Sugar & Stice & Everything Nice

Butternut Squash Mac ‘N Cheese

If you haven’t heard of Sally’s baking addiction before let me introduce you:

She is one of my top favorite bakers and like Cookiesandcups she also has some stellar cooking recipes, this being one of them! I found this back when she first posted it and have made it every year in the fall/winter since. My whole family loves it! Yes, it has a ton of butternut squash in it and if you are nervous about it – don’t be! Mac ‘n cheese is suppose to be orange anyway so no one will know the difference haha. Also, squash is a type of vegetable that is pretty bland so it soaks up whatever flavor you add to it. In this case, its yummy cheesy goodness. If you are nervous about it tasting “pumpkin-y” then lower the amount of squash to 3.5 or even 3 cups and keep everything else the same. Be aware that it may have a pumpkin smell to it PRIOR to baking – don’t let that freak you out. It bakes away and leaves pure goodness behind.

Now, as you will see here at Sugar & Stice (have you caught on with the joke yet…sugar&sTice not sugar&sPice…cause my last name..hehe..) I will often post recipes from other bloggers and instagramers and show you how you can really tweak each recipe to fit your own taste. It is something that I have done over and over again. I will first make a recipe pretty much step by step and then I will start to develop my own tips and tricks to make it more functional and filling for my family.

I hope that seeing this gives you the courage to do it for your family. Often times I hear my friends say that they tried a recipe and they liked it okay but not enough to make it again. The way I see it they are only on the first step to a family favorite! Use that first time as a stepping stone to tweaking that okay recipe into a great one! Because for some, trying something different in the kitchen is a big deal and I would hate for he or she to waste all that effort and leftover ingredients when greatness is within grasp. Now don’t be fooled, I’m going to give you some recipes that are straight up bomb exactly as written haha so be looking forward to those!

K so here is the original recipe with her screenlicking good pic:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cream y-butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese-with-kale/

I can almost taste it when I see that picture 😋 but go ahead and click on the link and see what you think – you may want to make it exactly as written but here are my changes:

TIP 1: I use spinach. I rarely, if ever, have kale on hand so this is better for me. I also use sharp cheddar and a little grated Parmesan on the top (not the powder kind).

TIP 2: I add chopped ham into the mixture before pouring into the 9×13, like a cup or two. So this is a good recipe to use up the leftover Christmas ham that’s coming up next month!

TIP 3: I like to dump half my mixture in the pan, sprinkle with some plain or Italian breadcrumbs, then dump in the rest of the pasta mixture and top it with more breadcrumbs and a sprinkling of cheese. This is a pretty creamy dish so adding that little bit of crunch in the middle really added something extra for me.

TIP 4: If you don’t have Greek yogurt you can use sour cream, laughing cow light Swiss cheese, or even cream cheese like Sally mentions in her notes. Or honestly if you don’t have any of those and really want to make it you’d probably be fine leaving it out since it’s only a 1/4 a cup for the whole 9x13inch dish. If you have it though add it cause, yum!

Along those lines don’t be afraid of having to switch similar things. Like if you don’t have penne pasta but you have rotini – go for it. (But be aware of elbow macaroni – that is one pasta that is hard to use in substitution for other larger noodles. Since it’s so small if you try using elbow in place of, say, penne, you will end up with way too much noodles and a dry dish) If your family doesn’t like spinach don’t add it but maybe serve buttered peas on the side. Or leave out the spinach completely and let your family think they aren’t eating any veggies with dinner -jokes on them mwhaha!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This dish is a family favorite. The first time I made it as written and we really liked it but my husband was still craving meat (men, whatcha gonna do lol) and I was feeling like it needed more of a crunch. So instead of stopping there and never making it again I did those few little changes and I got a yearly family favorite that I look forward to when the leaves start to change color in the fall. It’s healthy, from scratch, home cooking at it’s finest. I hope you’ll give it a shot and let me know what you thought in the comments and whether or not you tweaked it to be your own.

Till then – Jenny

My photo with crushed oyster crackers instead of breadcrumbs cause I was out – as I said, don’t be afraid of using what you have!

