Home Matters Linky Party #523

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Welcome to the weekly Home Matters Linky Party #523

A great place to come, share your blog posts and make new friends.

We are so glad you are here with us each week.

I am so excited to be a part of the Home Matters Linky Party Team! I have been participating for quite some time and am eager to make some more contributions to this party. A little about me – I’m a WFH Wife and Mom. My husband, four kids, 5 dogs and 15 chickens all currently live in the PNW, but we are embarking on a cross country move to Big Sky Country over the next 3 months to live out our dreams of being Homesteaders! Like the name implies – I love to make homemade meals every night of the week for my family. I care about what types of things we are eating and I like to try new things. This blog is all about sharing those journeys and adventures with you.

Now on to this week’s party! I can’t wait to see you there.

Meet the hosts!

Donna @ Modern On Monticello — Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Joy @ Days Filled With Joy — Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook Group

Estelle @ Homemade On A Weeknight — Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

My feature this week!

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

EACH HOSTESS SELECTS THEIR OWN 4 FEATURES EACH WEEK. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 12 DIFFERENT BLOGGERS FEATURED WEEKLY.

IF YOU WEREN’T FEATURED ON MY BLOG THIS WEEK, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN FEATURED AT Love My Little Cottage , OR Days filled with joy. HOP OVER TO TAKE A LOOK!

My feature picks this week!

Simple Pork Belly Roast

shared by Esme Salon

Teriyaki Chickpeas

shared by Strength and Sunshine

Pork Tenderloin Sliders

shared by Craft Klatch

Hearty 7 Can Soup

shared by Forever Friends

Home Matters Linky Party Guidelines:

Please take some time to poke around and visit some of the other links.
Please take some time to check out your hosts and co-hosts on social media.
We appreciate the variety of blogs on the www; however, the Home Matters Party is for links on matters of the HOME. Please link accordingly.
We ask that you do not add other Linky Parties, Blog Hops, or Giveaways–unless you begin the party with a new project, recipe or post.
On the same note, please do not add links of an extremist, political or strong controversial nature. (The hosts and co-hosts read each and every blog post linked and will contact you directly if you have linked something that does not fit into the realm of the party.)

With your help, we can continue to grow the Home Matters Party! Thank you!

We are looking for Co-Hosts. Help us Rock this party!
If you are interested, please contact Donna at radforddesignstudio@gmail.com.

Link Up!

By joining the Home Matters Linky Party you are giving permission for all hosts and co-hosts to use and share any part of your post, including pictures, for party promotion, as featured posts, in party photo collages, on blogs, across social media, etc. All credits will be given to the original source.

Thank you for joining in the fun and excitement at the Home Matters Linky Party. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We look forward to chatting with you in the comments.

Happy Cooking,

Smoked Mac & Cheese

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Jump to Recipe

There are so many many ways to make a fantastic mac & cheese. You can use different types of cheese, different types of pasta and different methods of cooking. To make this Smoked Mac & Cheese, we will use the classic style of mac and cheese and then put it in the smoker to take it up a few notches.

The basic steps for making this mac & cheese are simple. Make rue into a creamy cheese sauce, then add it to cooked pasta. Then you transfer it to a foil 8×8 pan, add more cheese on top and cover with foil. When you place the tray into the smoker and let the cheesy sauce soak up all that smokey flavor, you are going to be thrilled with the final result. This is an excellent side dish for a long smoked meat – like a pork butt, ribs or even a tri-tip. It is so easy to just add the pan to the smoker in the last hours of the cook time.

For this recipe, I kept it basic with medium and sharp cheddar cheese. If you want to take things a step further you can us some gouda, or provolone or mozzarella. Once important thing to note when smoking cheeses is to stay away from funky or stinky cheese. When you smoke those sorts of cheese, they can turn rather bitter or take on an acrid quality that can make the smoky quality overpowering. Using milder cheeses will allow for a smooth smoke flavor.

You will notice in the recipe, it is listed to let the pan rest with the foil on it for several minutes. The purpose for this is to allow the cheese that may have attached to the foil to fall back onto the pasta. This way you don’t lose those extra cheesy bits that really make this side dish. When it comes to what to serve this with, there are lots of things that it will be so good with Most recently, I made this as the side for Smoked Meatloaf and it was such a great combo.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

Smoked Mac & Cheese

A fantastic side dish for dinner or lunch with a creamy cheese sauce and loaded with smokey goodness

Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cheddar cheese, mac & cheese, mac and cheese, pasta side dish, Side Dish, side dish ideas, side dishes, smoked mac & cheese, smoker, smoker recipes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Smoker Time 3

Servings

Equipment

1 Smoker

Ingredients

1 lb Small Shells Pastas
2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded

For the Cheese Sauce

4 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
4 tbsp Flour
2 cups Milk
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Mustard
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Start water boiling for the pasta. Preheat Smoker to 250degF.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on the package. Drain in a colander and return to pot away from heat.
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, add butter, onion powder and garlic powder. Once melted whisk in flour. Let cook for two minutes then whisk in milk and let cook for two minutes then whisk in seasonings and cook another two minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and cook another two minutes. Then add in sharp cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, whisking until it's melted in.
Add cheese sauce to pasta. and stir to thoroughly combine.
Transfer mac & cheese to a 9×9 smoker safe dish (foil) and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cover with a sheet of foil. Place in preheated smoker. Let smoke for 3 hours. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before removing the foil to serve.

