quinoa ice pop

Yes, you read that right, this ice pop has quinoa in it.  I ended up making this a bit different from the original recipe because I didn't have enough quinoa.  Then I forgot I was cutting the recipe in 1/2 and added the full amount of blueberries.  Then I decided to only add one type of sweetener (because it was easier and I was out of coconut sugar and can't find it in the grocery store anymore.)  Anyway, this is how I made these.  The puree was really thick and tasted mostly of banana that seemed a bit green to me.  This pop was not my favorite, but I'm not the hugest fan of quinoa either.  I really think it has more to do with a not fully ripe banana than anything though.  I would give this pop a second try, but would definitely keep the full cup of blueberries.  Possibly even add another banana.  (In other words, lower the amount of quinoa.) Aaron did have one of these for breakfast, and while he didn't eat a ton, he did eat about 1/4 of it which is actually pretty good for him for any popsicle.  He's not a great popsicle eater.
Since these had to cook, I did start these first, then made the yellow pop (previous post) then came back to these.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
• 4-5 Tablespoons agave
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions

1. In a small pot, combine quinoa and water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until water is absorbed
2. Put the quinoa in the blender along with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Scoop puree into molds.  Add sticks and freeze until solid.

chicken cannelloni

This is another recipe from double delicious.  Can you tell I only have it for 2 weeks and have to quickly try everything.  :)  I spiced this up by really adding to the tomato sauce, and even at that, I found it to be a bit lacking.  I think it just felt dry - maybe some added mozzarella in the center of the roll, or maybe more of the tomato sauce??  The meal was OK, just lacking something - maybe a bit of Italian seasoning in the chicken mixture??  Mostly I think it just felt dry.  However, I didn't at all mind the amount of cauliflower puree that was mixed with the ricotta.  Maybe it just needed a bit more ricotta??  Again, not too sure exactly what was lacking only that it was lacking something.
I did like how these rolled up.  It seems like I have tried a cannelloni or manicotti made with lasagna noodles before, but somehow it just seemed easier this time.

chocolate donuts (draft - needs tweeking)

I had quite the baking day yesterday.  2 new recipes from breakfast, and 2 for dinner.  This was the first I tried.  I must admit, they aren't perfected yet.  They get a post because I have to know what I did to work on tweeking them until I like them.
First of all I got a new little donut making gadget.  Like a waffle maker but makes cute little donuts.  This recipe is from the book included with the maker, but of course I was trying to make it at least a little more healthy, and like I said, it still needs some work.  These were not sweet enough - or at least not sweet enough to balance out the bitter of the cocoa.  I need to either use less cocoa, or more sweetener (the first option appeals to me more or course.)  I do have to say, I had children that liked these, but I did end up dumping them in powdered sugar to give them a bit of sweet.  Not sure if I want to improve on this version or just try making a new version all together (maybe based off my chick pea cupcake recipe.)  But that is to be decided later.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup wheat flour (I'd probably grind this on pastry next time for texture.)
• 1/2 cup cocoa (less??)
• original was 1/2 cup sugar - I used 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar, 1 Tablespoon truvia, 1/2 Tablespoon honey and about 1 Tablespoon agave -crazy I know - I'd stick with just 2 sweeteners next time, and probably make them honey or agave and truvia.
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and blend until smooth.
2. I just had to fill each little donut spot with batter and cook them.  The were done in 3-4 minutes.
3. glaze or coat with powdered sugar if desired.  (I'm hoping to get the recipe down well enough that they don't need a glaze or dip.

Creamy Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups

I made these for dinner the other day, but the left overs as still sitting in the fridge.  Doesn't make me want to write out the whole recipe.  I will still add the link and a few notes for next time.

First of all, I'm not sure why I chose this, I'm not a huge fan of Alfredo sauces, so don't take all my negative commentary as a fact that these are no good.  You may like them.  I just didn't care for them much.   The sauce ended up just being a simple white sauce which was fine, but I ended up wanting it to have more flavor, and if making this again, I'd probably add some Parmesan to the white sauce.  I also thought it needed more sauce, or that the sauce should be thinner.  The recipe said to slightly undercook the noodles so they didn't break - which I did.  I assumed they would completely cook in the sauce, which they may have a little, I can't actually remember.  What I do remember is feeling like the sauce was sticky and needed to be a bit thinner and a bit more plentiful for my tastes. 

