Ask and you shall receive!

Ok, so since several of you asked about my DELICIOUS (yes, I am partial) macaroni and cheese I thought I would bless you with my recipe.  I originally found it online but tweaked it a little.  Without further ado, here is my recipe for macaroni and cheese.

The Best Mac & Cheese EVER!

1 Tbs  Olive Oil

1 (16 oz) package rigatoni

8 Tbs butter (1 stick)

4 cups shredded cheese (any kind you like)

1 1/2 cups half and half

16 oz Velveeta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Optional:  Seasoned bread crumbs and extra shredded cheese for topping

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

 

Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil.  Add olive oil.

Add the pasta.  You can use any kind of pasta you want.  Cook according to package directions.  

I like rigatoni.

While the pasta is cooking I make the cheese sauce.  You can do it this way or just make the pasta and then make the cheese sauce after it’s done.  Either way, cube up the Velveeta.

In a medium saucepan melt the Velveeta cubes.

Next you will add your shredded cheese.  I used Cheddar and Cheddar Jack.  You can be a little fancier and use Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Muenster, etc. 

Dump all 4 cups into the saucepan and stir occasionally.

Add the half and half.  Keep stirring.

Add the eggs.  Keep stirring.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Once all the cheese is melted the sauce is done.  Set aside but stir occasionally.

Once the pasta is done cooking, drain well and return to the pot.  Cut up the stick of butter.

Toss it in the pot.  You can leave the heat off since the heat from the pasta and the pot will usually melt the butter fairly quickly.

Once the butter is melted put it in a 13x9 greased glass baking dish.

Although the cheese sauce looks good enough to eat as it is it will need to be poured over the noodles.

Like so.  Mix up the noodles and cheese so everything is nice and covered with the cheesy goodness.

If you want to you can sprinkle some extra cheese and breadcrumbs on the top.

Like so.  Now it’s ready to cook for about 35 minutes.  It should be hot and bubbling and you will have to have someone hold you back because it will be too hard to not jump in the oven and eat it.

Like so.

I just finished making mine and it is nice and cooled off so I’m outta here!  Enjoy!

Playing catch up

It seems it’s my favorite game.  Since I’m always playing it and all.  It never feels as if I’m ever caught up.  In my head I have quite a few posts that never quite materialized on here.  I have over 500 pictures on my camera that haven’t made it onto my computer.  There is money in my bank account that hasn’t quite made it to my credit card companies yet.  I have paperwork to mail out but it sits on my coffee table gathering dust.  What is my deal?  I don’t know if its lack of motivation or what but I seriously need to get my butt in gear.

So, in an effort (small as it may be) to get caught up here is a catch up post on what’s been going on with me.  There will be no rhyme or reason to any of it, just what spews forth from my fingers as I type.  So here goes:

• I think I am depressed.  I’m afraid to see anyone about it because I think it might affect me negatively if we pursue adoption in the future.  It was on the medical form that had to be filled out for the foster care application.  Lately I’ve been feeling pretty good but there have been some really low points.
• We are this (imagine my thumb and forefinger about an inch apart) close to mailing off the foster care paperwork.  I just need to fill in some credit card info (what debts we have) and I need to find out if my insurance will cover an adopted child with special needs.  I’ve been putting it off (mailing it) for various reasons.  One was because Courtney was out of work for awhile (he’s back now, thank goodness) and the other was me just holding out hope that we wouldn’t need to mail it in.  I’m not holding out hope for that anymore.  It WILL be mailed out this week.
• We’ve talked about going back to the infertility clinic to do an IUI.  I’ve been playing phone tag with my previous OB/GYN to have my medical records (all the infertility tests I had done) to my new OB/GYN (they only have records of my pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage).  I finally have the correct form to fill out and mail back.  Once the new doctor has my medical records I can have them call my insurance for authorization.  Can this be a bigger pain in my ass?  I think not.
• Tonight, at work, I registered the DUMBEST person I think I’ve ever met in my entire life.  On the form there are two lines for your address…Address Line 1 and Address Line 2.  Someone with an IQ of at least 75 or higher would probably be able to figure out how to fill it out but this genius had to ask what it meant.  Once I explained it to her she asked me how to spell her street name.   She then had to ask her friend what city and state she lived in.  Yeah, this person is going to be responsible for a human life.  I pity her unborn child.
• I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the first time this year.  It was just me and my husband (long story about a fight with my brother) and it turned out perfect.  I gave myself a huge pat on the back for that one.        This turkey sat in our freezer for two years but let me tell you, it was delicious!

Courtney carving the bird.  I made the jammie pants he’s wearing.  He’s a carpenter, hence all the tools.

Our table.  The flash really washes out the pretty green walls in the kitchen.  Well, I think they are pretty.

Homemade mac and cheese.  My favorite.  I made this instead of mashed potatoes.  If I had the ingredients I’d make this right this second. SOOOOO GOOOD!

Stuffing from scratch.

I’m thinking about keeping a tray like this in the fridge at all times.  Better than chips and cookies I’m sure.

Homemade gravy.

Cornbread from scratch. 

Canned cranberry sauce.  I can’t help it.  I prefer the canned stuff.  I was going to make it myself but the store didn’t have any cranberries.

 

The plates were off our wedding registry.  I absolutely love them.  Each one has a different image on it.  The angel hitchhiking to heaven is my favorite while the Golden Gate bridge is my husband’s favorite.

• For Christmas we called a truce and went over my parents house to open some presents and eat dinner.  I didn’t really talk to my brother but everything went ok.  I got Beatles Rockband (the only thing I really wanted) and I got my husband Just Dance for Wii.  Such a fun game.  And good exercise I might add. 

Our dogs love Christmas.  They open presents.  Seriously.

Courtney playing Just Dance.

My dad couldn’t get enough of this game.  Way too funny.  And my mom told me he was sore as hell the next day.

My mom tried it once.

My youngest brother (not the one I haven’t been getting along with) even did it once.  I couldn’t talk him into doing it again.  I think he got video on his phone of me doing it but hopefully I’ll never see that footage. 

 

Well, that’s about as much as I can think of right now.  I don’t think I’m fully caught up yet but I’m closer than I was an hour ago.