Free & Easy

Alright, this is going to be a two-for post so let's get down to business. First the "free" part. Did you know Dillons (actually all Kroger stores) offer digital coupons every Friday for a free item? It's usually new products they're trying to promote, but hey...you can't beat free right! So last week I finally cashed in on my 3 free coupons I had loaded onto my shop loyalty card & here's what I was able to get. Oh, I should also mention that I picked up a few clearance items as well.

The Haul

So in the end I paid $1.59 for the 6 items pictured, a savings of 68%! We ended up eating the yogurt & pretzel chips for snacks then I had the Aquafina later on. I'm still holding on to the Mountain Dew for a cake experiment. Yes, I said cake... don't worry, I'll post the results when I do try it :-)

Alright, now on to the "easy." The other day I was trying to figure out a quick dinner as all 3 minions were in full-on "I need mommy" mode, not to mention I was pulling single mom duty as a certain some one was traveling for work. I mention no names, but he knows who he is ;-) The first thing I thought of was macaroni & cheese since that's usually a sure-fire hit with the boys. The prospect of making a roux & cheese sauce did not fit into my easy box though so I started looking around online for inspiration. I did the Google thing & stumbled onto a recipe for homemade hamburger helper. Of course I "Mikied" it up a bit to make it my own. Hmm..."Mikied"...I like that :-)

In any case, it took a total of 20 minutes & I had a potful of delicious cheesy mac ready to go. The boys had 3 servings a piece so I'm going to call it a winner! Next time you're in a hurry, give this one a shot!

Cheeseburger Skillet Pasta

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Cheeseburger Skillet Pasta
Ingredients
1 pound ground meat (I used ground turkey since that was all I had)
16 ounces dry pasta (macaroni, penne...your choice)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups milk
2 cups cold water (or just enough to completely cover the pasta)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Brown the ground meat in a skillet until it is cooked through. Add in the onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the sour cream & cheeses. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover skillet, and simmer until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Don't forget to stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick.

Once the pasta is done, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Let skillet sit for a few minutes to let sauce thicken. Enjoy!

Note: You can leave out the Parmesan cheese if you don't have any, but I found it made the dish a bit more cheesy & added a nice finishing touch. And if you're avoiding meat you can always sub some veggies in, sweet potatoes are really good in a cheese sauce or even broccoli. The idea is to get a meal on the table in no time at all so use whatever you have on hand!