Fancy Macaroni & Cheese

Just for you, Caitlin. :) Hope your family likes it. We LOVE it!

*1 lb. medium-sized shell pasta (I like whole wheat, but it is harder to find)
*8 oz. chopped smoked ham
*1 1/2 cups half and half (you can use milk, but it won't be as creamy)
*1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
*1 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
*1/2 cup grated Havarti cheese (this is a little harder to find. HEB always has it)
*1 tsp crushed rosemary (not powdered)
*pepper to taste ( I just use a little)
*1 cup crushed crackers or breadcrumbs (I use crushed Ritz crackers)
*1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot, boil pasta in salted water until done.
2. Drain the pasta and return to pot.
3. Add the chopped ham, half and half, cheese (except Parmesan), rosemary and pepper.
4. Stir until well combined and transfer to a greased 9x13 dish.
5. In a separate bowl, combine your crackers or bread crumbs, butter and Parmesan cheese.
6. Sprinkle, evenly, over the top of pasta.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes.
8. Remove foil and bake and additional 5-10 minutes, until a little toasty brown on top.

Pretzel Turtles

small pretzels
Rolo candies - one bag has about 55 candies
Pecan halves - or optionally peanuts, cashews
m&m's
Optional: almond bark or white chocolate for drizzling

This is easy as can be! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet. Unwrap Rolo candies and place one on top of each pretzel like a cute little hat.
Place pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Any longer is probably too long. You just want the chocolate on the outside to look glossy and melty, but they should still hold their shape. Remove pan from oven and take a pecan and gently press it right into the center of the chocolate candy, until the carmel squishes out a little bit.

Here's where you can be creative. You don't need to stick to pecan halves. You can use cashews and peanuts. And for kiddos and those who can't eat nuts or don't like them, M&M's make a great little topper, or those mini Hershey's kissables are cute too.

If you want to get fancy you can give them a little drizzle of almond bark or white chocolate. Just melt some in a plastic baggie and nip the corner off to drizzle. A little goes a long way; I used a half a square of almond bark for half a batch and had plenty left over.

Gingerbread Cookies

Just finished decorating our gingerbread men with the girls. Such a fun Christmas tradition!

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses
1 egg yolk
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg yolk. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Chill for at least an hour. It's a fairly sticky dough so you might need to chill it a little longer.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough to 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2" apart on a baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. If you bake them on the short end they will stay soft and chewy and if you bake them on the longer end they will be nice and crispy. They're great either way!

Allow to cool about 5 minutes on pan and then transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Once they're cooled you can decorate (the best part)!

White Chocolate Candy Popcorn

2 bags of microwavable popcorn ( I use butter, but you can choose)
1 bag of Christmas colored m&ms
1 package of vanilla almond bark

Pop popcorn, let cool. Melt almond bark according to directions. Pour over popcorn and stir around. Sprinkle m&ms in and mix. Let harden, then break up and put in baggies.(Other items you can add in to popcorn are: pretzels, nuts, cheerios, etc)

Another fun thing about this recipe is you can use it for many different holidays. I just made it for a little Halloween treat, but instead of the Christmas m&m's, I used Reeces Pieces & candy corn.

HEALTHY Frozen Hot Chocolate

Okay, I am in heaven!! This drink is perfect for Houston... considering it's just never that cold here. :( I still prefer my hot chocolate hot, but this is a fun little treat when your craving the taste of hot cocoa, but it's just not cold enough outside for it. Ummm! Enjoy...

Ingredients:
Sugar Free Hot Cocoa Mix (can you regular if you are not on the mood for being healthy) :)
Skim Milk
Ice
Chocolate Protein Powder (I use this, but it is optional)

1. Place all ingredients in the blender. (I put a handful of ice and then cover the ice with milk~ You can adjust this to your liking).
2. Blend for deliciousness & enjoy. :)