Heather

I decided on this recipe because I am closing up our summer cottage and I wanted to use some of the things I had on hand. I used margarine instead of butter, all-purpose for instead of wheat flour, and instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal instead of the rolled oatmeal. It needed to cook a minute more, but it came out great.

I doubled the recipe and used a one pound box of pasta. I also did not have Romano cheese, so I substituted Parmesan. I added spinach too. I think it was a little too cheesy, but everyone else really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed the flavors. I wanted to make this recipe on a night when not everyone could sit down to eat at the same time, so I kept the dressing separate. I think the flavor would permeate the spinach and craisins better if it was on the salad, but I did not want the spinach to be wilted. This worked well for us though.

The flavor is wonderful. I had a problem with consistency. Next time I think I will add the milk slowly to maintain viscosity.

I didn’t have milk, but I had half and half. This made the texture very smooth. I think the milk would have been better. I added bacon and jalapeños. We liked the kick of the jalapeños. I think I should have cooked the potatoes a bit longer.

This has interesting flavors and is very colorful. I think my problem is with the cinnamon. Maybe I’ll try just nutmeg next time.