Southern Macaroni and Cheese [+ Video]

When we think of macaroni and cheese we always think of Grandma Carol’s ultimate comfort food, her cheesy Southern Macaroni and Cheese!

It’s so nice when we get to go back to the Carolinas to visit family; we wish we could go more often. There’s so much history there, and we love to see it all. As much as we love to visit all the places, we can’t wait to get together with family for some good old family food favorites and great chats. When we get together with Grandma Carol and Grandpa Lou, it is a sure bet that one of the dishes will be macaroni and cheese and that not one morsel will be left in the dish at the end of the meal.

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Brown Butter Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Tonight was “see-what-you-can-make-for-dinner-with-whatever-is-in-the-fridge” and this brown butter spaghetti squash recipe was the result. It is seriously one of my absolute must-haves for fall! Buttery squash with a hint of nuttiness from the pine nuts and savory goodness from the squash, gosh it’s good!

You could easily substitute any veggies or meat that you like-or leave the meat out for a vegetarian meal.

When I was younger one of my friends decided to be a vegetarian. I was shocked! I grew up in a meat and potatoes home. My mother was from Idaho and my father from Oregon so we ate meat with every single dinner. That was the farm way. It was not however her way. I didn’t understand what a vegetarian was really other then you didn’t eat meat. That was enough to stop my inquiries as who could possibly eat dinner without meat? I don’t think it was a nutritious decision at all either.

As soon as she went vegetarian she also went overboard on the candy. No joke. She wouldn’t eat meat so she ate quite the plethora of candy instead. Whaaaaa? I think she missed the boat there a bit, but I’m quite certain she is back to meat eating. And even if she wasn’t, I’ve personally discovered that eating vegetarian for a few meals a week is actually quite awesome. Our bodies actually love the whole “meat sparingly” concept. Fancy that. 😉 We have several plant based and vegetarian recipes on the blog now, and they are some of my favorites!

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Easy Herbed Peasant Bread Recipe

With this easy herbed peasant bread recipe, fresh homemade bread has never been easier! It is golden and crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. It is also super versatile and done in a just a few hours.

A few of my friends make peasant bread every Sunday, and when you’ve got three friends who don’t know each other but are all doing the same thing, it’s high time to try it.

We baked it last Sunday for the first time and we are totally sold. It is so simple (you make it all in ONE bowl) and so fluffy, and I love that I can start it after church and it’s ready to bake for dinner. It also scores major bonus points for being a no-knead bread dough! You’re going to love it!

Ingredients Needed for Peasant Bread

The ingredients for peasant bread are simple and likely things that you will have on hand already. We love adding the fresh herbs for extra flavor. You can experiment with your favorite combination of herbs or leave out the herbs altogether. Here is what you will need:

• Flour – just regular all purpose flour works great, or you can use bread flour
• Kosher Salt – adds flavor
• Warm Water – the ideal temperature of water for activating yeast is 105-115 degrees F
• Sugar – feeds the yeast so it can properly activate
• Instant Yeast – I’ve found that instant yeast works best rather than active dry yeast
• Rosemary – fresh is preferred, minced fine
• Thyme – fresh is best, but if you want to use dried, just add a couple of pinches
• Parsley – fresh, and finely chopped
• Butter – used for greasing the bowls that the bread will bake in, and when the bread is fresh out of the oven, brush the top with melted butter (or olive oil)
• Flaked Sea Salt – we love sprinkling a little salt on top for extra flavor

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

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Pao De Queijo Brazilian Cheese Bread

Pao De Queijo Brazilian Cheese Bread is a simple and cheesy gluten free bread from Brazil. It’s made with tapioca flour and a mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you make, bake, and then eat them. No yeast. No rising, and no waiting. They also freeze super well to eat on a different day.

They are slightly crispy on the outside and soft, chewy and cheesy on the inside. Pretty much cheesy bread perfection!

Have you ever been to Tucanos? It’s this fantastic Brazilian restaurant that serves Churrasco style. The meat comes around on skewers and you turn your little wooden thingy to green for start the food and red to stop. It. Is. Awesome. Forrizle. Every single year we celebrate Cade’s birthday at Tucanos. It’s tradition.

Anyway, we love taking the kids and letting them experience this Brazilian restaurant. Ok, it’s not the real deal like they have in Brazil, but it’s as good as we are going to get around here. The kids love when the drums come out and everyone sings to Cade. Don’t you just love a good tradition?

They have this bread called Pao de Queijo in Brazil and so, of course, it’s served at Tucanos. I have been tweaking and testing this recipe for years and this is finally IT! I can’t stop popping these little bundles of joy into my mouth!

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Mexican Roasted Zucchini

Mexican roasted zucchini — Change things up for your next Mexican feast with this fantastic Mexican vegetable side dish!

Alright maybe I don’t know everything about truly authentic Mexican food because I’ve never lived there, but I do know how to make delicious things that go with Mexican food.

I always feel a little frustrated trying to figure out sides for main dishes around the world because we seem to get hyper-focused on a few things and never explore other options. Burritos for dinner, rice and beans as sides. Spaghetti for dinner, garlic bread and salad as the side. Now surely that isn’t how native to Italy or Mexico people are eating.

So long story short, we’ve been making this Mexican Roasted Zucchini for a few years as a way to mix up our tacos, honey lime chicken and more. It is so flavorful but even more easy than frying up a quesadilla. Ok, it’s not, you do have to chop the zucchini, but it is so so simple! It’s a perfect Mexican Side Dish Recipe

What Do I Need for Mexican Roasted Zucchini?

The best news about this recipe is that it only takes a few ingredients to make the magic happen! Grab a few zucchinis