The original recipe from Recipe Shoebox would make a ton.  I tried to make less.  Used about 2/3 of everything, but then 1/2 the garlic powder and the same amount of Italian seasoning because I like that...  I didn't however cut the white sauce down by any and I still wish there was a bit more - or maybe add a can of tomato sauce to the white sauce with some Italian seasoning and make it a mix of white and red sauce - not sure - these are just ideas because I did like the idea of a lasagna roll up.  They were cute.  I also liked that they were vegetarian.  I liked the spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan on the inside.  It really was the white sauce that ruined this for me.  I could make it again with some modifications.

Teriyaki burgers

I'm getting a bit more lazy, and posting this with only a link.  It wasn't my favorite burger in the world, it was just OK, so no typing it all in.  I didn't make many changes in the recipe other than I think I make 7 burgers so I have a couple of tinier ones for the littler boys in my house, and I also used all ground beef.  I buy 93/7 and DH bought 85/15 on the turkey, plus it was being used in the lettuce cups we had the next day, and some reviews said the turkey made the burgers crumbly, so I went with beef.  I also made some other changes mentioned in my problematic experience with these burgers.
I think part of the problem with these burgers were just the fact that many things frustrated me while making them

• couldn't find the magazine - from a taste of home healthy choice magazine.  DH made the menu/grocery list and even did the shopping this week, but I have no clue what happened to this one magazine.  Should go check the recycle bin.  That is where I finally found the last one I was looking for.
• He didn't buy buns and I didn't plan ahead to make any - but he got some on the way home from work.  Go DH.
• I ran out of my lovely jarred minced ginger (I did not use a full teaspoon and a half - actually I used a teaspoon of ginger/garlic blend from a jar, and then the rest of what was in my jar of ginger.)
• I ran out of ketchup.  Luckily DH picked  some up on his way home, but the original sauce was a bit shy of the 1/4 cup ketchup it called for.
• My breadcrumbs were full of weavil - luckily I had some dried out wheat bread which I ground in the food processor.
• All of these delays frustrated me because I made a goal to have dinner on the table by 5:30 so people could eat and get on their way - I thought this was a simple meal to make, but after looking for the magazine for over 20 minutes, I didn't manage to even light the grill until after 5:30.  I am glad that I finally got the great idea to look for the recipe online though.  Yeah!
• By the time I was grilling it was too dark to see - I burned the baby burgers.  Even the not burned burgers tasted a bit dry.  Should have just pan fried them.  I thought about it when I started so late, but really wanted the flavor of the BBQ.
•  The pineapples didn't grill up as nicely as I wanted to.  - Would use a real pineapple not canned if doing this in the future.

So, all of that being said, the burgers were a bit dry like I said.  I've made a super simple healthy girl teryiaki burger before that just had teriyaki sauce on a veggie burger patty with a pineapple or something super simple like that, and it was better than these which ended up sucking up way more of my evening than I had expected.  

However, maybe I'm just crazy, or biased by my bad experience.  They are well enough rated on the taste of home website, so feel free to check them out.  I do love the concept, because I do love a good teriyaki burger.

Speedy Mexican Beef skillet dinner

I like the sound of this one, and I have made chicken chilaques (or something like that) which are similar but with chicken, but something about this recipe just doesn't taste quite right.  Not sure if it is just the brand of enchilada sauce I used today, or just the mix of enchilada sauce with cream of mushroom soup.  I really like the idea of a skillet beef enchilada.  Maybe something with enchilada sauce and sour cream instead of cream of mushroom.  There is just something about this one I'm not fond of.  My pictures were horrible too.  They all turned out looking orange even after I got out a white light to shine on them.  Oh well.  Maybe it's a good reminder to make sure I read this and try it with sour cream next time.  It is super quick and easy even though I was out of pre-cooked beef.  So it may be worth trying to alter to make it tastier.
Tavio's comment - I hate this one because it has a bad aftertaste so you have to keep shoveling in the food so you never get to the aftertaste.  Made me laugh.  :)

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped (I cheated and used dehydrated onions this day.)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
• 1 10 oz. can Enchilada sauce
• 2 cups tortilla chips, broken slightly
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I didn't measure)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro if desired (was in a hurry, I didn't use)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.
2. Stir in soup, chiles, enchilada sauce and chips.  Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly.
3. Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover; cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.  sprinkle with cheese.

Green rice Casserole

This is the side I chose to make with our Chinese pot roast - also from the fix it and forget it cookbook.  I am a bit interested to see how it turns out or if I will like it.  I'm actually worried I won't like so much parsley, but we will see.  It isn't even in the crockpot yet, the rice is in the rice cooker.

