Beefy Cheesy Pasta

This is sort of our go-to meal when we didn't plan anything ahead. It's pretty easy, we usually have everything we need, and it's pretty yummy. Jim likes to describe it as a grown-up Hamburger Helper...lol. We end up using one pound of ground beef, one pound of pasta...any type really, although we stick with non-spaghetti type pasta, and 2 cloves of garlic.. Below is the actual recipe though.

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups rotelle pasta
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
5 slices processed American cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef, onion, soy sauce and garlic until beef is brown and juices run clear. While beef is cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Return cooked pasta to its pot over low heat; stir in milk and butter. Stir in beef mixture until well combined. Stir in cheese slices, one at a time, until melted. Serve at once.

Szeged BBQ Chicken

We had this Szeged Chicken rub sitting in our cabinet and decided to finally give it a shot. It's so good! You just take 1/4 cup of the rub and mix it with about 4 tablespoons of oil, and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar. Then you can brush it on the chicken and let it marinate for about 2-6 hours. We didn't quite let it sit that long, but it was still delish. Jim left the skin on the bone-in chicken breasts and put a little of the rub under the skin and then also on top of the skin. When he BBQ'd it, he used more of an indirect heat and the skin got perfectly crispy and the inside stayed nice and juicy. I ♥ BBQ chicken!!

Parsley-Basil mashed potatoes

We wanted something different than regular old boring mashed potatoes, so I decided to make use of our little herb garden and put in some fresh basil and parsley. They were even better the next day since the herbs had sort of infused into the potatoes.