King Ranch Mac & Cheese

Since Monday night's dinner wasn't exactly a hit with Dan, I wasn't taking any chances tonight. Tonight's dinner also had some Mexican flare to it, so I changed it up and made it my own.

Thankfully, it was a success!

I needed something quick, because I leave for cake class in 20 minutes. I also wanted something hearty, because I can't shake the chill that I've had all day. Last week, Thursday was about 50 degrees. Winter has come back, full force. I am ready for warm weather, I am ready for just a sweatshirt and not my North Face fleece, I'm ready to not pay for oil to heat my house any longer...

In addition to tonight's dinner, I threw together some vanilla cupcakes for class, and a batch of Wilton's frosting. I'll post about the frosting some other time. Here's the recipe to dinner before I head out to decorate these naked cupcakes.

King Ranch Mac & Cheese
adapted from Life As a Lofthouse

8 oz. elbow pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken (I used a rotisserie)
1 block Velveeta Cheese
1/2 can diced tomatoes (I used Fire Roasted Garlic tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 casserole dish.
2. In a medium saucepan, combined the Velveeta and tomatoes over medium heat. Stirring until cheese is melted and they are combined.
3. In a large bowl, combined the chicken, cumin, garlic powder, cream of chicken and sour cream. Slowly add the Velveeta mix and stir. Add the noodle and mix everything together.
4. Pour into the casserole dish and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.

It's sooooo creamy and delicious. Definitely a good choice for tonight!