Paula Deen's Red Velvet Trifle

Well...Where do I start...First, I love red velvet...Second, I swear I have made red velvet before and it turned out fantastic.  Third, This does taste very good....But....It looks like a five year old threw it together...So i'm no Paula Deen...Or a baker...but there definately wasn't enough pudding topping for this trifle...Oh well...at least it tastes good.  Below is the link to the Paula Deen website that does include a way different (better) picture of the trifle.  Enjoy!
Paula Deen's Red Velvet Trifle

Oven Chicken Fingers

What a great recipe from allrecipes.com.  This oven chicken finger recipe was so easy to make and the best part is the homemade honey mustard sauce.  My entire kitchen smells like the sauce...smells so good!!!  Below is the link to the recipe.

Oven Chicken Fingers (from all recipes.com)
Ingredients:
cut up chicken fingers
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a baggie and set aside.  In a small bowl mix together the garlic and vegetable oil.  Dip the chicken fingers in the oil mixture, then the bread crumb mixture and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.  Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 20 minutes.
Ingredients for Honey Mustard Sauce:
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
Directions:
Dissolve the corn starch in 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan.  Place pan on med/high heat and mix in the rest of the ingredients (including the rest of the water) and bring to boil.  Stir constantly for 1 minute until the sauce thickens.  I thought I messed up the sauce because it was so watery and lumpy, but just keep stirring and it will thicken up.

Beer Mac and Cheese

This is a wonderful recipe from howsweeteats.com.  I do agree that although this recipe is fantastic, adding a little bacon would make it out of this world.  This was super easy to make and re-heats very well for left overs (if you have any) the next day!  This definitely feels like a Midwestern meal...
Here is the link to the recipe:
Beer Mac and Cheese

Easy Crock-Pot Pizza

Well...this recipe was just sorta okay...There wasn't that much flavor to this meal, but it would be a good recipe to make for young kids.  It is super fast and easy to make.  Instead of using canned mushrooms I used fresh ones.  Here is the link to the recipe:
Easy Crock-Pot Pizza Recipe

Breakfast Skillet

Via my wonderful husband!  Woo Hoo

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Merry Christmas!!!
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Make Ahead French Toast

This is a great dish to make ahead and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.  I love the crunchy pecans and the sweet maple syrup over french bread!  Super easy and super yummy!  Below is the link to the recipe from allrecipes.com
Make Ahead French Toast

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Second try)

WAY WAY better than the previous soup I tried (which was still good).  This was so easy.  I got a rotisserie chicken instead of using chicken breasts and put everything in one pot and simmered for 30 minutes.  Below is a link to the recipe from allrecipes.com.  Next time I will add some avacado and fresh tomatoes.
Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Cordon Blue

One word: Boring!!  Not much flavor at all....totally my fault since I didn't want follow the recipe by sauteing the chicken in a pan forever.  Instead I threw it in the oven...Not that great...

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

It's been such a busy week i'm going to be lazy and just give you a link to this amazing recipe from allrecipes.com.  I love the cream cheese mixture in these enchiladas.  Well, I love cream cheese in just about anything (just like Paula Deen).
Here is the link to the recipe:
Jalapeno Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

This recipe is HOT...no seriously is really spicy hot!  I could cut down on the cayenne and add some hot italian sausage instead...But a very good recipe from allrecipes.com by Julieliz.

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1/2 box of Fettuccine
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Directions:
Cook Fettuccine according to package (al dente).  Meanwhile in a skillet put a little olive oil with the red bell pepper, garlic and cayenne.  Cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes.  Add the sour cream and chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes.  Take off heat and add cheese.  Mix with cooked Fettuccine and serve.

Homemade Toddler Paint

I absolutely love this quick and easy (no cooking) paint recipe for toddlers.  When they paint on paper with this paint it ends up being very shiny!

Homemade Toddler Paint
Mix together 2 cups powder coffee creamer and 1/2 cup warm water.  Whisk together until blended.  It will start out lumpy, but keep whisking and it will thin out.  Then add a few drops of Tempera Paint.  Add more coffee creamer to thicken it up.

Thanksgiving Owl Cupcakes

Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy!

