Amish Wedding Noodles - My Way

Medium egg noodles, cooked in chicken stock or broth, then combined with cream soup and Velveeta.

Amish Wedding Noodles

At some point along the way, you've probably seen those viral TikTok Cafeteria or Buttered Noodles making the rounds on social media. I really don't know the origins of them, but by the name I am assuming that they came about from back in the day when school cafeterias actually served real food instead of the sad excuses that often grace the plates of kids today.

I personally don't remember a noodle dish at all, but I'll be honest. While I remember all of the food being homemade and tasty, the one thing that stands out the most from my school lunches are those awesome homemade yeast rolls!

The classic Rotel Queso Dip, but made with sausage and shrimp!

Shrimp Rotel Dip

This is a variation of the classic and ever-popular Rotel Queso Dip, with the addition of shrimp and often ground beef, though ground turkey, pork or sausage or even a combination works well too. I personally love it with breakfast sausage the most, over them all!

Most recipes use a larger shrimp, sometimes whole, sometimes chopped up, but I find the small salad sized shrimp to be a perfect choice. There are lots of them in a pound and they're just the right chip size.

 

A hot dip, made with breakfast sausage, a mix of cheeses, sour cream, Worcestershire, hot sauce, vibrant seasonings and green onion. Serve with your favorite crackers, chips or assorted raw veggies.

Sausage and Cheese "Hissy Fit" Dip

Make. This. Dip.

I'm serious!

It is soooooo darn good y'all, you will fall in love with it and want to eat the whole thing.

By your little ole self.

 

The pared down version of my fabulous and famous special occasion holiday macaroni and cheese. This version is the same, super creamy, gooey and rich mac and cheese, but in a smaller version, perfect for those family and church gatherings.

Super Creamy Mac and Cheese

By popular demand, I'm bringing you this pared down version of my well-loved, Big Batch, Special Occasion, Super-Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. The one I first published on my blog in December of 2008. The one that has been pinned more than 99,000 times since. And the one that I got a happy dance from David Venable when I was on QVC with my first cookbook, not once, but both times!

Macaroni and cheese, made with chicken, shell noodles and some common elements from my Buffalo Chicken Dip with Bacon.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese in just about any form you can make it.

My favorite, hands down, and one of the most popular recipes on my site from day one, is the 'overly decadent but so totally delicious it's worth making,' special occasion mac and cheese.

Perfectly Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin, made with thinly sliced potatoes in a cheesy dreamy cream sauce.

Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin

Hello Scalloped Potatoes, meet the best, perfectly cheesy, Potatoes au Gratin, evah.

Ya know, seriously... I am of the opinion that it'd be kinda hard to mess up a dish of potatoes au gratin no matter what you do to them - I mean c'mon now. Potatoes. Cheese. Butter. Cream. Hello. If you're making this for the holidays, you'll probably want to double the ingredients and do extra layers.

Well, I personally love Julia's way with this classic potato dish, however I decided to play with it a bit. You know. For the holidays. 

A spicy sausage dip made with Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese, and Rotel tomatoes.

Sausage and Cheese White Rotel Dip

This is another great dip for keeping your guests at bay while you cook out, for football night, your next party, or simply for movie night in with the family.

It's simple, only four ingredients and comes together quick. Keep it warm in the crockpot and scoop out single servings into small custard bowls with tortilla chips or corn chips on the side.

A wonderful potato casserole featuring russet potatoes, cheese, sour cream, and Rotel diced tomatoes, plus optional garnishes of tomato, avocado, green onion, bacon and additional sour cream.

Velveeta Truck Stop Potato Casserole

Truck Stop Potatoes apparently originated at an Idaho truck stop as a breakfast side dish and was picked up at some point by a caterer who may have come up with the idea of the garnishes.

Mine is a little bit different from the traditional recipe which uses red potatoes (though you may substitute those here too of course), a combination of cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, plain diced tomatoes and garnishes with extra tomatoes, avocados, green onion and extra sour cream.

Sweet bell peppers stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, Italian sausage, rice & a Creole tomato sauce, topped with cheddar cheese, slices of Velveeta or your favorite.

Creole Stuffed Bell Peppers

I absolutely adore stuffed bell peppers. The Cajun? Not so much.

Remember his aversion to veggies?

Well, the poor bell pepper falls right into that category of any other whole veggie that is stuffed - even though most often the very veggie he is rejecting whole, is mixed in the stuffing anyway! So, as with any stuffed vegetable, he will just eat the stuffing from a stuffed bell pepper, and throw away the pepper.

Silly man. I mean, he eats green bell pepper a lot. How many recipes do y'all see here that contain The Trinity - onion, celery, and ... hello ... green bell pepper? Lots. Sigh.

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheese

An easy, creamy, cheesy, chicken broth based broccoli soup that gives star attention to the broccoli.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

A reader asked on Twitter if I had a broccoli soup recipe, and while I had not put one up on the blog yet, I tweeted the basics to them, hoping I didn't forget anything. (I did. I forgot the garlic!)

Then, well, all I could think of the rest of the day was broccoli soup - so of course I had to make some!

