More family favorites...

I thought I would share a couple more of my family's favorite recipes. The Baked Macaroni with Ham and Cheese has been in the Mitchel family since I was little, and Mark has adopted it as one of his favorites. Chicken Chalupa is a Taylor family favorite, and Mongolian Beef is a great recipe for the wok.
Baked Macaroni with Ham and Cheese

1/2 pound short tubular macaroni, such as ziti
6 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound cooked ham, sliced 1/4 inch thick
paprika

Bring water to a boil for pasta in stockpot or kettle

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Butter casserole or souffle dish.

Salt water and add macaroni to rapidly boiling water and cook only until slightly tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Pasta will cook further in the oven, so it should be slightly underdone.

In saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of the butter and stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and vigorously stir in milk to blend well. Return pan to heat and stir and cook until sauce is thickened. Add 3 tablespoons of the grated cheese and stir until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut ham slices into 1/4- inch cubes.

Place colander in sink and drain cooked macaroni. Shake colander to get rid of excess water. Return macaroni to pot and toss with cream sauce and ham.

Arrange layer of the macaroni in casserole; cover with generous dusting of paprika and layer of the shredded cheese. Continue layering until all are used, ending with the cheese. You will find 3 layers about right. Dot top with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until bubbling.

Mongolian Beef
Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes; 4 1/2 minutes to cook

1 pound lean flank or sirloin steak, thinly sliced across grain and cut in 1 1/2-inch-long strips
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. salt
1 T. dry sherry
1/2 t. dried red pepper flakes
3 T. peanut oil
1 T. sesame oil
1/2 t. chopped garlic
1 bunch green onions, each cut in half lengthwise, then cut diagonally in 1-inch-long pieces

Put meat strips in bowl; add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, next 3 ingredients and 2 tablespoons oil; set aside. Mix remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce with sesame oil; set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in uncovered wok at 400 degrees. Add garlic; stir-fry 10 seconds. Add beef; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add onion and sesame oil mixture; stir-fry until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately. **We always serve Mongolian Beef over rice.

Chicken Chalupa

1 doz corn tortillas, softened and broken in large pieces

1/2 lb longhorn cheese, grated (I use extra-sharp cheddar cheese instead)

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked, skinned, boned and broken into pieces

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8 oz sour cream

2/3 cup milk or chicken broth

1/4 cup minced onion

1 small can diced green chilies

COMBINE: soups, sour cream, milk, onion, & green chilies.

In large greased casserole, layer as follows:

1/2 of tortilla pieces, 1/2 chicken pieces, 1/2 soup mixture, then 1/2 cheese. Repeat layers for two complete layers.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 min.

Happy Cooking!