I love to link up my posts to lots of blogs around the internet – check out this Ultimate Handy Linky Party List to find some of the places I share to!

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Weekly Wrap-up & Senior Salon Pit Stop #353

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Welcome to Senior Salon Pit Stop #353

Welcome to this week’s Weekly Wrap-up and Blog Link-up.

It’s a new year at the Pit Stop and it’s time to vroom-vroom to all the great posts that everyone is creating all around the the blogosphere! Scroll down to check out my Weekly Wrap-up along with my Featured posts from the previous Pit Stop!

What’s been going on at Homemade on a Weeknight?

Spring has officially sprung, and I really wish someone would tell the thermometer since it’s still in the 40s during the day and into the 20s at night! I really want to get my garden planted, but until we are at our last frost, it’s just not smart. Have you been able to get your garden going for the year? What are you most looking forward to growing this year?

What have you been up to this past week?

One of this last week’s most popular recipe was: Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce – this will be a real hit as we all dust off the grills and head into the grilling season!

In case you missed it, here are the recipes that I shared to the blog this week:

Have you had a chance to check out the new Facebook group Yum Hungry Hangout & Giggles? It is a place to share your foodie finds, funny facts and in general hangout and get to know each other more through out shared love of food. Please feel free to check it out and maybe join in the fun!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/yumyumhungryhangoutandgiggles/

By joining the Senior Salon Pit Stop, you signify permission (EsmeSalon privacy policy) to share your posts and images here and receive an email reminder when our next Senior Salon Pit Stop is LIVE.

Show off your feature by adding the “I was featured at the Senior Salon Pit Stop” image to your post. Use this code:

You may also be featured on EsmeSalon as part of the Top featured posts.

These posts caught my eye last week! Please check back each week to see if your post is one of the ones that got a feature!

Breakfast Croissant Boats from Drugstore Divas

Cream Cheese Turnoverss from Treasured Craft Kitchen & Bath

Irish Potato Bread Farls from Comfort Spring Station

Cream Cheese Stabilized Chocolate Whipped Cream from 3 Winks Designs

Come and meet your Senior Salon Pit Stop Crew.

Meet your SSPS Crew:

Melynda	Blog	Pinterest	Facebook	Instagram
Estelle	Blog	Pinterest	Facebook	Instagram
Esme	Blog	Pinterest	Facebook	Instagram

SSPS Is Hiring – are you interested in joining the Senior Salon Pit Stop Host Team? Please fill out our Co-Host Questionnaire

SSPS Co-Host Post

A few simple rules for the Senior Salon Pit Stop Link Party:

For every post that you share – make one comment on someone else’s post. Help make their day a bit brighter.

Unlimited sharing BUT we ask that you visit one other blog post for each link you share.

Posts can be on any subject that is family-friendly.

Posts with direct sales, shops, or affiliates must contain relevant post content.

That’s it! Come and join the fun and let’s make it worthwhile!

If you are looking for more fun places to link up your posts – check out our Ultimate Handy Linky Party List – check back often as it’s always growing. And if we have missed your Linky Party – please send me a message and we will get it added in!

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

My Best Crispy Fried Recipes

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When it comes to crispy and fried recipes, I have got quite a few. I do love to make things that have a great crunch. A lot of the crunch comes from the dredging method. You can got for the three stage flour, egg wash, breading method. Or you can go for a wet soak into a flour/baking soda/cornstarch method. There are so many different ways to have a great crispy fried meal, and I have put together a few of my favorites!

A few key kitchen tools you may want to have to hand when it comes to making these shrimp recipes:

Cooling Rack – When you are frying things, you need to be able to drain off the oil without losing the crispiness. Cooling racks allow this to happen by giving air flow a chance.
Extra Long Tweezers – When you are frying things, you need to have a good set of tongs to make sure you can easily move around the frying pieces of food in the hot oil or butter. A set of extra long tweezers does less damage to the breading layer in the long run.
Dredging Station – This set of trays really helps you to minimize the waste that happens by using larger plates. The taller sides of these trays also makes for less mess.

And without further adieu – here are My Favorite Crispy Fried Recipes from the blog!

Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich – Crispy chicken sandwiches are always a great meal – for lunch or dinner. They are pretty simple to make and can have excellent results. For this particular chicken sandwich, I used my typical technique for making chicken fried steak and replaced the cube steak with a boneless skinless chicken thigh. The result is this fantastic Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich, that your family is bound to request again and again.