Hershey Kiss Acorns

A little Thanksgiving treat from one of my favorite blogs: sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com

Hershey Kiss Acorns
Ingredients:
Bag of Hershey Kisses
Bag of small chocolate chips
Bag of Nutter Butter minis
Directions:
Melt some mini chocolate chips in the microwave (stirring constantly).  Put One half of a Nutter Butter Mini on top of the Hershey Kiss (sealing with melted chocolate).  Then place a mini chocolate chip on top of the Nutter Butter mini (sealing with melted chocolate)

Four- Cheese Pasta With Peas & Ham

My mouth was watering every time I would stir this dish.  I thought this meal was super good and so did the rest of my family...even my picky son :o)

Four-Cheese Pasta With Peas & Ham
(from the Food Network Magazine December 2011 issue)
Ingredients:
12 ounces penne pasta
1 cup frozen peas
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg white
1 cup evaporated milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup fontina cheese
3oz diced ham
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt
Directions:
Bring pot of water to a boil.  Add penne pasta and cook until super al dente (about 8 minutes).  Add peas the last 2 minutes of cooking.  Whisk eggs, egg white, evaporated milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  Drain pasta and peas and wipe the pot dry.  Put pasta and peas back in pot and add the egg mixture and cheese.  Turn on burner to medium-low and constantly stir for about 8 minutes making sure the egg doesn't scramble.  Take off heat and serve.  ENJOY!

Slow Cooker French Dip & Spicy Fries

This was not only the first time I've ever made a French Dip Sandwich, but the very first time I've ever had one myself.  This was super easy to make in the crock pot all day (except my mouth was watering all day long because of the smell of the lovely beef).

Here is the link to the recipe for Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches on allrecipes.com
Easy Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

We also tried some Spicy Fries from the December 2011 issue of Food Network Magazine.  Although these weren't as spicy as I thought they would be they were super delicious.
Spicy Fries
Ingredients:
1 pound frozen french fries
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
Cook french fries according to package.  In a skillet cook onions, paprika and salt in the butter over medium heat.  Stir constantly for 4 minutes and then add the garlic.  Cook for another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the scallions, parsley and fries.  Toss and serve.

Breakfast Soufle

This recipe comes from my Great Grandma Avis.  The dish was so easy to make.  I don't think i've ever made an "egg bake" as easy as this one before. (I cut everything in half for this dish since it was just myself and my husband).

Breakfast Soufle
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds pork sausage (we used Italian Sausage)
9-12 eggs
3 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
3 slices bread cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 pound or 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Directions:
Brown and crumble sausage.  Mix together eggs, milk, mustard.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients and pour into a baking dish (sprayed with Pam).  Refrigerate overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered.

Kids Art Display

Since my son has been in "school" we have aquired a lot of art pieces on our fridge.  To free up some space we headed to Home Depot to find a solution to the clutter.  We simply bought a curtain rod and curtain clips, installed it on the wall in his play room and put up his artwork.  So easy and looks great in a play room.

Baked Ziti with Tomatoes, Artichokes, Basil, Cheese & Olives

This recipe is a easy baked Ziti recipe from my mom.  So easy to make a head of time and pop it in the oven right before dinner for a hearty meal. My husband thought it was so good he didn't even notice there wasn't any meat in the dish.

Baked Ziki with Tomatoes, Artichokes, Basil, Cheese & Olives
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Cup chopped yellow onion
2 Garlic cloves, minced
28oz Can chopped tomotoes
8oz Can tomato sauce
1/2 Cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
8oz (about 3 cups) Ziti, cooked
13 2/2oz Can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 Cup grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 Cup freshley grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Warm oil, add garlic and onion, saute, add tomatoes, sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add pasta, artichokes, mozzarella, olives and mix.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Chicken Breasts

Holy crap I didn't mess up the chicken dish tonight.  For the last month all my chicken dishes have either failed or haven't happened.  This dish has so much flavor and it's super fast.  I even made it while my 1 1/2 year old ran around the kitchen.  Can't get any better than that.  Oh I must add that I thought I had chicken breasts in the freezer, but they were tenders.  And i'm not sure why this picture looks so bad.  Ina's looks better...

Here is the link to The Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Chicken Breasts recipe from foodnetwork.com
Lemon Chicken Breasts

Little dog vs Big dog

My 20lb dog stealing my 110lb dogs bed...

