A Cheez-It Feast, And Other Reasons To Be Thankful

RadioActive's Yafiet Bezabih and Maddie Ewbank challenge our chef-in-residence Sarah Rosenthal to make a Thanksgiving meal out of mac and cheese, Oreos, Cheez-Its, salsa, and more cheese. Plus, hear the story of an inspirational nun from India: Sister Lucy Kurien helps thousands of destitute women and children through her organization, Maher.

Here are Sarah Rosenthal's recipes, as heard in the show:

Salsa Chicken Rolls

Yields approx 20 rolls

16 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (more to taste)

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 1/2 cups salsa

2 cups shredded chicken or turkey

1 tbsp hot sauce (of your choice)

20 tortillas

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.

2) Combine all ingredients (save for the tortillas) in a large bowl.

3) Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of mixture onto tortillas and roll them up, place on un-greased baking sheet (parchment paper preferred).

4) spray with cooking spray if desired, bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is beginning to melt.

"Cracky Mac"

3 cups desired pasta (macaroni and penne work well)

1 cup cream or 2% milk

2 cups shredded cheddar

1 tsp fresh tarragon

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp sage

2 cups Cheez-Its

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp butter to mount

1) Boil pasta to desired degree of doneness, strain. Cook 7 minutes for al dente.

2) While pasta is cooking, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a medium sauce pan and crush 2 cups Cheez-its in a bag with a rolling pin.

3) Add cream to saucepan, then add cheese to saucepan and stir until melted and combined.

4) Remove saucepan from heat and add herbs.

5) Add 2 tbsp butter to mount.

6) Combine sauce with strained pasta and combine.

7) Sprinkle crushed Cheez-Its over pasta and either serve as is or bake for 10 minutes, then serve.

RadioActive is KUOW's youth radio program, and all the stories here are produced by young people age 16-21. Listen to RadioActive stories, subscribe to the RadioActive podcast and stay in touch on Facebook.