Three Cheese BLT Macaroni

I was recently invited to come in to Noodles & Company to try out their Mac and Cheese dishes that they had brought back to their menu. I almost said no. I have hated Macaroni and Cheese for as long as I can remember.  Even when people try to make it fancy, there's just something about it that I don't like. But I figured the kids would probably like it so I told them we'd give it a go.

I was honestly pleasantly surprised at how good it was. It was a fun easy dinner and the kids loved it all. I have to say though, what made it memorable was the local manager, Kari. She treated us like royalty and brought us enough food and cookies to last a week. She wasn't just doing it for us either. I watched her the whole time we were there and she was visiting tables almost the whole time.

Gingerbread Truffles

Looking for a great homemade gift to wrap up and give to friends and family? Or do you need something fun and different to bring to your work Christmas party? These truffles are amazing and the flavor is perfect for this time of year. The inside of the truffle has chewy candied ginger in them and the cream has been steeped with ginger, allspice and fresh cloves so it has the perfect holiday spice.

Roasted Venison

Last week some friends of ours gave us a venison roast. I've never cooked with venison before so I wanted to make sure I did it right but wasn't sure what "right" was. The only venison I had before this was some venison jerky and it was kind of gross. I  had heard that the taste of the meat is really determined by the way that the meat is handled and processed and I'm assuming the venison I had before was probably not from the best source. I knew that our friend had the meat processed properly and the roast looked pretty amazing.

Hot Cocoa and Homemade Marshmallows

It's December and it's time to start hunkering down for the winter. It's been unseasonably nice here in Minnesota this year which we have thoroughly enjoyed but it's only a matter of time until the snow comes in all its vengeance.

Since we don't drink coffee, we tend to be pretty particular about our hot chocolate. My wife keeps the good stuff up on the higher shelves and lets the kids drink the cheap stuff. We were out of eveything a few weeks ago so I took it upon myself to create some of our own. It's become a favorite now and although it's more expensive because it uses milk instead of water, it's well worth it. Rich and creamy, it has deep flavor and is perfect for sipping on those cold winter days.