Well, we have now eaten this.  It was OK.  I wasn't a huge fan of the parsley.  The texture was very good though.  I did like the cheese flavor.  I think this would have been better with spinach.  Would have looked more green as well.  One other note - this cooked a lot faster than it said.  Was ready in more like 3 hours.  It was also starting to burn after 1 hour on high.)

Recipe from Ruth Hofstetter - Versailles, Missouri

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups evaporated milk -(The can measures 1 1/3 cups + 3 Tablespoons.  I used it all.)
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (while I'm typing I'm thinking I'll be leaving this out.  Plenty of fat from the cheese and milk -I did leave it out.)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 of a small onion, minced (I used a shallot)
• 1 small carrot, minced (optional -original was only 1/2, but what was I to do with 1/2 a carrot.  I put the whole thing in.)
• 2 cups minced fresh parsley or 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained.  I used the parsley.  I got Italian flat leaf and measured out 2 cups of leaves before chopping.
  2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheese (I used cheddar
• 3 cups cooked long grain rice

Directions

1. Beat together milk, oil, and eggs until well combined.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour into greased slow cooker.
3. Cover.  Cook on High 1 hour.  Stir.  Reduce heat to low and cook 4-6 hours. (Only needed 2-3 hours.  We turned it off after 3 and it was a bit overdone.)

Chicken corn soup

This week at the library I checked out a fix it and forget it book because I'm looking for more crockpot recipes. I have looked at this book before but had forgotten that it was a compilation of many slow cooker recipes from different people.  Each recipe says who it is from.  I chose quite a few different ones to try.  This was the first one I tried.
Sadly I was unimpressed.  The ingredients all looked good, but maybe I got a really strong onion or something, but I felt like the overpowering flavor of the soup was onions. I also didn't like the texture.  The soup part of the soup was kind of grainy - kind of like the junk you get at the bottom of the pan when pan frying meat, but my chicken was boneless skinless chicken breast - chopped and de-fatted.  No reason to have anything funky in the soup.  I think it may have been from a combination of the cream style corn and the tomato sauce?  Tavio really seemed to like it - he even had seconds, and he doesn't like onions.  I found that surprising, but he does like soup.   We did not even save the left overs.  I post it because the idea was good, and the kids seemed to like it more than the parents, and it got plenty of veggies in the kids.  I'll leave my suggestions for next time throughout the recipe.  I just got a new thought - maybe I will have to challenge myself to makeover some of my recipes that I didn't like.  I invariably post some suggestions to make it better, but never have tried any of them.  Maybe I can make a once a month challenge??

This recipe says it is from Eleanor Larson of Glen Lyon, PA - I changed nothing, so I must give credit where it is due.

Ingredients

• 2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (I may have used 3- I think 1 lb 3 oz or something.)
• 1 onion, chopped (I used 3/4 because mine was large and this was vague.  Probably only use 1/2 and saute it in butter first or just use 1 Tbs onion flakes next time.)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 teaspoon "mixed dried herbs"  I think I ended up going with 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning
• 1/3 cup tomato sauce (I'd leave this out all together.  I wanted a bit more corn flavor.
• 1 12 oz. can cream-style corn
• 1 14 oz. can whole kernel corn
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except parsley, salt, and pepper in slow cooker.
2. Cover.  Cook on Low 8-9 hous, or until chicken is tender.
3. Add parsley and seasoning 30 minutes before serving.

Stuffed potato pancakes

This is another recipe I found going through my e-mails.  It too is from allrecipes.com.  I did not like this one as well as the soup though.  I had many problems with it.  Maybe because I'm no expert at potato pancakes or something, but it was just way too much work for results I was less than thrilled with.  First of all I followed the recipe exactly for the potato part.  For the meat, I didn't have an onion so I added onion powder.  I used 8 potatoes, but that seemed like a lot for the amount of meat that I had.  I also thought the potato mixture was a bit runny.  They didn't stay together well like a pancake which made the whole putting them together a bit difficult.
Today I went and reread the reviews on allrecipes and cam away feeling like I don't know how to cook.  No one else mentions the potato part being so runny. I wonder if it is just lack of experience with potato pancakes.  Maybe I was supposed to dry my potatoes after shredding?  I'm sure if the thought ever crosses my mind to try these again I will shred my potatoes with the fine side of my shredder, not the thicker.  That would let them cook better (some potato pieces were not completely cooked even thought he meat was)  and maybe form into better "pancakes."  The picture I was looking at had shredded cheese on top and I mistook that for the thickness of the potatoes.  I also think I would not use 8 potatoes unless they were all very tiny.  Or use 8 potatoes and 1 lb. of beef.  I had to make a second batch of meat even after making some very large pancakes on my second batch.

