On a Mission.....

Sorry I haven't been blogging, a difficult schedule and the computer in the dungeon (our unfinished basement), make blogging nearly impossible.  So, I have made a decision, sometimes my blogs will be short and sweet, but I will try to get down here daily.

Today, I am going grocery, pant, and birthday gift shopping.  I need some necessities for my fridge and bathroom. My son needs pants, he's always cold. And last, but not least, my nieces need birthday gifts. 

Wednesday my mom and I took a trial run to the store I planned on shopping at this week, Trader Joe's.  It is an all natural store, but is discounted because they use their private label.  Everything is dye-free, it is heaven for me.  We loaded the two kids in the car and headed to 119th and Nall in Leawood, the closest one to our house, 25 miles to be exact.  The kids had a blast, their favorite part of it all was the candy.  My son purchased dark chocolate peanut butter cups and my daughter purchased organic lollipops.  Everything in the store was reasonably priced and unique.  I will be using some of their products this week when I cook dinner and will post them as I use them.  I had four sacks of groceries for under $100, not bad in my eyes. I took a picture of the sacks so you could see what I am talking about.

By far, my favorite grocery store now. I can't buy everything I need there due to the cost, but I really enjoy the atmosphere of the store and having a few of their products. When we went there, it was like a mini-vacation, it was like being on the west coast.

Wednesday night I made my favorite meal, the recipe came off of the side of a box of Dreamfields Pasta I bought a few years ago. It is called Welcome Home Mac and Cheese (the actual recipe is at this link).  A grown-up version of mac and cheese, it makes a great meal.

First I pulled out all the ingredients:

Just so you know, I cheat a little, I use jarred garlic, dried parsley, and chop half an onion. So, I throw those things in the skillet along with EVOO and begin cooking.

 Takes about 5 minutes, they should look like this:

Once everything has browned and is ready, I put on the mac to boil and stir in the nutmeg, salt, pepper, and, I use just plain milk, for calorie reduction.

Don't forget to start your water before all this begins:

Once the sauce has cooked for 10 minutes and the mac is done, you combine the two with the 2 1/2 cups of cheese (again, I cheat, I used whatever shredded cheese is in the house, always include white and cheddar).

 Oh, that looks really gross, but you get the point.

Mix it really good! (Now, I really do sound like my grandma.) It says to use a 9x13 pan, but I always use an oval Pyrex to make it a little bit more moist. Don't forget to add Parmesan cheese to the top and I like to put breadcrumbs for looks.

 
Stick it in the oven for 20 minutes at 425.

Here's to good old-fashioned comfort food.

I need to get back to my real life now, my mission, I forgot to mention.  Right now, I am writing the contents of my kitchen into a notebook.  I am planning my meals for the next two weeks, lets see if I can do it.

Wishing you a wonderful meal until next time....You might want to pull out the Tums. I will post the contents of my kitchen in the next few days and post my meal plan.  Happy planning....