Yogurt Boost

So here's an interesting kick twist for breakfast: Yogurt and Pancakes. No, I don't mean put yogurt on top, I mean inside the pancakes. This recipe for pancakes serves as an excellent base, but you may want to change the ingredients to...

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup yogurt and milk
• 1 egg

Instead of adding milk, you can add a single serving of yogurt mixed with milk. Most yogurt comes in 6 oz. containers, so you won't need much milk. The easiest way to do this is to put the yogurt in a one cup measuring cup and fill it the rest of the way with milk. The pancakes come out a little heavier and more cake like. The batter is also much thicker, so you can't pour it like regular batter. I've found a couple spoonfuls make a good sized pancake.

Another fun mix is pudding. Many smaller instant pudding packages call for 2 cups cold milk. Again, replace some of the milk with a container of yogurt and you'll get a creamier pudding. What's more, you can have some fun mixing flavors of pudding. Strawberry yogurt and banana pudding make for a great combination, but experimenting can really produce some excellent results, like Jell-O's French Vanilla pudding and Yoplait's Triple Berry Torte yogurt.

There are other recipes you can do the swap with and eHow.com has some guidelines you can follow. Are you making things a little healthier? That's debatable, but you can certainly make them tastier. Have fun!

Eurocuisine 2-Quart Yogurt Maker from chefscatalog.com

Mac 'n' cheese for the masses

I have to admit, one of the things I'm proud about is my mac 'n' cheese recipe. It's nothing too fancy but it's pretty good.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound macaroni, boiled
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 pound (about 4 cups) shredded cheese

1. Prepare your macaroni and set aside
2. Using a 3 to 4 quart sauce pan, melt the butter.
3. Add flour and stir until consistent. I find this is best done with a whisk.
4. Add milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, keeping everything blended smoothly before adding more milk.
5. Add cheese and mix vigorously until smooth.
6. Mix macaroni and cheese sauce.

(Quick note: Most ingredients can be substituted easily, such as margarine for butter, but I recommend against using whole wheat flour. It doesn't mix well.)

Once you make it and try it you'll find... it's nothing special. Truth be told, it's kind of bland. It's not without its charm, but there's nothing to really make it stand out.

And that's the beauty of it.

What you have here is a base to add ingredients. A common mix I like is adding hamburger and mixed vegetables. Experiment with seasoning like black pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, tomatoes and green chilies, chicken, bacon, broccoli, and so on. Experimenting is the bread and butter of this macaroni and cheese.

For those of you who are health or diet minded, a few notes: This dish is vegetarian, not vegan. I am not sure if the base is kosher and I could use some input on that. Depending on the butter, margarine, or cheese used, you may want to watch the fats and sodium (this is partly why I don't add salt). Skim milk is perfectly acceptable to subtitute. Diabetics should keep in mind the pasta and flour as this could spike your blood sugar levels.

That, as they say, is that. Play around with it, experiment, and feel free to post your successful experiments. I hope you enjoy your meals! Have fun!