Here is how I made them.

Ingredients

• 8 potatoes, peeled and shredded (would only use 5 or 6 next time)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• garlic seasoning (added after the first batch)

Filling

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• onion powder (I just poured)
• garlic salt (I also just poured some on -1/4-1/2 teaspoon?)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

• 2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Mix together potatoes, flour, baking powder, 3 eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl.  I whisked everything but the potatoes then mixed them in.)  In another bowl, mix ground beef, onion powder, garlic salt, egg and bread crumbs.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, and drop a rounded tablespoon of potato mixture into the hot skillet.  Spread and flatten the pancake out a little, and place about 2 teaspoons of beef mixture on the pancake, spreading the filling out almost to the edges of the pancake.  Drop another rounded tablespoon of potato mixture on top of the beef and spread it out to completely cover the beef.  Fry until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip and fry the other side until golden, 1-2 more minutes.  (we fried equal minutes on both sides to completely cook the potatoes. 

Good luck.  Like I said, they were well rated on allrecipes.  Their flavor was ok, I just didn't like how the potato pancake part worked.  If you have any pointers let me know.

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slow cooker red beans and rice

I made this red beans and rice at some time last week.  I'm trying to make more dishes with dry beans to better learn how to use them.  I'd like to have more vegetarian days cooking and beans are a great source of protein and fiber.  I just don't know how to make them well.  I tried this recipe I found at crockpot 365.  It was only OK.  I liked the flavor ok.  It was a bit spicy for my liking, and I wished that the coconut flavor was just a touch stronger.  Actually I think that the spiciness just distracted from the coconut for me.    I was expecting a stronger coconut, and less bite.    I also didn't like the rice cooking with the beans.  By the time the beans were done the rice was more like rice pudding than anything else.  While I love rice pudding, that only added to my expectation of a strong coconut flavor and left me expecting sweetness, not spiciness.

I do however like the idea of this meal which is why I am posting it.  I liked the coconut flavor with the lime, and I liked the red beans and rice, but I would probably cook the beans in the slow cooker in the chicken broth on high for a few hours, then add the rice and coconut milk later.  I also left out the salt, thinking that it would be salty enough with the chicken stock, but it needed it.  I added it close to the end when I added a bit more water because the beans were not done.  I also read up on crockpot 365 that she doesn 't like the crockpot I own because it has a couple of wholes in the top where a spoon can clip to the top of it.  I was actually happy with it because it is the first one I have had in a while that didn't cook too hot, but apparently too much liquid can steam out of the wholes.  I'm thinking maybe this could have contributed to the beans not being done on time, and my having to add extra liquid.   Last time I used it I shoved toothpicks in the holes to lessen the escaping steam.  With those modifications and less red pepper I think I would really like this meal.

Recap of my for next time ideas

• block holes in my crock pot's lid with toothpicks
• start beans in chicken broth, onions, garlic and red pepper flakes early in the morning
• add rice, coconut milk, lime juice and salt after the beans are starting to soften in the afternoon
• use less red pepper flakes - 1/4-1/2 teaspoon  

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried small red beans 
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I'd use less next time.)
• 1 14.5 oz. can coconut milk (full fat is best.  If using the light, add a couple drops of coconut extract- I may actually add a couple of drops of coconut extract even with full fat.)
• 3 cups chicken broth (I used stock)
• 1 1/2 cups long grain basmati white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 limes (original recipe had these cut in wedges as an option, but I squeezed them in when I added extra liquid.)

Directions

1. Place sorted beans in a 4 quart slow cooker.  Cover with water and soak overnight.  In the morning, drain the water and place beans in a large pot of fresh water.  Boil rapidly on the stovetop for at least 10 minutes before draining and placing in the crockpot.  click here to see the good reason why.
2. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth.  Stir in rice and salt.  Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until beans are bite tender.  Before eating, squeeze on a bit of lime juice.  

Those are the directions from 365 crockpot.  She apparently had better luck than me, but she knows her crock pot.  I did find out a lot of good information on her site and recommend stopping by and reading it if you ever had any questions about crock pots.  I also read about her flops and found them quite amusing.  Definitely a site worth checking out.