Sausage & Lentil Soup

Here is a Sugar & Stice original recipe! This fall I have been really craving a hearty and brothy soup that would be easy to make and filling for the whole family. I love that this soup is dairy free to give some variety to the rest of my soup repertoire which does usually include creams. This is a quick, easy, all in a single pot meal the whole family will love.

Serves 4 (this soup can easily be doubled)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 pound or 8 ounces of mild Italian sausage (go for spicier if you like it spicy!)
1.5 cups of diced zucchini – about 1 medium zucchini
1 cup of diced carrot
1/2 cup of diced cauliflower (can use frozen – thaw a little before cutting)
1/4 cup of diced onion
1 & 3/4 cups of lentils that have been rinsed and drained
8 cups of water
2 cubes/teaspoons of beef bullion

Directions:

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add in olive oil and sausage. Cook until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a bowl; set aside.
Turn down the heat to medium and add in the veggies (zucchini, carrot, cauliflower, and onion) and cook until slightly tender – about 8-10 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, plus the sausage, into the pan with the veggies and bring to a simmer for 15-20 mins or until the lentils are soft.
Salt and pepper to taste

Also, if you want to cut down on cooking time for the lentils you can soak them in water for 30 mins before. Just drain and rinse before putting them in the pot.

There you have it and if you don’t mind adding a little dairy it does taste yummy with a little grated/powdered Parmesan cheese. The kids seem to be more eager to eat anything with that white goodness sprinkled on top.

Give it a try and let me know what you think – Jenny

Swedish Meatballs (IKEA copy cat)

I found this recipe years ago by chance. I wasn’t familiar with IKEA and had never had the meatballs they serve at their stores. But I gave it a shot and wow – so delicious! My whole family went nuts over it. Since then my daughter has requested it for her birthday most years and I have friends and family who ask me to make it for them. It’s really that good!

So imagine my excitement when I moved to Virginia and found out there was an IKEA 40 mins away from me! I knew I needed to go and try the meatballs and see how close they compare! I was all pumped and excited walking up to the cafeteria style food court (without a tray cause I had no idea what I was doing haha) and I saw the meatballs sitting in the tray behind the glass and I knew right away……mine were better!
Now don’t hate me if you are an IKEA meatball lover – you should love me after this post cause I’m going to show you the light! I got their dish and ate it and it was good, okay, slightly above mediocre, tasted similar but nothing special like the ones I had been making for years. It really goes to show that homemade and from scratch produces the kind of food that feeds the soul and keeps the kids asking for more.

Here is the recipe I found way back when and a video of how to make it. It’s a pretty simple recipe so check it out. Also, see below for my tips on how to make it even simpler and better!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/almost-famous-swedish-meatballs-recipe-1973694

BIGGEST TIP: double the gravy…just trust me 😉

TIP 1: Any kind of onion works in this dish but I’ve really grown to like red onion but use what you have.

TIP 2: If you don’t have allspice put just a sprinkling of cinnamon, cloves and a touch of nutmeg in your palm and put that into the pan.

TIP 3: You don’t need to refrigerate the meatballs after rolling out (I actually scoop mine with a 2 TB cookie scooper). I did refrigerate it for the first couple of years and then one day I didn’t have time and just put it in the oven right after scooping the meatballs and they were exactly the same. So now I save myself time and hassle and skip that step.

TIP 4: You don’t need to use cream. Half and half or even milk works well. I’ve done all 3 and I honestly feel like for this recipe heavy cream isn’t needed.

TIP 5: Worcestershire sauce can be substituted with A1 sauce in case you ever needed to know that and I like the more meaty flavor you get with A1 but use what you have! Also, unsalted butter can be substituted with salted butter in case no one has told you that. For every cube or 1/2 cup of salted butter they have added about 1/4tsp of salt. So don’t go out of your way to buy unsalted, just lessen the salt a pinch if you really care. Otherwise pretend it’s all the same and save yourself the hassle of having 2 kinds of butter. Stick with the salted, it tastes better.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

It’s a great recipe. Do as written by Food Network or use my tips, either way you have yourself a winner! It goes really well with mashed potatoes or egg noodles, green beans, cooked carrots or a side salad. And if you can find the lingonberry jam I’m sure that would be good but I never have.