Giada's Penne Pasta with Shrimp, Lobster & Bacon

This recipe sure takes a lot of work and I have to say this was my first time cutting open a lobster tail (and cooking it for that matter), but it is super good.  Lots of flavor, but I would add some red pepper flakes next time to give it a little kick.

Below is the link to the recipe from Foodnetwork.com
Giada's Penne Pasta with Lobster, Shrimp & Bacon

Paula Deen's Sour Cream Butter Biscuits

I could not believe these biscuits only took minutes to make and 8-10 minutes to bake in the oven.  These are by the Queen of butter (and cream cheese), Mrs. Paula Deen. 

Paula Deen's Sour Cream Butter Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups self rising flour
2 sticks of butter at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Use your hands to combine the ingredients together in a bowl.  Spray a mini muffin tin with Pam and spoon in the mixture.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Spaghetti Pie

This recipe has been most loved by myself and my family growing up.  I think I used to request this dinner for my birthdays as well.  It's so easy to make and kids absolutely love it (even my picky eater son)!  One kid even said to me that it tastes like pizza!

Spaghetti Pie
Ingredients:
1/2lb vermicelli
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1lb hamburger meat
1 small cottage cheese
1 small jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook vermicelli according to package.  Mix vermicelli with butter.  Cook hamburger meat until no longer pink.  Place cooked vermicelli in bottom of a sprayed pan.  Layer hamburger, cottage cheese, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and cheddar on top.  Bake for 40 minutes.

Ranch Chicken Fingers

So i'm not sure if it was the way I fried the chicken (too high of heat possibly?) or just the lack of ingredients, but the ranch slathered chicken with Italian breadcrumb topping didn't go over very well.  It sure smelled good until I chard the crap out of the chicken strips.  Probably won't be making this chicken again.  <Sigh>

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

So lesson learned...Do not try to make dinner before your husband comes home to watch your 1 1/2 year old.  I felt like it took forever to make this dish because I was half cooking and half playing with my son.  This was a good winter dish from Heather Christo's website.  I didn't have a few of the ingredients, but it was still a great dinner.
Here is the link to Heather's website for the recipe:
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Gourmet Magazine-Inspired Ham Cups

For my birthday this past weekend my sister and brother-in-law got me the awesome "I Love trader Joe's Cookbook" by Cherie Mercer Twohy.  I was so excited to see that just about every recipe looked really simple and fast.  A great cookbook for weekday meals.  My first recipe I made is this Gourmet Magazine-Inspired Ham Cups.  This was so fast I may make it for a brunch sometime.

Gourmet Magazine-Inspired Ham Cups
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
6 slices of Black Forest Ham
4 ounces goat cheese
about 9 tablespoons pesto
6 eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly oil six slots in a muffin tin (I used Pam).  Fit a slice of ham in each slot forming a cup.  Put 1 1/2 (or less to fit) tablespoons of pesto in each cover as well as the same measurement of goat cheese.  Break 1 egg on top of each cup.  Bake for 20 minutes.  YUMMY!

I won, I won, I won!!!

It has been so long since I won something, but last week I entered to win a Rachel Ray Baking Dish on Heather Christo's blog (fantastic blog by the way).  I was so excited to find a box on my front porch with my new blue Rachel Ray Baking dish.  I can't wait to use it!!!

Sopranos Italian Kitchen

Happy Birthday To Me!  Last night my husband and I (kid-free) went to Sopranos Italian Kitchen for dinner before a movie.  This restaurant is fairly new so we weren't sure how the food would be.  It was sooooo good!  We started off with calamari with a Sriracha aoili and tuna tar tar with smoked avocado.  Then came my main course of lobster gnocchi.  I have never had gnocchi before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but the dish was super.  A nice light sauce to balance out the lobster and gnocchi.  Finally we ended with a chocolate caramel budino.  We were in and out in about 45 minutes and the service was great!  Very fast, even with the restaurant full of people.  Of course my mommy brain was turned on and I forgot the camera so you'll have to trust me that everything was fantastic!

Fall is here!

Just a few pictures at my attempt to be crafty this fall.  With my son at grandma's and grandpa's house this afternoon I was able to get pumpkins and supplies to create my front "fall scape".  Oh and two pictures of my dogs...could they be more different from each other?

Homemade Playdough

This recipe for Playdough is all over the internet.  You can find it anywhere.  I got mine from fun.familyeducation.com.  This Playdough was surprising so easy and fast to make!  I have no idea why Playdough is so fun for kids, but my son is crazy about the stuff!