Crunchy Shrimp Tacos – Tacos are at the top of my favorite meals, not just to eat but to make. I have so much fun creating each of the components that it takes to make the best bite. These Crunchy Shrimp Tacos have layers of flavor from the fresh slaw, sriracha mayo, cojita cheese and of course the crunchy shrimp that have a little kick from some cayenne.

Crispy Pork Katsu – There are a number of delicious ways to enjoy a pork chop, but I think my very favorite just might be a Crispy Pork Katsu. It is a flattened boneless pork chop that is then panko crusted with the flavors of ginger and garlic. This recipe is a demonstration in seasoning every step of cooking. By adding flavor to each step of the dredging process, you get a tender and juicy pork chop.

Classic Orange Chicken – Adding to my ever growing list of Chinese takeaway at home recipes, this recipe is a classic! This time around, I am tackling the crispy chicken coated in a delicious orange sauce with an Asian flair and little kick. Classic Orange chicken is a staple on almost any American Chinese food menu and going to be one you will want on your meal rotation for sure!

Fried Pork Sandwich – A few weeks ago, I was inspired by a fellow food blogger to make pickled mustard seeds. I didn’t even realize this was a thing outside of stone ground mustard. It was so super easy to make, it’s almost funny. But then I had to sort out how to use them. I have lots of ideas. But the first one I wanted to get to was this – Fried Pork Sandwich. It’s a breaded and crispy fried pork chop with marinated onions, cabbage, carrots and a special sauce all on a nice crispy baguette.

Crispy Shrimp Rolls – When you want to have a little bit of fun and little bit of indulgence with your dinner – shrimp is always a good idea, especially when it is crispy. This is also a great weekend dinner to enjoy in the backyard once summer hits. These Crispy Shrimp Rolls will have the whole family chowing down with delight.

Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken – I know what you are thinking – Crispy and Oven-Fried sounds like an oxy-moron….but you would be wrong about this recipe. I have worked on this recipe for a while and I believe I finally nailed it! My Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken was a huge hit – my husband ate SEVEN pieces by the end of the night.

Classic Chicken Fried Steak – Whether it’s for breakfast or dinner, chicken fried steak is about as comforting as comfort food gets. The delicious crispy breading on a tenderized steak, fried up in some butter – dang I’m making myself hungry! If you have never tried a Classic Chicken Fried Steak before, you are in for a real treat with this recipe. Whether you are making this for Sunday supper or Saturday Brunch, it will be the star of the show.

Bacon Cheeseburger Chimichangas -Not every Burger Night needs to be a traditional burger. You can take the classic flavors of a good burger – cheese, bacon, fry sauce – and put them into a different “vessel” to change things up. Burgers are one of those meals that most everyone loves but they can get a bit repetitive if you make them the same every time. That’s where the idea for Bacon Cheeseburger Chimichangas came from. We wanted burgers but not.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wraps – Some times dinner just needs to be a wrap. It’s easy to make, easy to eat and easy to clean up from. You can turn lots of different things into a wrap or burrito or roll-up – whatever you prefer to call them. This particular wrap puts lots of veggies into a tortilla with some crunchy crispy chicken and kicks up the heat with the addition of spicy buffalo sauce. These easy to make Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wraps are a great idea for a a weeknight dinner.

Hope you enjoyed my selections of Crispy Fried Recipes – do you have a favorite? Which one will you be trying first?

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Home Matters Linky Party #522

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Welcome to the weekly Home Matters Linky Party #522

A great place to come, share your blog posts and make new friends.

We are so glad you are here with us each week.

Now on to this week’s party! I can’t wait to see you there.

Meet the hosts!

Donna @ Modern On Monticello — Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Joy @ Days Filled With Joy — Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook Group

Estelle @ Homemade On A Weeknight — Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

My feature this week!

EACH HOSTESS SELECTS THEIR OWN 4 FEATURES EACH WEEK. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 12 DIFFERENT BLOGGERS FEATURED WEEKLY.

IF YOU WEREN’T FEATURED ON MY BLOG THIS WEEK, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN FEATURED AT Love My Little Cottage , OR Days filled with joy. HOP OVER TO TAKE A LOOK!

My feature picks this week!

Lemon Pudding Pie

shared by Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Shepard’s Pie

shared by Masterpieces of My Life

Amish White Bread

shared by Walking on Sunshine Recipes

Pellet Grilled Huli Huli Chicken GF Recipe

shared by Mommy Hates Cookinig

Home Matters Linky Party Guidelines:

Please take some time to poke around and visit some of the other links.
Please take some time to check out your hosts and co-hosts on social media.
We appreciate the variety of blogs on the www; however, the Home Matters Party is for links on matters of the HOME. Please link accordingly.
We ask that you do not add other Linky Parties, Blog Hops, or Giveaways–unless you begin the party with a new project, recipe or post.
On the same note, please do not add links of an extremist, political or strong controversial nature. (The hosts and co-hosts read each and every blog post linked and will contact you directly if you have linked something that does not fit into the realm of the party.)

With your help, we can continue to grow the Home Matters Party! Thank you!