Holiday Take Along

Here is the dilemma. You are either going to a holiday party and need to take a warm dish, or you are hosting one and need some stove and oven space, and you need dishes that meet these needs. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, so many EMM fans reached out to me asking for ideas for these exact situations, and I helped as much as I could. Two side dishes that immediately came to mind were my Crock Pot Roasted Potatoes and Baked Mac n Cheese. The one, obviously is pretty easy since you make them in the slow cooker and then can take them any where, and the other, while yes, it does have to be baked, can either be made ahead of time and baked off on your arrival, or it can be pre-made, and if you have a "hot pack" for a portable carrier, it stays warms for a long time! I know both of these are great ideas, because I've used them both during the holidays!! Then only two days after Turkey Day I discovered this dish which is like the perfect marriage of those previously mentioned. It was like the food gods were smiling down on me and saying "Here is a great idea for the busy holiday season upon us, for all those fans who needed it!" May I present to you, Crock Pot Mac n Cheese! Now I will be honest, I've tried making our favorite cheesy side dish in the slow cooker before and it was a disaster. It turned out resembling wallpaper paste rather than something edible. But when I found this tucked away in my recipe box (I can't remember where I got it, but I'm guessing one of the ladies at my church) I wanted to try it, hoping it would be more successful. And oh it was! And I knew it needed to be blogged ASAP for those of you looking for easy, kid friendly, holiday meals or party fare! We are so incredibly busy this time of year, why not take some help where you can...even if it's in the form of a Crock Pot!

Crock Pot Mac n Cheese

16 oz. elbow macaroni

4 c. sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded

1 1/2 c. milk

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 TBS vegetable oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat Crock Pot to low. Boil macaroni until al dente and drain well. Grease bottom and sides of Crock Pot with cooking spray. Place cooked macaroni in Crock Pot, add vegetable oil and stir well. Add rest of ingredients and stir very well to combine. Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours, stirring often. Garnish with extra shredded cheese, if desired.

Shared on Make Ahead Meals Dec. 3, 2012
Shared on Mandy's Recipe Box Dec. 4, 2012
Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain Dec. 5, 2012
Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Dec. 6, 2012
Shared on The Country Cook Dec. 7, 2012

Church Supper #66

Good Morning and welcome to another Sunday! I hope this finds you enjoying your weekend and ready to share in some good fellowship and great food!

Thanks for stopping by today. I truly appreciate you sharing with our foodie family!

Please link up your favorite recipes from the week. And remember I wish you God's blessings all week long!

 " Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

 Last Week's Most Viewed Recipe:

Ham and Cheese Slab Pie

From:

Lady Behind The Curtain

Congrats! Please feel free to grab my "Featured On" button!

Now, let's eat!

Rules:

1. Feel free to link up as many recipes, but recipes ONLY please, as you like!

2. Link up to your ACTUAL recipe, not just your homepage. Much easier to find you that way!

3. Include a link back to EMM on your recipe post or grab my button!

4. Leave comments so I can visit you back!

5. Visit at least 2 other sites and tell them you joined them at my Church Supper!

6. Follow my blog here w/ GFC and on Facebook :)

Spreading Holiday Cheer With Mrs. Smith

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mrs. Smith's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's that time of year! Time to show all those we care about most in the world how much we care, and are thinking of them at this most precious season. And now Mrs. Smith, with all her yumminess, is helping us do just that, not just with pie though!

If you log onto to Mrs. Smith’s pies you can not only look for a delicious sweet treat to include in your holiday meal, but you can also send a holiday e-card to a special loved one or friend. Send holiday wishes to that friend you haven't talked to in a while, put a smile on mom's face, or let grandma know you love and miss her. I send out so many holiday cards, each one personally written, but I also love sending out e-card surprises too. You know how nice it is to open your inbox to find a sweet note instead of just bills and spam! It takes about 5 minutes and you can send each design to up to 50 recipients! Here is the one I chose:

And of course while you are on the Mrs. Smith site, but sure to take a minute and pick out one of their delicious pies that you would like to serve your holiday guests. With flavors from apple, to cherry to pumpkin, sweet potato, and even coconut custard (my personal favorite), there is something for everyone.

