta (bowtie or penne)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup skim mozzarella, cubed
1-1/2 cups bagged baby spinach
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Ladel out 1/2 cup of the boiled water and set aside, then strain pasta. In a medium skillet, warm the oil. Add tomatoes and garlic, and saute over medium heat soft (about 15 minutes). Add the cheese, spinach, and pasta water. Remove from heat. Toss with the pasta, then cover with a lid until the cheese melts.

Crab Macaroni and Cheese (GLUTEN-FREE)

My girls (and hubby) were lovin' this recipe! ME, I do NOT eat seafood, NO WHERE, NO HOW, NEVER! I eat NOTHING from the sea. (sorry everyone!) My girls and hubby however LOVE it all. And crab is there new favorite favorite thing. I usually just whip them up a stir fry and call it a day. It's not too often that I can create my own recipe from scratch but tonight I felt inspired to try and use some things up in my refrigerator. And it was a HIT, a HUGE HIT! Crab Macaroni and Cheese (I really wish I liked Crab it looked so good! Believe me, I tried, I got it all the way to my mouth and then I just want to gag from the smell of "fish") But, for all those folks out there who LOVE seafood, my family says you must try this!

Crab Macaroni and Cheese (GLUTEN-FREE)

by Tina Hudgens

1 pkg Macaroni Noodles (Gluten-Free)
1 pkg of Crab Meat (or use fresh if you'd like)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp of flour (Gluten-Free)
1 tbsp of Cornstarch
1 cup of fat-free milk
1/2 cup of (fresh) Mozzarella, chunks or grated
1/4 cup of Cheddar Cheese, chunks or grated
1 to 2 tbsp of Parsley

Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions. Then melt butter in a sauce pan until bubbly; add in flour and cornstarch. Stir for a few minutes and then add in milk. Bring to a soft boil and then add in cheese; stir until melted. Stir together the macaroni, cheese sauce and parsley spread into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes until bubbly. Serve & Enjoy!

I LOVE Linky Parties, (CLICK TO SEE ALL PARTIES), and it's Thursday, almost time for the weekend. Today, we will link to these wonderful linky parties, check them out and join in! Cooking Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Prairie Story Recipe Swap, Strut Your Stuff, Thrilling Thursday, Try New Adventures Thursdays, What's Cooking Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Show Off Your Stuff, Hookin' Up with House of Hepworths and Transformation Thursday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, It's a Keeper Thursday, (gluten-free) Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real-Food Wednesday, Food & Health Carnival

I LOVE FRIDAYS, that means the week is OVER & the WEEKEND is here and I LOVE Linky Parties too, (CLICK TO SEE ALL PARTIES). Today, we will link this recipe to: FAB Friday, Family Friendly Fridays, Fat Camp Friday, Flaunt it Friday, Feasting in Fellowship Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Food on Fridays, Foodie Friday, Friday Favorites, Potluck Friday, Fun Food with Friday, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Home & Family Friday, I'm Lovin' It Friday, Inspiration Friday, Simple Link Party, Food Trip Friday, Saturday Swap, Show and Share Day and Food Fight Friday

THIS WEEKS CRAVINGS LINKY PARTY #22 (SURPRISE INGREDIENT) and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese w/Sweet Potatoes

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #22

The Theme is: "SURPRISE" Ingredient
(What can you hide in your food?)

When I first learned about adding in vegetables into my kids food I was so fascinated that I could actually pull it off. The book I was introduced to was Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food and after cooking from this book for a few months I learned so many things that I still use to this day. The recipe I am sharing today is one of my own and it's an all time favorite. This recipe is quick, it's easy and I use it often when I am in a hurry. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with an added BONUS Sweet Potatoes. (no, this is not a paid ad for Kraft Mac & Cheese)

I store these small 1/4 cups of Sweet Potatoes in my freezer, so that I have them at all times. They only take about 30 seconds in the microwave to thaw out. (I also have cauliflower, spinach and a few others on hand).

My son is the worst eater ever and it's so crazy because my girls love food, all kinds of different foods and my son eats NOTHING. Really, he eats sandwiches with only jelly, buttered noodles, macaroni and cheese and cereal. Of course ice cream is his nightly treat and besides these few basic things he is the pickiest eater ever. Oh, but he LOVES avocados, yep the whole avocado just cut up, and he'll eat more then one if I let him.

So, sneaking in vegetables has become my favorite past time with him. I can add these sweet potatoes in his Macaroni and Cheese, puree' Cauliflower into his buttered noodles, scrambled eggs and also into his mashed potatoes. These simple things have really let me be more relaxed about his eating knowing that I can sneak in a few extra healthy vegetables here and there. I really truly recommend getting this cookbook (especially if your kids are picky), it has so many recipes and taught me so many more things about adding in things where you least expect it (spinach in chocolate cake, REALLY!), and it never hurts to be a little more healthier.

This week's theme "SURPRISE INGREDIENT" is a little harder then last week's CHOCOLATE... CHOCOLATE... and MORE CHOCOLATE in which we had over 150 link-ups of AWESOME chocolate recipes (you can bet I'll be making alot of them as soon as I possibly can)! But, I am just as excited to see what you wonderful bloggers can come up with in your secret, surprise and/or hidden ingredient recipes. It doesn't have to be a vegetable... Do you hide a snickers bar inside of a cupcake or cookie, a puree' vegetable inside of your spaghetti sauce or some spinach inside our your morning smoothie?

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese with Sweet Potatoes

from Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (follow the recipe on your favorite box)
1/4 cup puree' sweet potatoes

Make a box of your regular Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and then add in 1/4 cup of puree Sweet Potatoes along with the milk, butter and cheese sauce.

I store puree sweet potatoes in ziploc baggies (1/4 cup) in each bag (or in little plastic to-go containers); and store in my freezer.  This adds in some much needed veggies to the kids favorite meals and they don't even know it!

I LOVE Linky Parties and it's MONDAY already! Let's do this bloggers... it's a fresh start to a NEW week! I can't wait to mix and mingle with all of you and see what has been cooking in your kitchens! Today, this recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Homemaker Monday, I Made It Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Made by You Mondays, Making the World Cuter, Market Yourself Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays, Your Recipes, My Kitchen, and My Meatless Mondays

*****************************************************

Now onto the LINKY PARTY! Please only link recipes with our theme!
This week's theme is: SURPRISE INGREDIENT
(What can you hide in your favorite recipe?)

Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up on This Week's Cravings!

The SIMPLE Rules: (Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings)

If you are a regular link-up we're excited to see what you made! If you are new please read & follow the simple rules, so everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to link back or add a button IN YOUR post you will receive a gentle reminder. THANKS A MILLION!

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This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

March 14 - St. Patricks Celebration - GO GREEN!!! (ONE MORE DAY TO LINK)

March 21 - Chocolate - Chocolate and more Chocolate !!!

March 28 - "Surprise" Ingredient (What can you hide in your food?)

April 4 - HUBBY COOKS (I can't wait to see what the husbands come up with)

April 11 - Incredible Edible Egg (Bring out your best Egg Dish!)

April 18 - Easter Cookies & Treats

April 25 - Easter Dinner

This is a BLOG HOP Party so please visit other links

and meet some great BLOGGERS!