Enjoy-Jenny

Praline crack

Alright, so one of my favorite things to do is to follow cooking/baking accounts on Instagram. One account I have followed for a long time is CookiesandCups. She’s a Disney enthusiast and a great baker! She also has some good dinner recipes on her page as well, her account is one I’d definitely recommend. She isn’t on the “healthy” side of things for the current trends we are seeing right now but she knows how to cook a great treat. And let’s be honest, a great treat isn’t the healthiest thing, it’s not suppose to be. A treat is A TREAT – an every so often occurrence.

So don’t be afraid to use all the sugar and butter but if you have a little family then I’d always suggest looking at how much a recipe makes and don’t be nervous to half it. That way you won’t have a whole sheet pan laying around begging to be eaten but a 9x13inch pan that can be eaten for dessert for one night with the whole family. I find, being a stay-at-home mom, having a sheet pan of treats sitting on my kitchen counter staring at me is too much of a temptation. Then it turns from a treat into breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you know what I mean haha.

Anyway, let’s get into it. Cookiesandcups recently posted her recipe for Praline Crack and you can see it here

https://cookiesandcups.com/praline-crack/

Now if you saw her first pic how could you not want to make it right away? I had to! Like I said before, I didn’t want a whole jelly roll pan sitting around so I made it in a 9×13 inch pan. I lined it with graham crackers (TIP:1 I used the name brand Honeymaid because I feel those hold up better than the store brands of graham crackers) and then I thirded the rest of the ingredients and made as directed. The reason I thirded the topping was because I used about a third of the crackers she used for a whole jelly roll pan. You probably could have just halfed the rest of the ingredients if you wanted a thicker top layer with a 9×13 pan. If you do let me know in the comments how it was 🙂

I feel like because I was making less of the topping it cooked up quickly in my pan and was a little thick when I was trying to spread it on. So I only baked it for 10 mins and it came out great. I prefer it to be a little soft instead of crunchy so it was perfect. TIP:2 Also, if you do make it, I suggest pressing the chopped pecans into the filling before putting it in the oven. I didn’t and the nuts were falling off after they cooled.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Overall, it was a simple and quick dessert and I really liked it. I wouldn’t describe it so much as a toffee taste but more of a butterscotch. Reminded me a little of Werther’s original hard caramel candy. We had guests for dinner, the sister missionaries from our church, and they loved it along with my husband and kids. It was a nice fall treat and if you have the ingredients – you probably do – give it a try today and surprise your family or friends!

This is a quick pic I snapped of the treat after it came out of the oven.

You’re Here!

I’m a stay-at-home mom to 3 busy kiddos. I’m a wife to an amazing man. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m a college graduate with a degree in Social Work. I’m the youngest of 11 siblings. I’m a reader. I’m a baker. I’m a new recipe lover. I’m now a food blogger!

I just recently moved across the country (from Idaho to Virginia) for an amazing opportunity with my husband’s work. It was a huge transition for us all, especially since we moved away from 90% of our family. We’ve encountered a lot of “growing pains” since becoming Virginians and it’s left me feeling a little disconnected. I have been thinking of starting up something like this where I could express my feelings and the little things I find interesting and exciting.

Now, I know it is the end of 2019 and like “who reads blogs anymore?” is probably running through your head. I get it, I’m right there with you! I have no idea who reads blogs anymore haha but I feel like this will be a fun platform for me to share who I am with friends and family and hopefully new friends to come!

So the big question – What to expect from this blog? Mainly food….I mean it’s in the url (though to be honest I wanted it to be just sugarandstice.com but apparently the sweet little .com costs money in the high tech world and I’m all about saving the moolah;) For a year I ran a little at-home bakery in Idaho and had to stop when we moved and I’ve been craving to share what I’ve learned through making tons of breads, rolls, cookies, and more! Also, I love cooking meals for my family. In fact, the love of cooking is my greatest blessing and curse. It is a blessing because my family and I eat delicious and healthy food everyday. It is a curse because I make a lot of dishes and I HATE doing the dishes!

Well, there you have it. A quick sum up of what I’m doing and what you can expect if you decide to follow along. I hope you will join me in making recipes and adding great home cooked food to your table…along with some dishes in the sink 😉

Let’s do this – Jenny