Plus, when you purchase a Mrs. Smith's pie you are spreading even more holiday cheer! For every pie sold in November and December, Mrs. Smith will donate $1 to Operation Homefront. That could mean a wonderful holiday for many deserving people!

Mrs. Smith's was very gracious to provide me with a coupon for a free pie (and yes, I chose the Coconut Custard) and it was not only delicious, but my family had no idea I hadn't made it from scratch. That's right, it tasted fresh and homemade!
And now you have a chance to experience Mrs. Smith's in your home too. I have been provided with an extra coupon for one lucky EMM reader!

TO ENTER: VISIT MRS. SMITH'S WEBSITE AND LEAVE A COMMENT TELLING ME WHICH PIE YOU WOULD TRY! CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 8th. THE WINNER WILL BE MAILED A COUPON AND A DONATION WILL BE ALSO BE MADE IN YOUR NAME!

Weekend Company {Guest Blogger Colleen}

Whew....it's December 1st! Can you believe it? I am still in disbelief myself, because I'm pretty sure Labor Day was just yesterday, but alas the calendar doesn't lie. However, I will say with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season upon us, it's nice to know ALL of my Christmas shopping is not only DONE, but also WRAPPED!!! (I realize some of you are leaving now in disgust, and I apologize.)

I hope you had a great week, and are ready for something yummy for the weekend. The is perfect for a brunch, or keep it bookmarked (or pinned) for those family visits that are just around the corner! Please welcome Colleen back to EMM~

Hi Everyone! I'm Colleen and I'm so happy to be back doing a guest spot at my favorite foodie blog. The recipe I'm going to share with you was given to me fairly recently by my dear friend, Shawna. When I told her that we were going to have a wedding rehearsal brunch for my son's upcoming wedding, she said "I've got just the recipe for you!" I was so impressed with this one that I immediately took pictures knowing that I would one day want to share it. This dish got rave reviews for the rehearsal brunch. I hope you all give it a try and enjoy it as much as we all did. I think it would make a great holiday brunch item, as well. Or maybe you could just liven up your weekend and serve this to your family one morning! They'd be thanking you all day.   

By the way, just in case you're wondering, the wedding rehearsal went great and was followed a couple days later by a beautiful wedding. The newlyweds have been married almost 2 months now and are doing very well. I'm happy to have them living just down the street from me and enjoy having them pop in now and then ... even though it's mostly to raid my refrigerator. LOL! The picture I'm including is of me with the happy new couple on their wedding day. :)

French Toast Casserole

2 tubes of refrigerated cinnamon rolls

1 cup maple syrup

6 eggs

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)

1 - 2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to the temp listed on the package of cinnamon rolls (they can sometimes be different) and grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Cut the cinnamon rolls into bite size pieces, reserving the icing packets for later. Place all the cut up pieces of cinnamon rolls into the buttered casserole dish. Pour the maple syrup over top of the cinnamon rolls covering as much area as you can.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and whipping cream just until it all comes together nicely. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture over the cinnamon roll mixture.

Add the chopped nuts to the top, if you are using.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the mixture doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan slightly.  When you take it out of the oven, open the reserved packets of icing mixture and drizzle them over the casserole. Serve warm.

Notes: This is best done in a glass casserole dish but if you do bake it in a metal or foil pan, don't add the nuts to the top until halfway through the baking process to avoid burning them. You can also bake this the day before you want to eat it. Just leave off the icing and refrigerate the casserole overnight. The next morning, heat it in a moderate oven just to re-warm it and then top with the icing after warming.

Thanks to Mrs. Everyday for allowing me to come by and share with you all once again. I hope you all have a very happy weekend full of family, love and good food. :)  

Pin It

Meal Plan Dec. 2- Dec 7

*New Recipe
Links to recipes on blog

Sunday
Beef Roast
Roasted Baby Potatoes
Black Eyed Peas with Bacon*

Monday
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Sliced Pears

Tuesday
Mini Pizzas
Wedge Salads

Wednesday
Lemon Shrimp Over Wild Rice*
Steamed Asparagus

Thursday
Soft Tacos
Chips and Rotel Dip*

Friday
Spaghetti
Bread sticks