Kraft Garlic Cheese Roll Substitute

Oh the lament across the net a few years back when Kraft decided to discontinue the garlic cheese roll! Didn't Kraft realize that while it may not have been a big seller throughout the year, thousands upon thousands of cooks across the country used that roll of garlic cheese to make their holiday broccoli cheese casserole, spinach casserole, garlic cheese biscuits, cheese balls, stove-top garlic cheese grits, and baked cheese grits, who knows what else?!

Well, I was not a user of the famous cheese roll, but in researching this topic for my readers, I ran across a tidbit that said a grocery store manager was told by the folks at Kraft, that the squirt cheese product called Easy Cheese Roasted Garlic Cheddar flavor, was actually the same exact product contained in the roll, 1 can equal to 1 roll.

Cajun Cabbage au Gratin, also known in this area as Choux Glorieux, or Glorious Cabbage, is a casserole of cooked, chopped cabbage, made with The Trinity, milk moistened bread, cheese and finished with a bread crumb and cheese topping.

Cajun Cabbage Au Gratin Casserole

Had some cabbage on hand so decided to do an au gratin for y'all. If you're anywhere from around the lower Deep South area, you probably know this dish as Choux Glorieux, or Glorious Cabbage. I am happy that it is "casserole season," but I hate the way that casseroles photograph - the pictures just do not ever do justice to the dish - but don't let that lead you. Most casseroles are outstanding and this one is no exception.

Any Day Everyday Baked Macaroni and Cheese

A creamy baked macaroni and cheese that uses a combination of cheddar and Velveeta and a buttery roux.

Any Day Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Okay, you probably wouldn't want to eat this every day, but what I mean by that is that this is my 'regular' mac and cheese recipe that can be used any day, as opposed to my special occasion mac and cheese, which is excellent, but very rich, decadent, loaded with eggs, butter with cheese. I finally got around to making this one, and it, on the other hand, is a little, well, more reasonable, and what you could serve any day of the week.

Crawfish in a creamy Velveeta cheese sauce served with fettuccine.

Crawfish Velveeta Fettuccine

Here's another delicious recipe that is a popular dish down south along the Coast and appropriate for Fridays during Lent. If you aren't a fan of crawfish, shrimp is an excellent substitute here. And yes y'all... this one uses Velveeta. Now... if you don't want to use that product to make this, feel free to make your own homemade cheese sauce! Just leave the rest of us to our Velveeta.

And speaking of which... here comes the soapbox "hissy fit" folks - y'all know I gotta do it!

Shrimp in a creamy pasta sauce over pasta.

Creamy Shrimp and Pasta

Mealtime has been pretty simple around here with all the yardwork goin' on, and I need to get to the grocery store too!

The leaves are steady falling out there, which if any of you have to deal with this every spring (or fall, depending on your tree), you understand the frustration. No sooner do you get them up, and sweep your walkway before it looks like you never touched it! But ... if you wait and don't keep at it, well, not only is the job MUCH bigger, but those leaves are smothering that grass up underneath that is trying to sprout and crowd out the weeds!

Stuffed pistolette rolls, baked or deep fried, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and filled with a creamy shrimp or crawfish sauce.

Baked Shrimp Stuffed Pistolettes

Lawdy mercy, are those good.

Remember those pistolette rolls that I made the other day? Well, I specifically set aside a couple of them so that I could make some stuffed pistolettes. And I gotta tell ya, those rolls are so darned good, it sure wasn't easy to keep any until I got around to these! When I make a batch of them they never last long. Thank goodness they are so easy to make!

Original Ro-Tel Famous Queso Dip and Variations

Classic and always a winner, I don't think a party would be complete without a chafing dish full of cheesy Velveeta and Rotel queso dip. Pictured is the Beefy Cheeseburger Rotel variation.

Original Ro-Tel Famous Queso Dip

This classic queso dip is always an expected and welcome addition at any party. The best way to serve it is in something that will keep it warm and pliable, like a chafing dish or something like the multi-pot buffet cookers.  I sure do love this stuff!

Original Ro-Tel Famous Queso Dip

I've also included my favorite variations at the bottom of the recipe - Beefy Cheeseburger Rotel Dip (pictured up at the top) that you can bump up with a packet of taco seasoning, Spicy Sausage Rotel Dip, Chili Con Queso, Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Rotel Dip pictured here,

Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Rotel Dip

Bob Armstrong Style Southwestern Dip

Yum, y'all. Want something else, a little bit different? Check out my White Cheese Rotel Dip too!

Here's how to make them.

Southern Style Big Batch Super Creamy Special Occasion Macaroni and Cheese

This big batch, super creamy macaroni and cheese, made with cheddar, monterey jack, and velveeta, is insanely decadent, buttery, gooey, and over the top cheesy, perfect for those special occasions.

Southern Style Big Batch Super Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

This is not a mac and cheese you want to serve once a week but more say for company, pot lucks, special occasions, birthdays, events, or holidays ... and even though it's not quite the holidays, I so wanted to make it to share with you, so you could add it to your holiday menu. Oh the sacrifice!