Here is a VERY easy recipe to put together for a quick lunch or snack.  OR, double the recipe to take to a party when you’ve been asked to bring a finger food.   

Super Simple Chip Dip

1/2 pound hamburger meat
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream or kreme fresh
Tortilla chips (We like Kettle brand, which is made with organic corn)

Brown hamburger meat.  Stir in salsa and sour cream or kreme fresh.  Serve with chips.  (See?  Simple.)

What kinds of High Five Recipes are you interested in seeing more of?  Main dishes?  Side dishes?  Desserts?
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This post is linked to BooMama’s Diptacular!!  Check it out for all KINDS of great dip recipes!

I’ve been searching my whole life (give or take) for a good homemade mac and cheese recipe.  The recipes I’ve come up with in the past are decent….but not great.

A couple of months ago, a friend told me how she makes it.  I adapted it a bit and now we can’t seem to get enough!  It is THE creamiest mac and cheese ever.

Here’s the secret:  Cook your pasta in MILK instead of water.  The milk makes it super creamy.  The starch from the pasta thickens the milk into a sauce.  Add your cheese after the pasta is finished cooking.

Uh-huh…comfort food at it’s best.

Creamy Mac and Cheese 

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
3 cups whole milk
1/2 t. sea salt
1 cup shredded cheese (I use white cheddar)

Mix pasta, milk and salt in a large sauce pan.  Cook over medium-high heat STIRRING ALMOST CONSTANTLY until the pasta is tender (10-15 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Serve immediately.

You can use any shape of pasta you want.  I have found that elbow noodles cook quite a bit faster so I use those when I need a quick lunch.

Everytime I make this, we can not believe how creamy and delicious it is.  My lifelong search for awesome homemade macaroni and cheese has come to an end.  We should have some sort of mac and cheese ceremony.
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Which High Five Recipe would you like to see next?!  Lime Avocado Dip…or Justus’ Shaved Ice?
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Move over little gold fish.  There’s a new cheese in town. 

Heidi emailed me a couple of months ago asking if I had a good cheese cracker recipe.  Well no, I said, but I sure do love me a recipe challenge!  It took a bit of trial and error, but I finally figured out a recipe that not only tastes good, but is SO easy. 

Who knew a cheese cracker recipe that would qualify as a High Five Recipe!!  (Oh, but psst…we’re not counting the tablespoon of water in this recipe as an ingredient…because that would mean there are technically six ingredients in this cracker.  I really wanted to make this a High Five Recipe and it just would not work without a bit of water.  Just sprinkle it in and look the other way.)

Crispy Cheese Crackers

¼  cup butter, softened
¼ t. sea salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, room temperature
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ t. baking powder
1 T. cold water

Use beaters or food processor to mix butter and salt until creamy.  Add cheese.  Mix well.  Gradually add flour, baking powder and water, mixing until dough begins to form a ball.  Form dough into a ball with hands.

Roll the dough into 1/8 inch thickness onto a cookie sheet.  (I find that placing the dough between two pieces of parchment paper helps me to roll them out more easily.)  Cut the rolled out dough into 1 ½ inch squares.  Bake 15 minutes at 350° or until lightly browned.  Turn off the oven and leave the crackers inside to crisp up.  Store tightly covered. 

That’s all there is to it!  I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that my kids will eat the entire pan of these (before Matt and I get some) in one ten minute time frame.  They LOVE these!  So much for trying to make a snack to “have on hand”.  Guess I oughta double the recipe, huh?
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