Homemade Playdough
Ingedients:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
a few drops of food coloring
1 cup flour
Directions:
Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar and food coloring in a pot and turn burner on.  Heat mixture until warm.  Remove from heat and add flour.  Stir until combined.  Once cool enough to handle take out and place on parchment paper.  Kneed dough until Playdough consistency.

Cindy's Tortellini Soup

What a great recipe from cousin Cindy.  This soup is so light on the tummy, but warm enough for a rainy fall day.  This was so easy to make...even with a 1 1/2 year old tugging on my pants while I made the soup.

Cindy's Tortellini Soup
Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

1 pkg (9oz) fresh cheese, chicken or porobella mushroom tortellini

1 can 15oz. cannellini beans, drained

1 can 15oz. diced Italian tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt to taste

1/3 cup parmesan cheese or asiago cheese

1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In large pot, bring brothe to boil.  Add tortellini. Cook 4 min. Stir in beans and undrained tomatoes. Reduce heat.  Simmer 5 min. Remove from heat. Stir in basil, balsamic vinegar, and salt.  To serve ladle into soup bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese and pepper.

California CheeseBurger

It was such a nice fall evening that my husband and I decided to do a twist on the boring cheeseburger.  Hope you enjoy!

California Cheese Burger
Ingredients:
1lb hamburger meat
a few slices of Monterey Jack Cheese
cilantro
1 lime, juiced and zested
Quacamole to spread
tomato slices
lettuce
buns
Directions:
Mix chopped cilantro, the zest of the lime and the juice of the lime with the hamburger meat.  Grill hamburgers with a few slices of Monterey Jack cheese.  Top burger with lettuce, tomato and guacamole spread.

I Don't Know How She Does It

Okay I totally forgot that I had this "Book" section on my blog (obviously since I only have 1 post and have read a ton of books since then.  I will give a brief summary and then move on:
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey = Loved the book!  So funny!
If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster = Love EVERY book she writes!
Lies Chelsea Told Me by Chelsea Handler = Not as funny as her other books...Kind of disappointing.
Mommy Tracked by Whitney Gaskell = Blah..not great...ending was not good.
The Happiest Mom by Meagan Francis = Predictable

Now onto my latest book:
I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson, I loved this book so much.  What a great book about a working mom juggling her home life with a husband and two children while keeping her high paced finance job.  I was even more excited to hear that Sarah Jessica Parker is staring in the movie verson of the book.  So a few of my book club mommy friends and I went to the movie last night and even though the movie was very different from the book I thought it was the CUTEST movie ever!  The little boy (Ben) reminded me of my 1 1/2 year old and there were a few tears shed by not only myself, but the other mommies too!  I'm pretty sure i'll be buying this movie when it comes out!

Croque Monsieur Pockets

Now normally I don't make anything different for lunch on the weekend, but this was such an easy fast recipe that looked so yummy I couldn't resist.  This is similar to some ham and cheese sandwiches that I make in the oven and just as good!  I couldn't find gruyere cheese at the store so I substituted Havarti cheese (which I LOVE).

Croque Monsieur Pockets
(From the Food Net Work Magazine October 2011 issue)
Ingredients:
1 cup grated gruyere cheese
1 cup deli-sliced ham, chopped
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
vegetable oil, for brushing
all-purpose flour, for dusting
1 11oz tube refrigerated French bread dough
1 large egg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix the gruyere, ham, mustard, nutmeg and cayenne in a bowl until combined.  Squeeze mixture together in your hands to make it more compact.  Brush baking sheet lightly with vegetable oil.  On the floured surface, roll out dough and fill with ham mixture.  Fold the edges to make a pocket and place the pockets seam-side down on the baking sheet.  Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl.  Brush the pockets with egg wash.  Bake until golden brown on top.  About 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Egg and Hash Brown Tacos

Breakfast for dinner!!!

Egg and Hash Brown Tacos
(from the Food Network Magazine October 2011 issue)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 cup small onion finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup prepared salsa
8 large eggs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
8 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed
1 avocado to top tacos
1 cup fresh cilantro
Directions:
Heat the butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add hash brown and cook until golden brown (about 15 minutes).  Heat some butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add onion and cumin cook for 5 minutes.  Add salsa and cook until heated through (about 2 minutes).  Lightly beat eggs in bowl with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour in skillet with hash browns and cook until eggs are almost set (about 2 minutes).  Stir in half cheese and cook for about 1 more minute.  Place in tortillas and add toppings.

