Recipe: Martha Stewart Macaroni and Cheese

When I couldn't really get around after tearing my ligament in my ankle a great friend brought our family this delicious dish.  I couldn't get enough of it.  I ate pretty much the whole pan by myself throughout the week and still wanted more.  The taste is SO good!

http://www.marthastewart.com/281007/macaroni-and-cheese

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Nobody knows exactly when the first batch of macaroni and cheese was made, but the dish dates at least to the colonial era, when Thomas Jefferson returned from a trip to Italy with a pasta machine and subsequently served macaroni and cheese at his dinner parties. Centuries later, in 1937, Kraft introduced its version, which has since become a staple in pantries across the country. Martha's recipe is one of her favorite comfort foods -- rich, flavorful, and easy to make. You can easily divide this recipe in half: Use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.

• Yield Serves 12

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

Recipe: French Toast Bites

I found this delicious recipe on Pinterest.  I LOVED it!  It was so stinkin yummy.  I hope you will try it and enjoy!

http://www.thatssoyummy.com/recipes/french-toast-kebabs-with-strawberry-syrup/#more-5471

I did regular syrup and whipped cream.  I didn't thread on the kabobs either we just had the strawberries on the side.

Recipe: Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

I found this recipe on Pinterest through Emily Bites - http://www.emilybites.com/2012/01/philly-cheesesteak-sloppy-joes.html

It was simple and delicious.  My son ate it and my husband wanted more.  I used Mozzarella cheese because that is what I had.  Below is the recipe off of Emily Bites.  ENJOY!!!



Ingredients:
1 lbs 95% lean ground beef, raw
1 large (softball-sized) white onion, diced
1 medium or large green bell pepper, diced
3 T steak sauce
1 cup fat free beef broth
Salt & black pepper to taste
5 light wheat sandwich rolls (I used Weight Watchers brand rolls)
5 slices 2% Provolone cheese (I used Sargento)

Directions:
1.    Bring a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Brown beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Once cooked, add the peppers and onions and continue to cook for a few more minutes until vegetables are softened. Mix in the steak sauce, beef broth, salt and pepper and bring to a bubble. Allow the mixture to bubble for about 5 minutes.
2.    Make sure you have an oven rack in the top third of your oven and pre-heat the oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Open the sandwich rolls and lay both sides cut side up. Using your fingers, press the middle-inside of the bottom half of the roll to make a little more room for the meat mixture. Scoop about ¾ cup of the meat mixture onto the pressed bottom half of each roll. Top the meat mixture with a slice of the cheese. The top half of the rolls will be bare and cut side up.
3.    Place the baking sheet onto the oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven and broil for about 1 minute (check at 30 seconds and again at 50 to prevent burning – broiling happens fast!) Cover the loaded bottom half of each roll with its toasted top half counterpart and serve!

Fun Jar

I got this amazing idea from my friend Katie. For rewards, I have tried charts, individual jars... This time there are 2 jars/canisters. One is the bank so to say and the other is the collection for something fun.

So when the kids obey ud, respond respectfully, say yes mom or yes dad, treat sibling with respect and try to create peace in every circumstance that can add a marble to the fun jar. When the fun jar is full we do something as a family. We are collecting for a movie day.

This has been beneficial in it is a WHOLE family effort not just focusing on one kid so they keep each other accountable. They have also been rewarding us! Try it!!!

Our Valentine Mailboxes

I seen this on pinterest and wanted to do it. I posted earlier with the link to the original.

Here is what I did
Target- got mailboxes in dollar section. I got the black sticker letters in the scrapbook section. Enough to make our names. I also got fun stickers to put on the notes too!
I bought the pink bucket in the dollar section for the notecards but that was in the fall. They may have something there still.

Dollar Store- I bought these glass candle holders. I came home and spray painted them black. I also bought a small notebook with different colors of papers to use for notes. I cut them in half when I got home.

Once the paint was dry I out gorilla glue on the top of the candleholder and put the mailbox on top of it. Let them dry completely before using the mailboxes.

Now we are ready to write sweet and encouraging notes to each other. Once someone puts a note in don't forget to put up the flag!! As valentines gets closer we may do treats too.