As we ate this I give it only 2.5 star.  It was fine, but could have been better.  My changes for next time are above.

peanut butter and jelly muffins

Here is another breakfast recipe from recipe shoebox.  This is actually the first recipe I have tried from there that I just did not have any luck with.  It looks so nice and simple on that site.  Just put the dough in the muffin tin, nicely add the jelly, top with more dough and whah la, cute little stuffed muffins.  Well, that was not the case for me.  The dough was very thick for some reason so it was semi hard to get it into the muffin tins in the first place.  Then the jam I was using was home-made and a tiny bit thin (not syrupy or anything, just not jelly, jam or preserves.)  Anyway, it tried to slide all over the place.  Then when I topped the jam with the last bits of dough, it didn't cover well.  That led to some awful problems when these cooked - the jelly melted and came out the sides of the muffin all over the top of the muffin tin.  So messy.  They were also a bit dry (maybe due to the fact that they were soo thick.)  I followed the recipe except that I used full fat peanut butter not reduced (should have made them less dry right?)  I also didn't use sugar free spreadable fruit, just regular homemade strawberry jam. I can't imagine those 2 changes making that big of a difference in the muffin.  Not sure what went wrong.
I'm not posting the recipe, just the link to the recipe.  I like the concept of these and I like the flavor of peanut butter and jelly.  If I try these again, I will probably add a bit of sweetener to the muffin dough.  Maybe honey or agave to make the batter a little less thick.   I'd probably also thin out the batter a bit. Maybe add a banana?

If you want cute pictures check out the link above.  Here are some photos of my fiasco.
You can see the mess they were.  A couple ended up with holes in the bottom and the jelly leaked.  They were a bit dry and crumbly.
Below they are in the pan jelly oozing everywhere.

Coconut beef patties (Rempah) and rice in coconut milk (Nasi Uduk/Gurih)

This meal was a bit heinous to prepare, but I'm the silly person who decided to start with a few fresh coconuts.  It wouldn't be nearly as bad to prepare with regular grated coconut,

adobo chicken

This recipe has been on my menu for weeks now and for one reason or another I have never made it.  I finally made it today.  It was not one of my favorites.  The chicken somehow got dry, and the potatoes were too tangy for me.  I liked the flavor of the chicken though, and they all cooked in the same sauce.  It would be a good meal with a few alterations which is why I bother posting it.  I found it at taste and tell.  I did not change the ingredients at all - but I didn't add salt or pepper -salt because holy cow, you are cooking it in 1 cup of soy sauce if you don't have enough salt there is something wrong.  The pepper I just never added.  I also used butter to saute my onions, not oil - ok, I changed ingredients but only a little.  I did totally rewrite the directions though because they were very vague.  I was guessing what I was really supposed to do.

Ingredients

• 5 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 to 1 cup water (I used 1 cup)
• salt and pepper to taste (didn't use either)
• lemon pepper, for sprinkling
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• rice, for serving

Sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper.  Heat butter in a skillet and saute onions and garlic until softened. Add chicken (I actually left my chicken there for a minute to hopefully get some lemon pepper seasoning to stick, but I'm wondering if this is what made my chicken dry.  I'd probably do it again, but decrease the boiling time to 20 minutes.  Both the chicken and potatoes would be done by then and I don't think the potatoes would be so strong that way.) Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes.  (I'd only do 20 minutes next time.)

Serve over rice.

Cheeseburger casserole

Here is another one from Saving dinner. Again I modified it. I still found it to be lacking something though and I doubled the thyme. Maybe it was the spinach egg noodles the original recipe called for. I couldn't find those. I felt that the noodles needed something, and wanted a bit more flavor, but never could put my finger on exactly what it was. Maybe it just needed to simmer a bit (or cook in the oven) longer to blend the flavors or get a stronger flavor, I don't know. Here it is. I put it because I want to put all types of recipes. This wasn't bad, just not one of my favorites. Maybe a 2.5 star.


Ingredients

• 1 lb precooked beef
• 1 cup oats
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 2 carrots
• 1 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 oz egg noodles
• 1 cup cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Defrost precooked meat in microwave for 2 minutes.
Make noodles according to package directions.
Chop onion and red pepper in food processor. Change to grater attachment grate the carrot into the mix. (I have a large food processor and it has been my new friend. Had it forever, but just now using it - don't know what my problem was before.)
Add the ground beef to frying pan and warm. Stir in oats till well combined. Add onion, bell pepper and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Add noodles to meat mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is hot and melted (about 15 minutes.)