Baked Potato with Crab Mix

This recipe was more loved by my husband than me....So sorry I've been so down about all these meals lately.  I just haven't had something that blew me away yet.

Baked Potatoes with Crab Mix
(From the Food Network Magazine)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Poke holes in potatoes and place them on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 1 hour. 
Mix together 4oz crab meat, 1/4 cup crushed salteens, 2 tablespoons mayo, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning. Spoon onto bake potatoes and broil until top is golden brown.

BLT's with Blue Cheese-Buffalo Aioli

This sandwich was just okay....I'm not a big Blue Cheese person so I wasn't expecting much.  I just wanted to try something different with BLT's.  Not sure if i'll make this again, but not a food flop...just not for me.

BLT's with Blue Cheese-Buffalo Aioli
(from the October Issue of Food Network Magazine by Aaron McCargo Jr.
Ingredients:
For Aioli
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup crumbed blue cheese
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 small garlic clove, grated
fresh ground pepper
For the sandwich
Slices of English Muffin Bread
Thick cut bacon
tomatoes, thin sliced
Bibb lettuce

Fresh Salsa

Well I know it's officially fall, but who says you can't have some great salsa (and maybe a margarita) in the fall?
This is a great recipe from my mom.  Every year we would go visit grandma and grandpa in Arizona and have grandpa's famous margaritas and grandma's fresh salsa while sitting on the patio watching the sun set, listening to college basketball finals and smelling the orange blossoms...Man I don't want to think about snow coming just around the corner...

Fresh Salsa
Ingredients:
2-3 medium size ripe Roma tomatoes, quartered
1/4 medium onion
4 sprigs of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper
Directions:
Put all ingredients into food processor and pulse chop to desired consistency.  Let sit for a while and serve with tortilla chips

Paula Deen's Beef Orange Teriyaki Stir Fry

Now i'm a huge fan of Paula Deen (the butter queen), but when I tried this new recipe from her latest magazine issue I was very unimpressed.  I felt like the stir fry tasted like a bag stir fry you get in the frozen section of the grocery store.

A Week In Review...

My week in review
2 Trips to Target
1 Trip to Walmart
3 My Gym Classes
4 Bike Rides
3 Trips to the park
2 Trips to the splash pad
3 Trips to the grocery store
1 Golf game
5 Walks around the neighborhood
Endless hours of playing outside
=1 tired mommy and 1 tired baby...

Sriracha Mac & Cheese

Another great recipe from the cookbook "The Sriracha Cookbook" by Randy Clemens.  Your favorite dish amped up with Sriracha.

Sriracha Mac & Cheese from "The Sriracha Cookbook" By Randy Clemens
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (unsalted)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
8oz elbow macaroni
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup Sriracha
1 3/4 cups Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter.  Add bread crumbs and stir until all butter is absorbed.  Reserve.  Boil noodles in stockpot for 7-8 minutes.  In a saucepan melt 4 tablespoons butter and add onions.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Whisk in flour and cook 2-3 minutes constantly.  Add 1/2 cup milk while whisking.  Once  the milk has been absorbed add the remainder of the milk and the cream.  Add salt, dried mustard, pepper and nutmeg and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Stir in Sriracha.  Add 1 1/2 cups of cheddar slowly while whisking, one handful at a time.  Once all the cheese has melted add the noodles and toss to coat.  Pour into baking dish and top with the Parmigiano cheese and the rest of the Cheddar.  Bake uncovered for 18-22 minutes and let sit for 5.  Top with parsley and serve.  Enjoy!

My First Cucumber

After searching through my jungle of a garden on the side of the house to see if there are any ripe tomatoes on my "tomato tree" I came across something that surprised me...
I thought the only veggie growing in the garden were tomatoes.  The Zucchini and Cucumber plants have taken over the entire garden (had no idea when I planted them) making it hard for any of the peppers to grow.  All summer long i've seen small flowers bloom on the plants, but alas no Zucchini or Cucumber UNTIL TODAY!  My very first Cucumber EVER!!!!